Am I the only one that is frightened about having an accelerated learner?

[JRmommy]

My son just turned 4 years old three weeks ago. He is our only child, so I am really new to homeschooling. He started reading a few months before his 3rd birthday. I am a bit nervous about having an accelerated learner on my hands. Granted, he isn't a child prodigy, but I still don't want to push him too hard. At the same time, I want to continue to nurture the gifts that God has given him. I am really torn as to whether or not to use any curricula at this point. I am honestly just scared - scared to do too much or too little.

 

Currently, he is probably reading at a 1st or 2nd grade level. We just started Classical Conversations this week. We spend about 45-60 min each day in three 20 minute intervals doing OPGTR (Ordinary Parents' Guide to Reading), handwriting, and some math games. He knows how to write all of his letters and numbers. He really LOVES to learn, as I am sure most children do at this age. He loves nature! I just recently found out about Charlotte Mason, and have been reading a bit about her methods. He also loves to play, so we do a lot of that, too! :)

 

So, I am posting to get encouragement and advice from those of you who have crossed this path with your young children. Also, any curricula suggestions would be appreciated (if you would use any at all at this age).

 

Thanks so much,

Vicki

[2smartones]

IME, it never gets easier. You'll always question yourself, and that's ok. It's what makes a mom a mom. I started with a full curriculum at 3, but that's what worked for us and it's what my son was begging for (literally) at the time. Not too many people do that.

 

Hang out here. People "get it" here. People have been downright hateful to me on other forums (even so-called gifted or accelerated ones!). Kids aren't a contest. It doesn't matter if your child is better or worse in x, because you can bet there's somebody's child out there who's better or worse at y.

 

I mean it when I say hang out here. People in your "real life", even well-meaning family and doctors, will give you unsolicited advice about how your child will never have any friends, won't be ready for college, yada, yada, yada. You know your child. Four isn't the age to be worried about college and dating anyway, because things can and will change over time. Acceleration happens in spurts. You can cover two weeks worth of material in a day, and you can cover a day's worth of material in two weeks. It doesn't matter.

 

Scared? Yes. I am, always have been, and always will be. I'm a mom. It's my job to be scared. It doesn't keep me from following my kids' leads, though. If they have a thirst for knowledge, I'll quench it. If they seem stressed out, I back off for a while. I usually try to set the bar about a half inch out of their reach, though. I want them to understand what average children learn by being challenged, but I also want them to see plenty of successes. If that means offering them an off the wall topic as curriculum, fine. If that means offering a traditional topic that is several grades advanced, fine.

[Dinsfamily]

We're taking it one day at a time :001_huh:

 

Sounds like you're doing great so far. My ds really enjoys reading about nature and has been plowing through the Christian Liberty Mature Readers. They might be too hard for him right now, but something to remember later.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Dinsfamily

[SnegurochkaL]

I agree with previous poster. Do what you feel is right for your child. If he wants to study, let him to proceed. I have 3.5 years old who likes "reading" too. He is not really reading but can read his favorite books:) He is doing math and French with my daughter and learning along side with her. He was listening to Astronomy textbooks reading alouds last year and answered questions quicker than his 7 years old sister. He begs to study when he wants to. He doesn't want to study every day(it is still summer), but last year he was studing for 2 hours doing math, labirints and puzzles while his sister was doing her LA.

When I had only 1 child I spent a lot of time with her doing a lot of things. Don't be afraid of having an accelerated child. Just stick with your plans of education. Good luck in your homeschool journey!

[JennW in SoCal]

As someone has already said, worrying is part of motherhood. Homeschooling magnifies the worrying because the responsibility can be so daunting, and the fear of screwing up and ruining your child looms large. I'm at the end of my homeschool tenure and don't think I've ruined either child yet, don't have any major regrets.

