Addressing the Special Needs of Gifted Children, #6 - Page 4

[TiredX2]

DD started school last Wednesday. I miss her and wish I had any *real* idea what is going on, but she seems to like it.

My stress about her being placed in the wrong grade seems to have been misplaced, so far at least.

Unfortunately her math is so far way too easy. I have told her that maybe they are just getting used to stuff, trying to get everyone on the same page, etc... We were unschooling so I had never really found out what she knows, what she knows how to do, etc... and it's cool to see a bit of that. They did a few logic problems DD "got" right away but otherwise they are just doing place value and grouping (BTW, this class is *supposed* to be two grades ahead of her chrological age).

Her handwriting improved vastly by day 2. I *knew* she could write better than she did, but apparently I wasn't enough of an audience :LOL Now it looks like perfectly acceptable 2nd grade scrawl. I can't believe they have spelling tests, though she seems to like seeing her progress through the week (she practiced her words Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday night).

She has been placed next to a very "young" first grade boy, so she is hoping to be moved soon. He was pencil fighting with the other kids, so gets to sit next to DD because she wont I want her to have friends, and peers, kwim? Not just kids who annoy the crap out of her.

DS starts preschool next Thursday. We'll see how that goes. He is very rarely willing to sing along with traditional songs ("Confrontation" from Les Mis? Yes. "Itsy Bitsy Spider"? No) so the teacher will probably think he has been severely neglected his whole poor short life.

[USAmma]

Originally Posted by loraxc

Hey USamma, where did you get that magnetic board and letters? I think my DD might like something like that sometime relatively soon. She is interested in making words with her Leapfrog Fridge Phonics thing, but it only has one of each letter.

I got it through the Well-Trained Mind's website.
http://peacehillpress.com/index.asp?...PROD&ProdID=32

I got the one with two boards, which makes it much more child-friendly to use. Store the letters on one board and use the other for playing with letters.

[oldcrunchymom]

USAmma, love the artwork. "Decimal Street" sounds like something Hollis would name one of his drawings.

I'm glad to hear that most kids here are having a good time at school. Nan started dance this week, and in a couple weeks the kids start the homeschool swim classes again. She's in the age 7-10 classes this year, which are a vast improvement over the 4-6 (now 4-7!) classes she's been stuck in for a while. In acro yesterday they were actually learning new stuff instead of doing straddle rolls and cartwheels over and over again. It's a miracle!

Hollis and I are starting his chemistry stuff on Monday. Stay tuned for exciting developments on the next episode of "Mom doesn't know what the heck she's doing."

[USAmma]

Originally Posted by lckrause

USAmma, love the artwork. "Decimal Street" sounds like something Hollis would name one of his drawings.

Actually that's what they call it in the math lesson. But I thought it was neat that she tried to spell it.

[ChristaN]

I've been away from the boards for a while, so sorry if I am not caught up on what you all are talking about! I know that someone a ways back inquired about grade advancement for specific subjects & wanted to know if we had any luck in that area.

I really like dd's teacher this year & she had told me early on that, based on her informal evaluation, dd was reading around 7th-8th grade books. At parent orientation, she told us that she wasn't aware of there being any program at the school to advance for specific areas (what I had heard was through other parents and may have been rumor). She did mention testing for TAG, though.

I was a bit disappointed, but dd is really happy this year (almost every day has been "great"), so I figured that I'd give it a while & see how it went with the TAG testing. In any case, the teacher approached me after school today and (can I just brag ?), said that dd "blew her away" with the testing today. Dd apparently hit the ceiling on a large part of the test and tested at 12th grade reading level (she just turned 7 and is in 2nd grade)!

So, it at least sounds like she will be in TAG although it doesn't sound like specific area grade acceleration is going to happen. This is our first time around with TAG, so I don't know what to expect out of that, but hopefully she will be challenged and get to read interesting books rather than boring early readers.

I don't think that they have done math assessments yet, but dd is not nearly as advanced in math as she is in reading, so I'm not going to worry about that area. The kiddos also just started clogging lessons, and are having a blast. I am just so happy that my girls are having a good year. It is such a relief after last year!

[teachma]

Originally Posted by isisjade

If I had a scanner, though, I would post a piece that he painted some time ago that says much about my DS's personality. We were painting at the art museum (maybe for the first time), and he drew six short, tentative lines, of varying colors. It is SO cautious and so sweet. That's one I'll save for sure.

It's so interesting how their artwork can be a total mirror of their personalities! By choice, my ds will only draw symmetrical designs, usually with straight lines, and sometimes quite ornately patterned- or, he'll do color-block stuff a la Mondrian. However, when asked (like at therapy, or now, at school) to draw something representational, he is able to draw the most detailed human- down to the fingernails and ear lobes- he would just never do this for "fun."

[isisjade]

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[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by teachma

It's so interesting how their artwork can be a total mirror of their personalities!

