Gifted / special / whatever - how to progress from here?

[YsgolYGair]

Hiya,

 

I have one son that is particularly bright or something. He's in first grade doing first grade work, so nothing extraordinary there, but he can do other things that aren't so ordinary. He started doing puzzles when he was little - real little. He completed his first puzzle in the hundreds of pieces when he was 3, and his first 1000 piece when he was 4. And, he doesn't agonise over them; he does them like .. nothing. 350 pieces in less than 48 hours, at age 3. 

 

He's six now, and has a great propensity for assembling things, puzzles or not. Is there some way I should be directing these talents, or something I should be doing for him? Seriously, how many puzzles can a kid put together? Maybe I should be coming up with things that are more thought out or something?

 

If anyone's got some suggestions, I'd really appreciate them. 

[Arcadia]

He is likely mechanically gifted. Has he tried 3D puzzles? They are fun when doing and decorative when completed.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A2491829011%2Cp_4%3ARavensburger

 

Read this link and see if it makes sense with respect to your child

https://tip.duke.edu/node/940

 

Self taught repairman (from kids age) runs on both sides of my family.

 

ETA:

Your Signature line fits him :) probably an inborn mechanic. Does any friends need help understanding Ikea furniture assembling instructions and he can have fun helping?

 

Just get him lots of stuff to tinker. Check where is your nearest MakerSapce. Bring him to a Maker Faire and watch him "glow".

 

ETA:

Also Rube Goldberg contraptions

https://www.rubegoldberg.com/

Edited February 24, 2016 by Arcadia

[lewelma]

My older boy was like this.  And by 6 was able to do 3D puzzles in 3 minutes that would take adults 30minutes. This skill became directly relevant to his math skills -- measurement, geometry, transformations, etc. 

 

Give him as many puzzles as he wants to do.  3D tetris is good.

 

Ruth in NZ

[LisaKinVA]

LEGO, don't forget the LEGO.  

[wintermom]

The Beast Academy 3A practice book has loads of really great puzzles. You can see a couple examples on their website. https://www.beastacademy.com/resources/printables.php

[pinewarbler]

Lego technic as well which requires good 3d spatial skills to build anything original.

[YsgolYGair]

Lego technic as well which requires good 3d spatial skills to build anything original.

 

 

What ages do these go up to, because the 7-11 ones ain't cutting it! They cost a ton and he finishes them the same day he gets them. 

 

The only thing I've managed to give him that he did struggle with was an 11-16yo Meccano car. And, in fairness, that probably had to do with losing pieces. It'd have worked alot better with the spring in it! 

 

To be honest, cost does figure into this some.. keeping him in Lego, puzzles and Meccano gets really expensive. :(

Edited February 24, 2016 by YsgolYGair

[YsgolYGair]

He is likely mechanically gifted. Has he tried 3D puzzles? They are fun when doing and decorative when completed.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A2491829011%2Cp_4%3ARavensburger

 

Read this link and see if it makes sense with respect to your child

https://tip.duke.edu/node/940

 

Self taught repairman (from kids age) runs on both sides of my family.

 

ETA:

Your Signature line fits him :) probably an inborn mechanic. Does any friends need help understanding Ikea furniture assembling instructions and he can have fun helping?

 

Just get him lots of stuff to tinker. Check where is your nearest MakerSapce. Bring him to a Maker Faire and watch him "glow".

 

ETA:

Also Rube Goldberg contraptions

https://www.rubegoldberg.com/

 

Oh my goodness - that Duke link is so him! Drawing ability and all! There really is something fascinating about the way he sees things. He just knows where pieces belong, and associates by colors in a weird way. What's interesting about the Duke link is that it shows that this is separate from math or language ability. Mathematically, I'd say he's average. My mom keeps telling me to prepare myself to teach him to a high level (I have a math degree), but I don't see anything particularly mathematical about him. Linguistically, he was very late developing but now is fairly advanced, so it doesn't seem to be linked to either one really. Thank you for that awesome link - when he was younger, being a non-speaker, but crazy puzzle kid, I figured he was something like 2e. But this really does seem to be so much closer to what he really is!