 

That said, I looked at the title of your post and thought "what does she have to worry about?!" It isn't that you are wrong to worry, it is that you have a little sponge on your hands and I'm jealous -- I miss that stage!! If your ds is happy and asking for more, soaking up everything you put in front of him, you are simply being a good mom who is responsive to your child's needs! You'll know when you've pushed too far -- he will resist, lose interest. Since you are a sensitive and responsive mom you'll back off and go back to nurturing his curiosity.

 

This is a terrific age. I didn't use curricula except for reading, handwriting and some math until my kids were almost 4th grade. Sounds extreme, I know, but it worked for us. (Actually, I've used very few packaged programs over the years -- I've tended to design all their courses of study.) Mostly it was reading stacks and stacks of books, playing games and exploring the world around us. Art supplies and science supplies (magnifying glasses, tape meaures, binoculars) were at their level, and I just followed their lead. By the time they were 8 or 9 they had a very broad range of knowledge, and a specialized knowledge of the topics that really interested them. Best of all, they still love to learn, even though as teen agers their glee is usually very well hidden!!

 

If there is some curricula that you think looks too wonderful not to start, then give it a try. Some kids really respond to it, and there are many new products out there that didn't exist back in my day. If your ds resists, put it on the shelf and move on to whatever excites him. If he loves it, then great!

 

And, welcome aboard!

[LittleIzumi]

Heck, I'm nervous and my kids aren't as advanced as yours, and I'm "gifted" and should know how to handle it, you'd think :glare:. Pity I wasn't homeschooled more; maybe then I'd have a clue, lol. I'm just going with the flow--not like I have a choice, with dd2 jumping up & down demanding exactly what she wants to learn at the top of her lungs :lol:. One day at a time, and remember to breathe occasionally.

[MissKNG]

Am I the only one that is frightened about having an accelerated learner?

 

I am scared to death!!! My big girl has been asking for "harder school", "harder math", etc. It scares the heck out of me. I feel like I'm never going to get it "right".

 

And to make matters worse - I'm NOT gifted and I learn completely differently than she does. All of that makes me even more nervous.

 

What am I doing about it? One main thing I found was to have a variety of resources available - from books to globes/atlas to workbooks to art supplies to puzzles to manipulatives to CDROM programs, etc. I'm even saving for microscope (my big girl has a list of things she wants to look at). I also have stuff at all sorts of different levels.

 

As for curricula, my big girl responds well and thrives on it. We are are using all sorts of things on all sorts of topics. I do go "heavy" on her interests (math and science).

 

Good luck and this is a great board to "talk" about everything you are worried about! :D

[Luckymama]

It does get a bit easier as they get older. Somehow it's more socially acceptable to have a gifted/accelerated high-school-age student than a younger one, even one as "old" as 10yo.

[regentrude]

I must confess that I am not scared at all and would like to offer my perspective.

Actually, I am rather relaxed because they are accelerated - since that means no matter what I do we will come out way ahead of the public school ;-) Less to worry about.

For instance: If DD scores at age 12 better than 90% of the college bound seniors on the SAT that means I do not have to worry about SAT prep - I can trust that she will do well when she is 17 and does normal prep.

 

I let me kids work according to their level. Which means that a prepackaged curriculum is not going to fit their needs. My 6th grader is ready for algebra, he gets to do it. My 8th grader is taking College physics, that's OK.

Relax. Smart kids are fun :-)

 

And with homeschooling we don't have many of the problems they have in school: not being challenged, being bored, acting up - we have solutions for those.

[Embassy]

No, not frightened. Bewildered and confused seem to fit better. I'm just trying to understand offspring that don't fit the standard mold. I don't necessarily think normal is a good thing, but there are many times I desire it. It seems like it would be so much easier that way.

[Marie463]

I could have written this exact post a year ago!

 

I agree with regentrude's post above that the pressure is pretty much off! My ds is technically beginning K this year, but because he is reading and doing math at such an advanced level, I really don't feel the stress like other homeschooling parents might that this is the year that he needs to learn how to read, or he needs to be able to write all of his letters by the end of the year, etc. I just keep feeding him information as he's ready for it and don't pay attention to the grade levels. We also read A LOT. He goes through books quickly, but the library is right around the corner. It's pretty stress-free!