:BeanBean's artwork consists of great, sweeping strokes of bright color (especially purple, but any will do). His prefered medium is markers on walls, though he did seem to thoroughly enjoy himself with stamp pads on the walls. :LOL What does that say about his personality? Larger than life, I guess! :LOL

Today, in a fit of je ne sais quois, I put a cute little barrette into BooBah's hair (purple, to match her outfit). BeanBean insisted on having one as well, so I pulled out the navy one. "Oh no, mamma," he said, "I want that one!" So I took out the bright pink barrette that he'd indicated. That's how my three year old son spent the morning-- wearing a bright pink barette and not a stitch else, going about his BeanBean business. :LOL He's quite a character!

[allgirls]

wow...this thread always gets ahead of me!

USAmma!~Thanks for posting that website...I have bookmarked it...looks like some great items/ideas on there!

There are some awesome artists among your kids...I am noticing that my dd is also pretty good at drawing...you should have seen the whale she drew on her magna doodle...it was quite recognisable...I wanted to take a pic of it but it got erased.

She is also trying to print her letters now...she does a very good H...I love watching her...she will say "one line down, another line down, one line across...H!!" as she is printing...so cute!

Yesterday as a light turned red when I turned left at a light she got very angry and said "no, it's red, it's red, that's iwegal"...lol...it's so cute to hear that little voice say things like that! :LOL

I am not having much energy for her these days but she is thriving despite it. I am ever so grateful she plays so well independantly. She likes preschool but is not really playing much with the kids...which is kind of frustrating as that was the whole point. But as long as she is content there I will continue to let her go. I notice she gravitates to older kids when there is a choice and I think it's because they talk so much better.

Several times now in the recent weeks she's been called "a little genius" by people we know...it's kind of taken me by surprise...but she communicates so well and the things she talks about and the questions she asks really surprises people...I constantly get asked "how old is she" and a shocked look when I say 26mos. Or I get "she's really tiny for her age" and then they realise she's only 2 :LOL .

Anyway...sorry to brag on her so much...with another baby coming in about 5 wks I figure I won't get much chance.

I wish I could respond more personally to threads but I get so far behind...but I do love reading about your little ones...I learn so much and get so many ideas from you ladies.

[eilonwy]

Just a quickie today: Yesterday, someone asked BeanBean how old he was and he said, "I'll be three on my birthday." :LOL The woman who asked him was there with her son (about 16) and the kid just cracked up. :LOL

I talked to a lifeguard yesterday about swim lessons for BeanBean-- we werent' sure what group to put him in, since the preschool group lessons are for "three to five year olds" and have three levels, and the parent/child lessons are for 6-36 month olds. She said that it would be in BeanBean's best interest to put him in the second level of the preschool classes, because he could already do everything that they'd be trying to teach him in the first level and that parent/child classes are for kids who can't/won't swim on their own (which BeanBean most assuredly does). I told her that he won't be three until November, and she said that she's never seen a child under the age of four swim the way he does. It's all good, though. By the time we can afford to put him into lessons, he'll probably be at the third level of the preschool classes. Go, BeanBean! :LOL

[CAmomto1]

I have some good news that I wanted to share with more than just DH.

After worrying all summer about DD, school, placement, being challenged, approaching the teacher, etc. etc. etc. I had something good happen. Twice, DD's teacher has taken me aside to ask *me* how I'm feeling about DD and what she's been doing, and did I have any concerns. Today, she brought up the idea of a grade skip and invited me to observe the first grade class if I wanted to. I told her that ideally, I'd like for DD to stay in her class because it is a good place for her socially and emotionally, and have her (the teacher) differentiate the curriculum for DD as needed. Her reply was essentially that she'd like to do that, that she enjoys challenges like that. Before I left DD's teacher told me that she would be keeping her eye on DD and that we should keep our conversation going.

I feel so relieved to know that we are all truly on the same side and are all wanting to do what is going to be best for DD as a whole person.

Yesterday when she asked me if I had any concerns or feedback, I let her know that I wanted to make sure she gave DD a chance to really stretch her mind and show her what she's capable of. She let me know that she has already started pulling her aside to work with her one on one and start assessing where she is at. (I know where she's at, but it's better to ler her see it for herself than try to tell her what I see at home.)

I'm just so pleased that the school experience is going well so far and that we aren't facing any battles.

[ChristaN]

CAmom,
That sounds so much like my dd's experience this year. Last year was a misery and I was really worried going into this school year. She is in second grade now. I've had virtually the same conversation w/ dd's teacher, too. She's awesome!

What was also really wonderful for my dd was that we adopted a manatee for her classroom from the Save the Manatee Club. I told dd that they might not be able to put the posters up, etc. The teacher, however, not only put up the pictures, but she revamped the whole science curricula for this week so that all they are learning about this week is manatees and their relatives. They are doing manatee math, had a speaker in who had been swimming with manatees, etc. My dd is in heaven with such a supportive teacher. The teacher also seems to be keenly aware of dd's different academic needs and is really working with her to meet them.

Now, I just have to worry about next year :LOL !

[loraxc]

Can I vent for a minute?

