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Schools and Education General Discussion
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[quote=Anonymous]I think you should encourage kids interests whatever they are. You can enrich academics and still pursue other activities. I would try to avoid acceleration, however, as much as possible, because that will just make the disparity between the instructional level at school and his actual ability level worse. By all means, continue the other activities as long as he enjoys them. Even if he decides he doesn’t enjoy a sport, there are lots of other sports he could try instead. You might also consider music or art classes as non-academic forma of enrichment. Hoagies is a website that offers links for all subjects and ages to websites for enrichment. https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/links.htm Secret codes are great for math kids. The Third-Grade Detective series of books features kids using various secret codes to solve mysteries. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=george+e+stanley+grade+detectives&i=stripbooks&crid=1MOF09GZK6T58&sprefix=george+e+stanley+grade+detectives%2Cstripbooks%2C70&ref=nb_sb_noss Scratch is a programming language developed by MIT to teach kids how to program. It’s designed for kids that are a little bit older, but he seems to be working at an advanced level. There is also a simplified version, Scratch Jr., for younger kids. https://scratch.mit.edu/parents/ Cyberchase is a PBS show that is great about introducing kids to math concepts. While their focus has changed, you can find the earlier math seasons here: https://pbskids.org/cyberchase/videos/?selectedID=...5c-0ec9-4490-9f88-7890cfb1689a The Sir Cumference books by Cindy Neuschwander are great for introducing geometry concepts. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cindy-Neuschwander/author/B00699FJ34?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Logic puzzles are great. He might enjoy Sudoku or Magic Squares. Here is a very basic book introducing Magic Squares. The reading level will be below his, but it’s still nice background. https://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Magic-Squares-Step-Into-Reading-Step/dp/0375806210 Rush hour is a logic puzzle. This is a physical version, but I think there are a lot of online versions and apps available as well. https://www.amazon.com/ThinkFun-Rush-Traffic-Logic-Girls/dp/B00000DMER/ref=asc_df_B00000DMER/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312062319564&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5915261595130975777&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007781&hvtargid=pla-366869227830&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62847940260&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312062319564&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5915261595130975777&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007781&hvtargid=pla-366869227830 If he likes Chess, he might also like Go, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Othello, Connect 4, Pentago, and Blokus. Really, all games are great for math, whether they’re strategic/logic games as listed, games that require keeping score, or even games that involve math like Monopoly. Cooking is also a great way to enrich math. You say he knows some fractions, but cooking can really reinforce those. If he’s multiplying and dividing, you can double or halve recipes. There are all sorts of conversions you can do too (cups to tablespoons to teaspoons, etc.) Crafts are another great way to enrich math. Depending on the craft, he may need to measure, calculate perimeter/area/volume, determine smount of materials he needs, talk to you about budgeting for supplies, etc. He may need to learn geometry, etc. Origami (Japanese paper folding) is great for geometry. For reading and writing, the main thing is reading. Read to him, let him read to you, provide him with lots and lots of books to read. Please don’t require him to read daily, though. I can think of no faster way to turn an intrinsically enjoyable activity into a chore. Madlibs is great for introducing kids to parts of speech. Schoolhouse Rock is also good for explaining parts of speech, and I think it’s available on Disney +. It looks like Apple TV may be coming out with an updated version of Ghostwriter. I don’t know anything about this new version, but the original PBS version was excellent, so you might want to give it a try. Based on his reading interests you might try: Time Warp Trio series Ben and Me Magic School Bus picture books and chapter books (the TV series is excellent) Encyclopedia Brown Einstein Anderson Museums and festivals are fantastic for enrichment. COVID has disrupted everything, but as things return to normal, here are some you might look at. There are probably many others in the area I just haven’t come across yet. If you search your local area or a specific topic you’re almost certain to find a related event. Don’t forget to check the event calendars of museums and your local library. National Math Festival https://www.nationalmathfestival.org/ Smithsonian Folklife Festival Maryland Science Festival Montgomery County Heritage Days Artscape (Baltimore) Sakura Matsuri festival Shakespeare’s Birthday celebration at the Folger library Maryland Renaissance Festival (fantastic, but be warned, only portapotties are available) Nature is also great for enrichment. Hang out in your backyard, maybe have a garden. Go for walks through the woods. Great Falls is a great place to hike (but you might want to avoid the Billy Goat Trail till your kids are older, or at least check with the visitor’s center). Go to the zoo or aquarium. I think it’s a bad idea to have your son teach your daughter. If that’s something that spontaneously happens between them, great! Otherwise, you’re altering their dynamics. She becomes a chore for him, he becomes a quasi-authority figure for her. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn’t worry about the academics. She’s got plenty of time, and if you try to push it on her now, she may become more resistant. If you give her time, she may develop an interest on her own. In the meantime, foster whatever she is interested in. If she likes songs, sing songs with her, any songs. Play her an assortment of music. Sesame Street has counting songs, etc., and there are certainly lots of learning songs on YouTube. Super Simple Songs has all kinds of preschool songs and it has some in other languages as well. I don’t know what language your daughter is learning, but as an adult learner, I’ve found the Spanish ones helpful. There are countless other Youtube channels you just have to search. Really, any music is enriching, even if if’s not “educational”. Play her whatever you enjoy. https://m.youtube.com/@SuperSimpleSongs https://m.youtube.com/@SuperSimpleSongs/channels Jolly Phonics is a phonics program that uses songs and gestures to teach the letters and their sounds. I thought it looked great, but never could get my kids into it. It might appeal more to your daughter, if you want to check it out. I wouldn’t bother, though, until your DD starts to show interest in letters and words. For kids games, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and Memory are probably the simplest that most kids start out with. I suspect it may not be so much that she can’t play them, but rather she just isn’t interested. She might be more receptive to physical games like Charades/Kids on Stage and Mother May I?, or word games like I Spy or rhyming games. You could even play Name That Tune by humming songs she knows. Here’s an amazing post I read once on DCUM about how a parent uses cooking as an enrichment experience as her kids grow. I wish I’d read it when my kids were younger, but it’s a great illustration of how there are learning opportunities everywhere. (08/04/2020 11:44) https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/901600.page Keep in mind that EVERYTHING is enrichment for kids. Everything is a new experience. The more they experience, the more connections they can make. The more connections they make, the stronger the framework they’ll have for incorporating new information later. Talk to them, read to them, do things with them, let them see appropriate, educational content on TV and the web, take them places, etc. Ultimately, it’s all enrichment and may enhance their academic experience in unexpected ways. [/quote]
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