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Web Resources for Parents of Gifted
Did you know that being a parent of gifted learners is not easy? In fact, sometimes it’s incredibly hard. I used to think something was wrong with me because I just couldn’t understand why my child acted so differently from other children his age. I mean, I knew he was smart. But, it seemed so strange for a 3 year old to write in perfect cursive without being taught to do so. And, what 6 y.o. reads encyclopedias for entertainment? Those things… are just… well, weirdly, yet excitedly, different. Right? And, the emotional differences were far different, and I simply didn’t understand it. I used to feel so very alone. I used…
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6 STEM Gifts for Smart Kid Middle Schoolers
If you’ve been around Great Peace Academy before you know my son loves all things science, technology, engineering, art, and math. In other words he loves STEM activities. Below I’m sharing 6+ STEM gifts for kids who are enthralled by these areas of learning. His mind is constantly active and it’s hard even for him to fall asleep at night because he’s always thinking about engineering, or drawing something. Even when he’s processing an activity he’s whistling, humming, snapping his fingers in rhythm because his active, creative mind simply must have an outlet for the many prolific thoughts that are zooming through his brain at any given moment. Finding something…
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How to Expand Gifted Learning Opportunities on a Budget
Being mom to a child with gifted learning abilities can be so frustrating when your family lives on a tight homeschool budget. Because we have chosen homeschooling for our son’s education the entire responsibility for educating our learner is on us. Knowing that he has an insatiable thirst for more and more knowledge I’m constantly feeling behind the curve, as if I’ll never be able to fill the cup. Add to that the family’s tight budget and I’m constantly feeling as if I have to balance fulfilling his need to learn with what we can and can’t afford to do. That can be so frustrating because I want to provide…
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A New Find: Excellent Language Arts using Great Literature
Language Arts Study for Gifted Students As we enter what I consider to be our 8th grade year of homeschooling, I’m beginning to realize that my son continues to need increasingly challenging work. Each year it becomes more and more apparent that he needs differentiated learning opportunities in every subject matter. Yet, I find myself always gravitating to more challenging math and science, and steering clear of challenging him in other areas, like language arts. I think the reason is because for years he has balked at anything that related to writing. Oh, he’s very good at grammar, handwriting, and understanding how to edit material. He just simply has never…
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How to Develop Thinking Skills with Brain Games
As I’ve shared with you many times I have a child who is constantly needing more. He is always consuming brain games, puzzle books, mind-twisters, logic puzzles, and more, very quickly. He has an insatiable desire to gain more knowledge, to be challenged more and to need more mental stimulation. That’s why I try to keep on hand recreational math workbooks. So he always discovers something engaging here and there throughout our home. I received these Brain Games, recreational math books, for free in exchange for my honest review and am being fairly compensated for my time. I was not required to write a positive review, all opinions expressed are my…
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Finally an Online Course that Challenges a Math Mind
To say that it’s difficult to challenge my math gifted son would be an understatement. From a very early age he has progressed through math as if he has some hidden foreknowledge of how it’s all supposed to work. For him, it just clicks. Over the years I’ve tried various challenge math options, bought published printed materials for gifted children as well as tried a variety of online math programs that I had hoped would allow him to explore math in a way that challenged his mind. Typically, he will figure out those programs or lessons quickly, progress rapidly and then get bored and will not want to continue. Disclosure:…
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Thinking with Logic, Math Mysteries
Challenging Math Mysteries for Gifted Children Middle school aged children love a good mystery. At least, my middle school child does. Anytime they have an opportunity to solve something mysterious there is excitement. Couple a love for mysteries, a need for challenges, an ability to think logically and Math Logic Mysteries, by Marilynn L. Rapp Buxton, would be an excellent workbooks for your gifted homeschool resource library. When I first received Math Logic Mysteries, for free as a part of a blog review opportunity, from Prufrock Press I was excited to see how much my son loved them. The concept is truly simple. Solve some math equations based upon a series of clues…
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Gifted Learning Curiosity
Encouraging a Desire to Learn Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for products you may purchase through external sites. I woke up to discover my son had been up for a while. As I made breakfast for myself, (he had already ate). I asked him what he was doing. His response surprised me. “I’m reading the encyclopedias.” Obviously, his learning curiosity has kicked in. “Oh, really? What are you reading?” “I wanted to know more about the states, so I’m going through the encyclopedias to learn about them.” I don’t know why I should be surprised, that’s something he used to do. He would learning curiosity about something and then figure out…
