Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Slacker Mom but maybe that's ok?

Sounds like you're following her lead and her needs-- which is the best that any of us can really do for our kids.

Not all of the activities I listed were done at the same time, and I don't think my eldest son has averaged more than 3-4 hours a week on them, while my younger children, for whom 2 to 3 20-minute sessions of EPGY per week have been their main afterschooling, have spent less time than this.

HowlerKarma made a good point about the difference between prepping and learning. Algebra is definitely the latter, so don't feel bad about teaching your daughter if she's ready for it!

Regarding test prep - I was going to write the other day that I found it hard to believe that you did not prep your DD and she got into one of the centers in CPS. Everyone I know who got in, prepped their kids. One relative of mine was so excited that her overly prepped daughter got in and yet now she struggles.

Let me explain how not prepped she was. I mailed the application on the last possible day because I was ambivalent about leaving her school (I was heavily involved with their friends of organization and it is my neighborhood school so we have a lot riding on it beyond our kids...property value etc. Crazy I know, but this is Chicago, man, we are through the lookingglass here I can tell you).

After that, I had an early, urgent C-section in January because I was developing pre-eclampsia (again...my daughter was born preemie due to HELLP syndrome/severe pre eclampsia). I had a raging case of post partum depression coupled (or because of) the stress of having a newborn in January during the deep freeze. And my Mom had just gone home when I had to haul them both to the testing center down at IIT by myself b/c hubby was working. It was a miracle we made it at all. I was still trying to nurse him, so all I really remember about the whole thing was hoping she would be through before he had to eat...and she was gone forever.

So yeah, no prep. Kid would have probably enjoyed being prepped because otherwise I paid no attention to her for, like, a year. Poor thing. She's way more awesome than I deserve her to be...

Ah glexchick, you remind me of my poor middle child's life in the 2 years leading up to her IQ test (3-5yrs old) 9 months of "Mummy's puking - go play in the sand pit/dress up" followed by "The (sick) baby won't stop screaming and mummy hasn't slept in months, go play in the sandpit /dress up"... Not easy on them or you!

I hear you. That sounds like a tough winter. My second child has Down syndrome, and when 3rd child was adopted from Vietnam with the most intense case of psychomotor OE I have ever seen the havoc those two little ones caused for a few years was of historic proportions. Poor number one dd. As you said, she is way more awesome than I deserve her to be.

Not everyone who gets into the CPC centers is heavily prepped-- I know someone else whose child (a contemporary of my own DD) did sort of... er... by accident actually... as in, the parents weren't even fully AWARE that the child was being evaluated for a possible placement by the school.

MUCH angst ensued, because the child was the ONLY one of the (mostly heavily prepped) peer group that DID get the nod, only...

they weren't sure it was the right thing to do, even, because this was in MIDDLE SCHOOL. As noted, child's peers did NOT qualify.

My friends says-- wow, was THAT ever an awkward set of conversations at parent back-to-school night.

Some test preparation books have titles (for example, "PWN the SAT") suggesting that the SAT is an adversary they will show you how defeat with the right tactics. We have not used such books. The book I used with my then-8-year-old was "Math Study Guide for the SAT, ACT and SAT Subject Tests". As the title suggests, it reviewed the math covered on those tests, not test-taking tactics. For my eldest son, the SAT Math problem has been "solved" -- he should get a very good score now and in 11th grade without further direct preparation. He wants to take the SAT again this year for the challenge, so the question is how to improve on the other two sections. He is working through a series of vocabulary books by Shostak. For grammar I may get a book "The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar" by Meltzer, which has been well-reviewed on Amazon. For a competitive kid, test preparation can spur learning.