mariposa Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 This is such a great problem to have! My 3rd child is a very bright Ker. Lately, I'm realizing that he needs more to do to stimulate him. I'd prefer that it be something challenging and not just work to keep him busy. He truly loves to learn - I've checked out about every book in the library about how stuff works/animals/jobs and he reads them so quickly. He's currently doing OPGTR, HWT, Saxon 1, Greek (he loves it), ETC. Even if it was something fun that an older child is doing, he's reading about a 3rd grade level, so he could probably handle it. One of the reasons I'm homeschooling is to keep my kids from boredom and I feel like I'm not doing enough to challenge him or keep him interested in learning independently. Thanks! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 My little one K4 age (though doing the second half of SM 1 and lots of logic games for 6+ years) loves the ThinkFun games like Rush Hour Jr, Tipover, River Crossing, etc. These games are nice and challenging because they get progressively harder but teach a lot of logical thinking skills and puzzle/problem solving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevilla Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 What about science or STory of the World? My DS loves doing the maps in each chapter and reading the books I get from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in LV Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 My 5 yo son is enjoying this book: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Maps-Geography-Grades/dp/0769685595/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Even though it says grades 3-6, he can handle it rather well, as he can read well enough to follow the instructions (with occasional help from me). The book starts off with a lot of simple maps, and they need to answer questions, follow routes & draw their own maps by following the instructions. It eventually gets into US & some world maps, but we haven't gotten there yet. My son will ask to do the book & do multiple pages in a sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Have you considered having him do art or music? Something like Atelier or Mark Kistler's drawing lessons might be good for him and challenge him in different ways. Learning to play an instrument, even recorder, is a valuable and enriching experience in my book. Logic is also an excellent addition, as is geography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinD Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Intellego unit studies have some great ones for the K-2 crowd. They are, hands-down, the best unit studies we've used in 8 years of homeschooling. There are a bunch of them listed right now in the "secret sale" on currclick.com for about $7. Well worth the money and meaty enough to keep a bright child fascinated. As another plus, unlike a lot of the unit studies, there isn't a ton of printing to do; you print only the sheets your child needs and the rest is either on the pdf or a hyperlink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 One of the reasons I'm homeschooling is to keep my kids from boredom and I feel like I'm not doing enough to challenge him or keep him interested in learning independently. Isn't that the worst feeling. :ack2: My kids are accelerated (I don't want to use the g-word) and I go through the guilt phase every couple of months. What do you think about doing unit studies on some books? We did a unit study on Farmer Boy one year and my son still remembers stuff we learned. We're doing a huge study on the Chronicles of Narnia (that'll keep 'em busy!) - complete with a discussion guide. For younger ages...we've done several of these: http://www.handsofachild.com/ Also, for later (not yet)... http://www.rfwp.com/ It seems like every time my husband gets a paycheck, a portion of it gets sent here. :tongue_smilie: I've been eyeing their science stuff. Many times, I'll just ask the kids, "Exactly what do you want to study?" They'll come up with some surprising answers. We dissected a cow eyeball, because my daughter asked to do that. :glare: My son wanted to learn carpentry, so *magically* we have 2 new bookcases (they're actually not bad - LOL). My son is asking to build a solar car. Here's where the rest of our money goes: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ They have the cheapest beakers. I bought several beakers and graduated cylinders to teach measurements. They also have science kits, thermometers, magnets, etc. I can't find it...but when my son was in 2nd grade, he LOVED this physics simple machines kit. I think I bought it at Hobby Lobby. The kid built all the different simple machines (lever, pulley, incline plane, etc). He would get that out on his free time and build the machines. When his buddies came over, THEY would build the machines. It was weird. Also, Snap Circuits are a big hit here. My son worked through the entire book of projects when he was 7. I think he knows more about circuits than I do. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsuz123 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I have one of those kids too, we pulled her out of ps (tried private school too), because she was so bored. One thing a teacher friend told me is to not give an accelerated child more work, instead, go deeper. Unit studies is a great way to achieve that. We do FIAR, she is a big reader, so this works well for us. Also, when she goes on some rabbit trail, I just let her. Yesterday, she did Readers Theater for about 5 straight hours, seriously. I just let her, and held on the math for a day. I bought a ton of games lately, all educational - math or logic games, that seems to help too. Good luck and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rbsmrter Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I alternate work for my K'er which seems to keep her entertained and focused). I'll alternate curriculum with logic games, such as games by Think Fun, Smart Games, and bambino. I also make sure to do at least one art or craft project sometime throughout the day. Within the curriculum activities, I try to alternate independent and guided practice activities, so she she knows she'll get one on one time with me. She seems to enjoy the diversity of activities and enjoys being surprised by what comes next. Does she have anything she's passionate about? There are tons of lapbooks/notebooks/unit studies out there. Maybe you guys could spend each week learning more about something she really loves or enjoys. I've been able to find tons of living books on Amazon that cover all sorts of topics. Some of the books even have a list of ideas for extension activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariposa Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thanks so much for all your ideas. I'm going to be spending some time (and probably money!) this afternoon looking into these. The idea to go deeper really resonates with me. The point is not to just keep him busy but to feed his wonderful desire to learn! This board is such a great resource! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Also come read through a lot of the thread on the accelerated learner section :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waa510 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I'd add in science or history, and definitely some logic puzzles/games to keep him excited and interested. I'm in a similar boat with my dd and adding in the "extras" that others told me weren't needed at her age/grade really helped with her. She just needed more, and the content subjects are great for that. I'd also add in a spelling, and maybe another language like Latin if he's loving Greek. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I would drop ETC if he's reading and go though OPGTR quickly, just teaching the lessons that he needs. For math, I would switch to either MEP 1 (it's free to download) or Singapore 1 with the Intensive Practice books. Saxon is very often a bad "fit" for bright kids because of the amount of repetition built in. For history and science, I would allow him to tag along with your older students as best he can. What I do is have my 6 y.o. study the same topics as the 9 y.o. but using easier materials. Magic School Bus, Let's Read and Find Out Science,Vicki Cobb, and Seymour Simon have lots of good picture books on science topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Oh as for science my K4-er loves the Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About that books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariposa Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 I just wanted to add that he is doing science and history, art and music with the older sibs (and enjoys that very much)--I should have said that in my first post. I'm looking for something for him to do while I'm working with the older 2, rather than standing over his (4th grade) brother's shoulder and telling him the answers to his math problems! :tongue_smilie: This really has been immensely encouraging and helpful. I have a feeling that #4 is going to be the same way, so it'll be great to have all these ideas and resources in my back pocket when he gets there! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Ask him what he's interested in. We don't do the full list of subjects in the WTM, but every time we go to the library, my kids have to pick one nonfiction subject they want to learn more about. So far my ds has read books about football, military history, the Tuskegee airmen, and other subjects. My dd is focused on animals, so she's checked out books on koalas, kangaroos, lions, cheetahs, etc. Occasionally, the kids can't pick a subject so I'll steer them towards a topic based on our school study in the previous week. While I'm finishing up school with ds, it gives my dd something to do besides lay on the floor or beg to watch television. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I'm looking for something for him to do while I'm working with the older 2, rather than standing over his (4th grade) brother's shoulder and telling him the answers to his math problems! :tongue_smilie: Evan-Moor has a great line of books called Take it to Your Seat ____ Centers. They have math, phonics, vocabulary, literacy, science, geography, etc. Great for hands-on activities that can be done independently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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