[SparklyUnicorn]

Didn't read other posts, but you might also try something like K'nex.  One of mine was really into those for awhlie. 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

How about the one-player logic games made by ThinkFun?  The company was formerly called Binary Arts.

 

These are relatively inexpensive (compared to Lego, Meccano etc) and offer great practice in logic, problem-solving and spatial relations.

 

I also love how their games come with about 60 challenges, starting easy and then gradually get really, really difficult, offering scope for longevity.

 

Some of our favourites are:

 

Chocolate Fix - this is my fave!

River Crossing

Tip Over

Block by Block

Leapin' Lizaards

Rush Hour

 

 

[lewelma]

Mathematically, I'd say he's average. My mom keeps telling me to prepare myself to teach him to a high level (I have a math degree), but I don't see anything particularly mathematical about him.

 

My ds did not show any indication of more than just vaguely good at math until he was 6.5, and now he is pretty mathematically special. Spatial skills and working memory are huge components to global math skill.  Just saying.

 

Ruth in NZ

[Jackie]

Maybe the logic skills would translate to programming? You could try Scratch.

[Dmmetler]

It may be harder now since so many things are designed to not be serviceable at all, but what a friend of mine's parents did was to let him be the "Mr. Fixit" for the entire neighborhood. Seriously, anything that broke went to their garage, and S. would take it apart, tinker with it, put it back together, and so on. If he fixed it, the people in the neighborhood would pay a bit to get back their repaired TV or Blender or whatever. If he couldn't, it was parts he could use to fix something else.  At about age 14-15, that included getting an old sports car, with a decent body but that needed a ton of engine work-which he did over several years, funded by his prior work.

 

He now has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, BTW.

 

 

 

[Arcadia]

Mathematically, I'd say he's average. My mom keeps telling me to prepare myself to teach him to a high level (I have a math degree), but I don't see anything particularly mathematical about him

Look into origami and topology. My DS10 had a hard time with multiplication tables but could understand geometry and complex numbers :lol:

 

Great thread about origami geometry

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/455921-math-geometry-with-origami/

 

Fun link for origami for geometric shapes

https://www.ics.uci.edu/~eppstein/junkyard/origami.html

 

For Legos we mostly buy used from the local Lego User Group.

 

My kids love the Keva planks but it is costly so they play at the museum and at STEM outreach programs.

 

I forgot building with toothpicks

http://www.toothpickworld.com

Edited February 24, 2016 by Arcadia

[YsgolYGair]

My ds did not show any indication of more than just vaguely good at math until he was 6.5, and now he is pretty mathematically special. Spatial skills and working memory are huge components to global math skill.  Just saying.

 

Ruth in NZ

 

What did you use for math with him? I have MM and we have used that for much of first grade, but there have also been some frustrations with it. I'm looking at MEP and BJU as possible alternatives, if we switch.

 

Interesting that you mention memory... I don't know if "working memory" is different than regular memory, but it is scary how much he remembers. The detail is unbelievable!

[LisaKinVA]

If he's just making the models with LEGO, and not getting creative with LEGO, he's missing most of the fun. Look into mocks...LEGO fan groups, LEGO conventions...LEGO goes well beyond the box. Most of our LEGO were purchased at thrift stores and other 2nd hand places. My oldest has pieced together completely new joint systems with the Bionicle series, and showcases his work online and at conventions. If he gets into the robotics end, Check homeschool buyers co-op for deals, raspberry pi is cheap for programming stuff, there are also projects online. He may just need to see what others have made out of LEGO, to visualize that he can create something more original.

[ondreeuh]

How about the one-player logic games made by ThinkFun?  The company was formerly called Binary Arts.

 

These are relatively inexpensive (compared to Lego, Meccano etc) and offer great practice in logic, problem-solving and spatial relations.

