Support for parents of gifted children - Page 9

[heythere heather]

Our library has the bob books. I haven't checked them out yet, though...grandma bought him some scholastic phonics readers, and he is enjoying them for now.

[AahRee]

I'll be back to read the rest of the thread later, but I'm jumping in to say *hi*. DD, 2y3m might fall into the gifted category, and might simply be *advanced* - I'm not sure one way or the other yet. She is incredibly bright, and she is also very big for her age (off the charts tall), so unfortunately, people think she's 3 or 4, and expect her to act like an older child.

[SilverWillow]

Originally Posted by Britishmum

Both my girls love the Bob books. My just-two year old can't 'read' them but recites them perfectly - and who is to say where the line is between reciting from memory and reading.

Hi there!

If your DD can recite books from memory at under age 2, I'd be very surprised if she didn't turn out to be an early reader (if she isn't already). I know DD 3.5 has been reciting from memory for a while, but I've watched her go through a very specific process in the last month. She went from knowing all her uppercase letters, to learning lowercase letters and all the phonics sounds. Then she started making only the phonics sounds from left to right, and very recently followed that with putting the sounds together to make a word. While she can recite books with sophisticated vocabulary, she has just started "decoding" through phonics three letter words-- words she hasn't memorized by sight. She does it everywhere-- signs out in public, "hot" on the cooktop of the stove, books she's never seen before. Now, she can recognize some bigger words as "sight" words.

I'm happy with the combination of learning methods there-- I think her learning style will allow her to unconsciously pick up a lot of the reading "rules" as well as the exceptions in that way. I learned to read that way (without phonics), and personally, I think it's faster as long as your brain is wired that way, KWIM? I suspect that's how many of these profoundly gifted kids manage to learn to read at astonishingly early ages (as babies/toddlers).

Originally Posted by Britishmum

Sometimes I'm not sure what dd#1 'reads' and what she just recalls after one telling, but I don't think it matters as long as they are enjoying the material. Even once they can read the Bob books, they just find them fun and entertaining. They are so simple, but so silly.

Well, she's got a great memory and doesn't need the repetition. I agree, the books are really cute. Thanks for the feeback, Britishmum and everyone else who responded.

Originally Posted by Britishmum

But we've just given up on our preschool plans, so at least I feel I can spend the money we'd have spent on preschool each month on homeschooling books and materials.

We've put it off too. After visiting the local preschools I'm not sure how long DD would stay interested, or how well she's fit in. I fear the social consequences. We've already had the experience of other kids looking at her like she has 3 heads (during a preschool visit-- older kid started some mild bullying after DD demonstrated she could spell her name, older kid couldn't) and it really made me think. She's spirited (dramatic variety) and things could get really scary! :-( OT, but were you the one with the thread in special needs about other people seeming to blame you for DD's issues? I really related to that but didn't post because I didn't want the kind of advice the OP managed to get in her own thread. :-) Anyway, if it was you, thanks! I can't tell you how hard it is to find others who understand what it's really like...

Amy

[eilonwy]

I have never seen a Bob book.

I can tell you that the other day, BeanBean picked up a tag from one of BooBah's "Very Hungry Caterpillar" outfits (last year's clearance, super cheap! ) and said "Butterfly, caterpillar! Sunday, Monday, Teusday, Wednesday, still hungry!" :LOL So yeah, he definately gets the idea. I don't think he has the entire book memorized, but he was very close to memorizing "The Very Quiet Cricket" not too long ago. He ended up taking that one out of the library over and over again, so I bought it for him for his first birthday and he was absolutely thrilled.

Hi, new mammas!

[supervee]

a very specific process in the last month. She went from knowing all her uppercase letters, to learning lowercase letters and all the phonics sounds. Then she started making only the phonics sounds from left to right, and very recently followed that with putting the sounds together to make a word. While she can recite books with sophisticated vocabulary, she has just started "decoding" through phonics three letter words-- words she hasn't memorized by sight.

This is what's great about the Bob Books, but I think there are others like that out there... They take full advantage of this skill of beginning decoding. I don't read them to him b/c then the little booger would just recite them from memory--this way he does the work if he wants the laugh.

Don't know how you feel about computers/software, but you know what else is really fun for beginning readers who like silliness is the Dr. Seuss living books on CD-ROM. Many, many giggles, and he's learning all those sight words, too!

[eilonwy]

I'm not a big fan of computer programs for kids... I've got issues. :LOL

My very first book was "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Seuss, so he'll always hold a special place in my heart. I still remember the day I realized I could read it, and the feeling I had when I knew for sure that I could read by myself. Truly amazing! Goodness, I was so thrilled to realize that the pictures on the cover were exactly the same as the words... it just blew my little mind! :LOL The excitment! It gets me revved up to this very day. :LOL

BeanBean is definately less than a week away from being diaper free. I'm totally thrilled and impressed with him. He's been waking up dry every morning for nearly a week, and just tonight we were at a friend's house and he asked to use the potty when he had to go. I've mentioned this on several other threads, because poop is a big deal in my life right now. I've gotten a few "congratulations!" but mostly people are jealous. And then there's my mother: "Well, you were out of diapers by 15 months. There's nothing hard about potty learning; now that you know how easy it is, don't you wonder about it when you see three year olds in diapers during the day?"

It's kind of sad, my mother is... well, she's very aware that she and her children are really intelligent, but she kind of expects it. For example, she never said a word when we got A's in school, but if we didn't she'd whine about it. I don't know how to explain, I'm not feeling particularly articulate right now. I've got a headache and I really ought to go to sleep.