 

On the other hand, what may be scary is the expense of homeschooling materials given how quickly accelerated kids complete them! I did not anticipate how quickly we would go through curriculum and such. For instance, I bought ds a MindBenders book (logic puzzles) to do once a week or so during homeschool this year. He found it and is now 3/4 of the way through the book...and we haven't even "formally" begun our homeschool year yet! We've gently begun a few other subjects and he's moving quickly through those too. I may be needing to pick up new levels of a few subjects around Christmas...crazy!

 

Have fun!

[Barb_]

Actually, I am rather relaxed because they are accelerated - since that means no matter what I do we wi

 

:iagree: I always viewed it as a gift. Let them go as far as they want to and can with their obsessions but don't feel the need to have everything above grade level. I found that with the pressure off, we tended to stay above grade level without trying.

 

Barb

[MissKNG]

Actually, I am rather relaxed because they are accelerated - since that means no matter what I do we will come out way ahead of the public school ;-) Less to worry about.

.

 

:iagree: I agree on this point...that is definitely not what I'm "scared" of. I actually get bewildered when people talk about not being able to complete stuff they planned for the year.

 

I just don't know how to handle her! :lol: I'm more "afraid" of just letting her go at her own pace. I feel like I'm holding her back because I can't understand how she thinks.

[SnegurochkaL]

:iagree: what everyone said.

Relax and be happy that you have such a "blessing"! Don't worry about curriculum, you can just read "science books" and do experiments. They love it at this age:) My 3 years old could study bugs, worms and spiders all day long:) I help him to write an observation. It is so fun to see them thinking. If you want a science curriculum I highly recommend REAL Science LIFE by Pandia Press. It is for 1-4 grade but can be adopted to younger audience. I am going to do it with my son next summer. He will be 4 by that time:) My daughter really enjoyed it and wouldn't mind doing it again with her brother. Before that we did Living Learning Books: Life curriculum which is simply reading books on a topic. We did it when my daughter was a 4 years old and did Galloping the Globe in K.

 

So, If I needed to choose only one curriculum, I would choose one by Pandia press.

http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1282939095-1360362&subject=11&category=2724

 

e-book cost less from the publisher: http://www.pandiapress.com/ebooks.html

 

Sample pages can be found here:http://www.pandiapress.com/trybeforeyoubuy.html

 

For History I would choose The Story of the World for this age or other children history books. Color pictures related to the topic read and do a timeline as a project or lapbook even better.

 

If your son loves animals and likes to glue:) I would recommend some products from Currclick.com. There is a sale going on until August 31. I am going to buy "Discovering the continents" by Koumi Books for my kids. They like animals and travelling around the wold will be even more fun!

 

http://www.currclick.com/index.php?cPath=1069

Edited August 27, 2010 by SneguochkaL

[LisaKinVA]

I feel like this most of the time :willy_nilly:

 

Seriously. Just when I think I have it "all" figured out, something happens that forces me to rethink everything. Whether it's a child who never had any problems before, and suddenly a major issue is staring me in the face making me wonder, "how did I miss that?"

 

Or, it's another child you thought was adequately challenged doing 5th grade math, who takes their first progressive test (vs. standardized) and scores into high school level math (not grade equivalents, but actually scored into 10th grade math).:001_huh:

 

Just do your best to meet the needs of your child -- whatever they are, whenever they appear. At times, this will mean pushing forward -- at others, it will mean pulling back. There will be days your son may sit and want to work on math for 5 hours straight. And then, he won't want to touch math for a week. For the most part, especially at this young an age, you can just go with the flow.

 

I think every mom here is terrified, at some point feels very alone, and is unsure of what to do next (if the child is doing enough, or if it's too much).

 

It is a roller-coaster of a ride -- but honestly, I can't imagine anything different (okay, I can imagine a life where things actually go as planned, but that hasn't happened for me in the last 40 years, so why should that start now?) :D

 

Welcome, and no you are not alone.