 

I also love how their games come with about 60 challenges, starting easy and then gradually get really, really difficult, offering scope for longevity.

 

Some of our favourites are:

 

Chocolate Fix - this is my fave!

River Crossing

Tip Over

Block by Block

Leapin' Lizaards

Rush Hour

 

I've been playing the iPhone app for Chocolate Fix. There are 100 puzzles in each level, I think (I'm just halfway through medium so far). They also have a Rush Hour app. $2.99 each!

 

Does he like chess?

 

[lewelma]

What did you use for math with him? I have MM and we have used that for much of first grade, but there have also been some frustrations with it. I'm looking at MEP and BJU as possible alternatives, if we switch.

 

Interesting that you mention memory... I don't know if "working memory" is different than regular memory, but it is scary how much he remembers. The detail is unbelievable!

 

We used Singapore math Intensive Practice.

 

Working memory is the ability to hold many ideas in the working part of your mind, not the long term memory.  So when my ds does a geometry problem, he can see connections between many different parts of the question because he can hold all those pieces in his working memory at one time.  He finds his working memory skills most useful to geometry problems which is what made me think of it in terms of your puzzle fanatic. :001_smile:

 

[C&W'sMum]

Thanks for posting this.  It described my younger son (4) perfectly.  I used to call him my safe cracker.  His favorite toy while he was tiny was a set of industrial keys with locks.  There was no gate or child safety device that could keep him contained.  He never saw them as a hindrance but a challenge.  Exhausting.  While traveling in Chicago when he just turned 2, we played under Calder's flamingo.  Nine months later, while we drove past our modern art museum, he started yelling "Chicago." (He wasn't especially verbal.)  Stunned, we realized we had passed by a similar red structure by the Calder.  He now loves memorizing complex shapes and obscure color names.  I've often wondered, what is this, and what do I do with it?  That Duke Tips article was really eye-opening!

By the way, we love Lego, Snap Circuits Jr (supervised), Chocolate Fix, Minecraft, all the Right Start math manipulatives, and Cuisinaire rods.  All these suggestions are fantastic!  

[Staceyshoe]

Sounds like he's a visual-spatial learner.  My youngest has high interest/abilities in visual-spatial areas.  He adores many of the things already mentioned--legos, snap circuits, mazes, jigsaw puzzles.  Maps, chess, and playing the piano are other things that fuel that spark in him.

[wintermom]

Sounds like he's a visual-spatial learner.  My youngest has high interest/abilities in visual-spatial areas.  He adores many of the things already mentioned--legos, snap circuits, mazes, jigsaw puzzles.  Maps, chess, and playing the piano are other things that fuel that spark in him.

 

 

Yes, music is great. Piano is nice and linear, each note can only be found in one place, but guitar (or Ukulele) will open up a whole matrix of notes and combinations. Violin, too, though the frets make things more visual. 

[mumto2]

What did you use for math with him? I have MM and we have used that for much of first grade, but there have also been some frustrations with it. I'm looking at MEP and BJU as possible alternatives, if we switch.

 

Interesting that you mention memory... I don't know if "working memory" is different than regular memory, but it is scary how much he remembers. The detail is unbelievable!

My dd loved huge jigsaws from an early age, she is actually watching telly and working on one right now at 17! I spent a lot of time when the kids were younger going to garage sales/charity shops and picking up inexpensive puzzles and other learning activities.

 

For math dd had a huge preference for colourful. So we used Abeka as opposed to Saxon etc. She loved Singapore Math which at the time had a colour text through 6b, not sure what the new books look like.

 

Regarding an earlier post speculating on what early jigsaw ability might translate into academically, I had to chuckle because mathematical, gifted at foreign language, and artistic are words that most people would use to describe my daughter.

[Arcadia]

Your son may like this 2000 marble music machine by Windergarten

 

 

ETA:

The article describing

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-03/02/marble-machine-video

Edited March 6, 2016 by Arcadia