[supervee]

What titles do you recommend? And what sorts of levels are they?

We found a 3-pack with The ABC book, The Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham. We've been reading all the books forever, but they expand on the themes. For example, on the Green Eggs and Ham one, they have a matching game that has purple pancakes, blue carrots, etc. DS says YUK and just laughs & laughs.

Levels? Like age? Well, we just got them. I don't think DS would have enjoyed them earlier than 3 y.o. Like I said, they appeal to the sillies common to the threes. But there's no typing, just mousing. I think the box said 3-7 (beginning reader age range).

We've ended up with quite a collection of kiddy software, mostly from family members, and I have to say a lot of it is junk. The Dr. Seuss is the best of the lot. I also like the ones that are... hmm... how to describe them... you have to go through a whole "land" and find different things to solve a problem. They take planning and memory.

But the ones that just play pretty lights, ugh.

[eilonwy]

I think she means grade level; part of the reason we're here is because "age" level doesn't really mean that much.

Green Eggs and Ham is, I believe, a 1st grade level book. The others are definately K and pre-K. I read the "harder" Dr. Seuss books (i.e., "The Lorax") before I was three.

[supervee]

I think she means grade level; part of the reason we're here is because "age" level doesn't really mean that much.

ahh, that makes sense. I don't know the grade level, but given what you've said about the book, I think the computer games would run a range around those levels. Younger kids could have the story read to them and older kids could play the games.

[AlohaDeb]

Originally Posted by Britishmum

Suddenly, the 'we will work with you' became clear - it meant 'we will persuade you that our way is best and that you need to follow our induction policy for new children'.

Well, the policy turned out to be rigid. No parents were to stay even the first day. Not even for half an hour!!!

Crikey! (Sorry, a lot of Crocodile Hunter here lately ) That is a very unfortunate and rigid policy for sure! We were lucky to find a preschool that was very understanding; not only did they encourage parents to stay for the first two days, they even have a shortened class session for the first two weeks, until by the third week of school the classes are in session for the full time period allotted (2.5 hours). That's a bummer that they have such an antiquated policy.

Sorry it didn't work out! It's very hard to find a good preschool, that's for sure...

[SilverWillow]

Originally Posted by Britishmum

Thanks for the info about the software. We only have two cdroms and I"m not terribly impressed by them. In fact, I regretted using the first one, as that was what got dd obsessed with phonics and decoding. Before then she was very much a whole word reader. Now she can know a word but still decodes it, which is frustrating - for me, anyway, as she seems to like decoding. I feel that we went backwards when she discovered phonics, but I guess they just pick up on what interests them, and phonics interest her now.

I've noticed there seems to be a debate over the phonics thing. From what I've heard, schools are going back to phonics these days. I decided to just see which way DD learned best and go with it. I've noticed the "backward progress" too-- DD will try to sound out a word she already knows by sight. I've decided this is a 3/4 year old "rules" thing, though. I've tried to gently remind her that if she already knows a word, she doesn't need to sound it out. I think they'll loosen up. One thing about these kids is that they never seem to forget anything. I firmly believe those sight words are still in there-- they just want to play with the tools they have (phonics). It must be very exciting to be able to guess what a word is all of a sudden, you know? And if your DD doesn't need phonics at all, she'll eventually just scrap it and do it the other way. It'll work itself out, I think.

I don't really "teach" DD either. She asks me a question, I answer it. The delight on her face when I show her a concept that makes sense to her is a joy to behold. FI, DD asks me to write "sad" on a piece of paper. Then I erase the "s" and write "d" to make "dad." DD sounds out "dad." Smiles, giggles. I love language, and I love that she does, too!

[supervee]

Oh, I could talk about reading all day. I think a nice combination of sight-reading and phonics makes a good reader. I did read that if kids skip the phonics and go right into sight-reading, then later on when they get to big words they don't know they are at a loss. But I think the particularly visual/symbolic learners pick up on the phonics rules without a lot of instruction.

DS has been "sounding out" words he knows like CAT, playing with that decoding, too. The idea that this is the rules-based 3/4's makes perfect sense!

Re: teaching, hot-housing, or being a flashcard mama: I love teaching DS things! We collect manipulatives and educational posters and books and websites like crazy. We field-trip and watch Shark Week on TV and geek out about random discoveries all day long. Is that pushy? Don't care. We're both having fun. If he cried when I "dragged" him to the Planetarium instead of bouncing with joy, I wouldn't, y'know?

[eilonwy]

BeanBean loves the planets! We've got a National Geographic poster of them on the wall. He thinks it's absolutely hysterical that there's a planet called "Saturn" and a car called "Saturn" and laughs every time he points to it. I don't have any books about the solar system, though... no book budget for a little while. Maybe for his birthday.

My mother is waiting for BooBah to start talking (thus far she says hello, hi, nur, and hug) because "Maybe she'll talk like you guys did and people will finally believe me." Is it selfish of me to hope that she doesn't speak like an adult at 13 months? : It just irritates me that my mother persists in comparing her children to her grandchildren. Why can't she just be happy that my children are better adjusted than I ever was?

[supervee]

eilonwy, both our sets of parents have similarly skewed experiences of ages & stages. Amen for better adjusted DCs!

Have you seen the Magic Schoolbus book on the planets? It's old... you could probably find it at a used book store or the library. I bet there are better ones out there, but it's chock full of facts about the planets.

[eilonwy]

This is a really long thread. I think I'm going to start a new one.