[Dmmetler]

I'm scared when I look at the future at times. Having a child who read the safety labels on her gifts at her 2nd birthday, who was identified as supposedly being Profoundly Gifted at age 4, and who, at just turned 5, was deemed "too advanced" for a supposedly top academic private school is a little scary. (Having seen what her classmates last year are now doing in 1st, I agree with them. DD would have been bored out of her skull!) In many ways, it's very reassuring to come here and realize that my DD is pretty typical of kids on this board, and that they're NOT all, or even most, in college at 12 or anything like that!

[Barb_]

I just don't know how to handle her! :lol: I'm more "afraid" of just letting her go at her own pace. I feel like I'm holding her back because I can't understand how she thinks.

 

Oh. No there isn't likely a danger of that either. You just do the next thing, regardless of how fast they go or how deep their interests are. My oldest two are at the far end of the gifted scale, but I have others who shall remain nameless that are either not as gifted or not as driven or both. It's really pretty easy to keep up with either style because I'm smarter and more experienced than all of them :tongue_smilie:

 

Barb

[MissKNG]

. It's really pretty easy to keep up with either style because I'm smarter and more experienced than all of them

 

Hmmm...then I guess I'm not so smart because her learning style certainly makes me uncomfortable.;)

[regentrude]

Or, it's another child you thought was adequately challenged doing 5th grade math, who takes their first progressive test (vs. standardized) and scores into high school level math (not grade equivalents, but actually scored into 10th grade math)

 

If it helps to comfort you:

the math curriculum in this country is seriously dumbed down.

When my DD went to a regular school in Germany, they covered a lot of topics in 6th grade that are 10th grade in the US, such as congruent triangles and proofs about them. (It was 6th grade stuff when I went to school in Germany as a kid, too).

So the fact that the US curriculum places certain topics in 10th grade does not mean that it is scary if a smart 5th grader can do them :-)

[MissKNG]

If it helps to comfort you:

the math curriculum in this country is seriously dumbed down.

When my DD went to a regular school in Germany, they covered a lot of topics in 6th grade that are 10th grade in the US, such as congruent triangles and proofs about them. (It was 6th grade stuff when I went to school in Germany as a kid, too).

So the fact that the US curriculum places certain topics in 10th grade does not mean that it is scary if a smart 5th grader can do them :-)

 

 

I often wonder why there isn't a German based math available to the US like Singapore or Russian math.

[SnegurochkaL]

If it helps to comfort you:

the math curriculum in this country is seriously dumbed down.

When my DD went to a regular school in Germany, they covered a lot of topics in 6th grade that are 10th grade in the US, such as congruent triangles and proofs about them. (It was 6th grade stuff when I went to school in Germany as a kid, too).

So the fact that the US curriculum places certain topics in 10th grade does not mean that it is scary if a smart 5th grader can do them :-)

 

:iagree: Few years ago I was participating in discussion where we were talking about math education in America and other countries. I brought topic about Russian math and we were comparing it to NEM of SM, so topics studied in 7 grade for NEM were studied in Russia in 6 grade or some later one from NEM were studied earlier. So kids did Calculus I in 9th grade of regular school or 8th in AP classes. Kids used to graduate at 17 years old , some graduated at 16 or 15. No big deal. We didn't have "Gifted " programs. If you exceptionally gifted in math you can be accepted to a "Special math and physics school" where they work with number/game theories in 5th grade and do beginning of calculus in 6-7 th grade.

 

Also, math homework(especially Geometry,7 grade and up) used to take at least 3 hours to do in my class. We were given up to 8 geometry problems and up to 15 problems in Algebra/Calculus. Sometimes you would need to finish the left overs problems from classroom. So, you would be interested to do as many as you can during your class and start working on your home assignments. There were no solutions manual and answers were given only to even or odd problems. I think kids in US schools have it too easy:)

 

P.S What is known here as a "Russian math" textbook is a typical math for an average child. Being a 5th grader, it took me 1 month to get through 6 grade math textbook (something similar to the one available in US) just for fun. I did every problem in a textbook and when I brought "my homework" to school and show to my teacher she wasn't sure what to make out of it. She couldn't put me in 7th grade class next year when I suppose to be in 6th. I just spent whole year of not learning academically anything new in my math class. I was given few extra challenging problems to work on during our math sessions.