DD is obsessed with learning the names of birds. (I think I've talked about this before.) We have multiple bird guides around the house and they are among her most cherished possessions. She is just starting to really get into pretend play and imaginary play, and sometimes talks about things the birds in the books are "doing." Yesterday there was a whole monologue: "The Connecticut warblers are making pasta again!" (She also loves to read our pasta machine manual. ) DH told his mom this story because he thought it was cute, and because his whole family enjoys nature and birdwatching. MIL's response?

"That's just weird. You don't want her to be weird like that." :

[oldcrunchymom]

Lorax I'm sorry to hear your MIL is not being supportive. I think your DD sounds awesome. Reading the pasta machine manual is cracking me up. One time Hollis found the insert that comes with the tampons and was distraught because he thought I was going to die from toxic shock syndrome. :LOL Poor Hollis.

[ChristaN]

"That's just weird. You don't want her to be weird like that."

Oh, that's just mean. I hope that she doesn't express cruel sentiments like that to your dd when she gets older!

Maybe you can find some birding activity that she can join in. My dd's obsession is ocean mammals. We have tried as best we can in our landlocked state to let her explore that by adopting sea animals through rescue organizations for her -- she gets newsletters from these organizations, too.

If we ever can manage to go home to the Bay Area, I plan to see if we can set her up to volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center. Actually, where we are, the Rocky Mountain Raptor program allows kids to volunteer with parents (they rehab injured birds of prey). I wonder if there is anything like that around you.

[loraxc]

Thanks for the support. I was surprised by this comment, since they aren't the kind of family who is obsessed with fitting in...or so I thought. I think she really reacted negatively to the whole idea of DD sight-reading and now thinks we are trying to raise some kind of freaky genius.

I mean, sometimes I worry too, but really, I just thought that was an innocently cute story. Some kids get obsessed with dinosaurs or contruction equipment and know all THEIR names, and people don't think that's weird, do they?

Some time when she's a bit older we will start taking her "birdwatching" (starting with really big waterbirds, which are easy to see). Actually, I might take her to PetSmart this weekend. I don't like those places, but she is so interested in parakeets right now ("They are green like frogs and have long long tails!") and I'm sure she'd love to see some real ones.

(As a side note, I was just reading somewhere about Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and was intrigued to learn that the theory includes a "naturalist intelligence," which is all about being skilled at identifying, classifying and observing nature.)

[eilonwy]

You know, my mom is always telling me that my kids are not weird enough... :LOL I'd take it as a compliment, right up until the "You don't want her to be weird like that" comment, at which point I'd become snarky.

I'm proud to be a mamma to strange children!

People at the pool have been commenting on BeanBean's swimming ability a lot lately. I usually say something like, "he really loves the water!" but people just keep looking at him and then at me and Mike and I can see the gears working, trying to figure out how two obvoiously-out-of-shape parents got a kid who swims like a fish. It's kind of strange. Noone says, "wow, you must work with him a lot," because it's obviously not like he's being taught to be happy in the water. I've only had one person ask how we got him to do that, but we really didn't do anything so I didn't know what to say... It's odd. They have this really funny look when they watch him swim, I have no idea how to interpret it.... I'm not sure what to make of it all, it seems like a lot of fuss over something that I thought was pretty normal. I mean, ChibiChibi swam the first time she got into a swimming pool at 22 months, just like a little fish... I never had a problem with the water, and neither did Mike... it just seemed perfectly natural that our kids would be at ease in the water. BooBah doesn't swim as actively as BeanBean does, but people are shocked that she holds her breath and goes underwater eagerly, of her own accord. They don't watch her the way that they watch BeanBean, though.. like they're seeing something totally unheard of.... I'm a bit puzzled by it all.

[teachma]

Originally Posted by loraxc

Some kids get obsessed with dinosaurs or contruction equipment and know all THEIR names, and people don't think that's weird, do they?

What do you think about the following, my 5 yo ds's current obsessions: the Chinese Zodiac and knowing the signs of everyone in the family as well as the birthstones of all our relatives and the countries/continents where these stones are most commonly mined? He is also in love with volcanoes, and he often assumes the role of a "guy who makes volcanoes" by crawling deep under the earth's crust and pushing up slowly to release the lava, which he alternately calls lava and strangely made up chemical sounding words? I am beginning to realize that when his mind is filled up with these ideas and he's obsessing about them, he is too busy to obsess about my death, poison, or any other anxiety-inducing ideas. So I am newly in love with his obsessions because they seem to keep him sane!

[loraxc]

Chinese Zodiac, eh? I actually find the "obsessions" kind of neat, and very interesting. DD's biggest one is definitely birds, but she also is very interested in:

Maps
Butterflies (we have a field guide for these also)
Snakes and frogs
Snails (and spirals, and anything with a "nested circle" shape)

Oh, and the (illustrated) pasta machine manual! (She likes to flip through it muttering, "Tagliatelle. Fettucini. Ravioli. Gnocchi. Spaghetti...")

Britishmum, :LOL at the fire extinguisher story!

[ChristaN]

My dds like the Chinese Zodiac signs as well. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that they are impressive animals (tiger and dragon) and can beat up mom and dad (a rat and a dog). :LOL