Edited August 28, 2010 by SneguochkaL

[Barb_]

Hmmm...then I guess I'm not so smart because her learning style certainly makes me uncomfortable.;)

 

Those brains had to come from someone, right? Don't let it throw you. Kids can smell fear (cue eerie music...)

 

Barb

[LisaKinVA]

never mind...

Edited August 28, 2010 by LisaK in VA
conflicted

[LittleIzumi]

On the other hand, what may be scary is the expense of homeschooling materials given how quickly accelerated kids complete them! I did not anticipate how quickly we would go through curriculum and such. For instance, I bought ds a MindBenders book (logic puzzles) to do once a week or so during homeschool this year. He found it and is now 3/4 of the way through the book...and we haven't even "formally" begun our homeschool year yet! We've gently begun a few other subjects and he's moving quickly through those too. I may be needing to pick up new levels of a few subjects around Christmas...crazy!

 

Have fun!

 

Yes!!! The 2-year-old went through half of her new Pre-K math workbook today. I thought she'd go through it quickly but sheesh :tongue_smilie:

 

I must confess that I am not scared at all and would like to offer my perspective.

Actually, I am rather relaxed because they are accelerated - since that means no matter what I do we will come out way ahead of the public school ;-) Less to worry about.

 

:lol: Good point. I never thought about that.

[JWSJ]

I'm concerned my son will be bored and stifled in college, like I was...

 

A college degree can help open the doors to much opportunity. Some opportunities are completely ruled out without the proper paperwork.

 

Until college, he can absorb and master as much as he wants. I'll gladly help.

 

I wish the rest of the world to understand, but we're not counting on it.

[eclipse]

It was scary in the begining. Once I made the decision to homeschool, it got much, much easier.

[MissKNG]

Those brains had to come from someone, right?

 

Barb

 

 

never mind...sent via PM

[HeidiD]

If it helps to comfort you:

the math curriculum in this country is seriously dumbed down.

 

Math doesn't seem to be the only dumbed-down subject. I've noticed the graded summer reading lists supplied by the school to our local library seem seriously dumbed down. And the library has "graphic novels" (comic book style adaptations of real novels as well as Batman, Spiderman, etc.) in the "Young Adult Section".:001_huh:

[SnegurochkaL]

It is still great that we can homeschool our kids in America.An accelerated learner has a chance to excel. It 's not very good in other countries. In most Germany it is illegal, in Bavaria particularly. In Russia you need to have an umbrella school for your child to take tests etc. It was illegal earlier when I was a6t school age.

[regentrude]

It is still great that we can homeschool our kids in America.An accelerated learner has a chance to excel. It 's not very good in other countries. In most Germany it is illegal, in Bavaria particularly. .

 

Yes, it is good that we can do this here.

Actually, it is illegal in all of Germany.

But then, if I lived in Germany I would not need to homeschool because my kids would actually learn something in school (we homeschool for academic reasons).

[Barb_]

I'm concerned my son will be bored and stifled in college, like I was...

 

Until college, he can absorb and master as much as he wants. I'll gladly help.

 

 

 

Since he's homeschooled, he can take test out of basic courses through AP or depending on the school, CLEP or Credit by Exam. Or he can take his general ed requirements at a local community college or university or through distance ed. Then he can go right into 300 and 400 level classes from his first semester. This is what we did with my daughter and it worked out beautifully.

 

Barb

[Ester Maria]

Not frightened; in fact, not even taking into account the already substandard levels of education that pass as "standards" in the US and several other Western countries - I find it "normal" that my children wouldn't fit those standards, since I believe that even an average child brought up in this household would end up quite "exceptional" by those standards (this doesn't sound very modest, but I've no alternative way of phrasing it :D).

 

At times I really wonder whether I have exceptional children, or simply well-educated children. Many of the children I saw labeled "exceptional" in the US were simply educated within a more normal framework than that of the US; on the other hand, there is definitely an innate component of pure ability that's not dependent on the framework of one's education.

 

Relax and take it easy. Relate to "your child", not "your exceptional child". Who cares about the labels, artificial intelligence scales, whatnot. Meet your children where they are, give them the best possible education for their particular intellectual, social and emotional needs, and enjoy.

[zaichiki]

I agree with regentrude's post above that the pressure is pretty much off! My ds is technically beginning K this year, but because he is reading and doing math at such an advanced level, I really don't feel the stress like other homeschooling parents might that this is the year that he needs to learn how to read, or he needs to be able to write all of his letters by the end of the year, etc. I just keep feeding him information as he's ready for it and don't pay attention to the grade levels. We also read A LOT. He goes through books quickly, but the library is right around the corner. It's pretty stress-free!

 

On the other hand, what may be scary is the expense of homeschooling materials given how quickly accelerated kids complete them! I did not anticipate how quickly we would go through curriculum and such.

 

I agree with these points.

 

It can get intimidating for a parent when a child learns more about a particular topic than the parent knows. I had to adjust to this when my oldest was fairly young. He was obsessed with WWII and military tactics and learned quite a lot through his reading. He also visited museums, watched videos, and chatted with some elderly WWII pilots he got a chance to meet. He certainly knew more than I did about the topic!

 

It was "scary" to me to have that parent/child dynamic change. I relaxed, though, when I considered that it was due to all the time and energy he put into the topic. I was/am proud of him for doing all that independent learning. The stuff he knows is his reward.

 

There are plenty of topics/skills that I have more experience with than my children do. As they get older there are more and more things that they can teach me. I'm getting used to it, but there is a learning curve there. :D

[regentrude]

It can get intimidating for a parent when a child learns more about a particular topic than the parent knows. I had to adjust to this when my oldest was fairly young. He was obsessed with WWII and military tactics and learned quite a lot through his reading. He also visited museums, watched videos, and chatted with some elderly WWII pilots he got a chance to meet. He certainly knew more than I did about the topic!

 

 

I actually find this one of the cool things about homeschooling: I get to learn stuff I never knew.

In his second week of homeschooling, my then 10 y/o DS gave us a half hour power point presentation about the Battle of Thermopylae - something I did not even know about. He researched the topic completely independently because he is excited about ancient battles.

I do not have the time and energy to be ahead of everything my kids do. DD is studying Herodotus right now- also something I never read - and tells me excited about the interesting things he writes. I will read passages myself, but don't think I will be able to read every single book my kids read (after all, I am not only homeschooling them but also working an outside job)

There is no better way for a person to learn than to teach somebody. So I'll have my kids teaching me :-)

[MaMa2005]

I wasn't frightened last year, just taken aback at how quickly DS went through curriculum. I used last year as my year to do lots of research and investigation into curriculum and outside homeschooling activities. By the end of May, I was pretty committed to my curriculum choices and levels for this year. That was a huge load off my shoulders.

 

This year has gone amazingly well :hurray: which has given me a boost of confidence in tackling the education of a gifted child.

 

I always have to laugh at myself when I question my teaching. I am a retired SPED teacher with four college degrees who taught everything from the most profoundly intellectually disabled children to children who had such severe emotional and behavioral issues that you couldn't be alone in a classroom with them. Now I have been blessed to teach a gifted child - the one area I knew nothing about! I think someone upstairs has a good laugh :lol: every day!

[JWSJ]

Since he's homeschooled, he can take test out of basic courses through AP or depending on the school, CLEP or Credit by Exam. Or he can take his general ed requirements at a local community college or university or through distance ed. Then he can go right into 300 and 400 level classes from his first semester. This is what we did with my daughter and it worked out beautifully.

 

Thank you

 

This is what we'll probably encourage.

 

That and a dual major to keep interest up.