Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments can't enroll advanced DS3 in school, what to do?

My DS3 is a happy, "normal" little guy, but like so many others here (I'm soooooo glad I found this forum), he's off the charts when it comes to school. He LOVES reading, writing, and math and will ask for and then happily sit for HOURS blowing through workbooks, writing and drawing on his chalkboard, or reading stacks of books. He reads, writes, and spells at the 1st grade level. He loves math too and his favorite toy is a calculator.

He is in a Pre-K class at a Montessori school, but in California, he is required to be 5 to be enrolled in any elementary school. So what should we do with him for the next 2 years until he is 5? I can keep him at the Montessori (which he loves) until then, but he wants a more academic challenge. Should I consider ABC Mouse or something like that for "homework" at night?

If I could homeschool him, I would, but it's just not an option.

Thanks!

Welcome!
My first thought was that if your DS is already at first grade level then you have the issue that by the time he can officially start school he is likely to be several grades ahead of his age peers. While you say homeschooling is not possible you will need to seriously consider all your options for your son's schooling plans. He is likely to need an individualized path. Start looking now at what exists in your area. Unfortunately, the more divergent your child is from the usual then the more specialized your approach may need to be. Are there specialized gifted schools or programs? They are not necessarily the answer as they vary in their ability to truly cater for highly gifted children but start looking as two years will fly by.

For now, as Portia says, let him pursue his interests. Make friends with your local library. If you have a toy library that could be good as he is likely to burn through toys. If he is a builder find construction toys which you feel are appropriate for his age and skills, source documentaries of topics of interest, museum visits, musical activities etc.

Meanwhile, read through the forum discussions on educational options, become familiar with the Hoagies website (http://www.hoagiesgifted.org), read over the information on the Davidson database (http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Article/Davidson_Database___Overview_415.aspx), enjoy your child and hang on for the ride.

Does your Montessori school end at K or do they have elementary as well? Perhaps the teachers would be willing to let him just keep working ahead with the materials? My 6yo is still in a Montessori class for K and the teachers just find more advanced materials and projects to accommodate her. In fact, we're moving her to a Montessori elementary as that seems to be the place she's likely to get the most individualized curriculum (outside of home, of course).

Is it a preschool for a few hours (then time at home) or a day care school where he spends the entire day?

My two boys (5 and 2) are also very academically advanced but have thrived in play-based environments. When my older boy was 3, he starting wanting more, so we would play reading and math games together after school (his school was finished at lunch). When my 2yo turns three in a few months, we'll start the same, though with the help of our nanny as I've gone back to work.

What you're doing at home is obviously working, so I'd just continue. I find personally that time together reading or playing games is more effective for learning than computer-based options, but there is a place for those as well.

I haven't heard good things about ABCMouse, but Starfall (the free version even) is wonderful. Dreambox is excellent as well, and while Reading Eggs was never a good fit, Math Seeds was something that my son enjoyed for a short time.

What about having him learn a second language? I know there are many parents on the board here who use that as enrichment or have it already as part of their school's gifted program.

Do lots of hands on things that aren't just books. Like if he were interested in bridges, he could read some books and then design and build his own bridge with balsa wood, lego bricks, or whatever material you had. Let him help you cook (safely, of course!) to do fractions.

I agree with DianaG, our son's school did Reading Eggs. It got repetitive and for gifted kids, it's like nails on a chalk board to have to keep repeating tasks.

My son likes to watch Maths Mansion off Youtube. IXL drives him insane, mainly because if you type in the wrong answer, it subtracts from your score far more than it adds to it for correct ones and a finger slip on the keyboard causes a lot of frustration in that regard!

There are programs you could do at home that homeschoolers use. I've never used it, but many friends have used Time4Learning and liked it. It's $20 a month. When I homeschooled last year, I used Alpha Omega's 4th grade curriculum. I think it would be available on sale somewhere like Amazon for about $100 per grade level per subject, but I paid about $400 for a full 4th grade curriculum.

This is a great time for the kids to explore on their own and do whatever that fascinates them. I personally think school is overrated. :-) Once a kid starts school, there is a structure in place that one doesn't always find productive.

DS at that age never did any workbook. We read a huge number of books -- just went to the library each weekend and he would pick out books that he thought were interesting. We could go through 40 books a week. He did lots of games, legos, trains, etc at preschool (it was play-based). The teachers bought math games for him. He also did lots of creative play. Once he dug a huge and complex canal system in the preschool playground, and when I went to pick him up one day, the canal was done, water was running through it, and many kids were launching boats in it.

Things were great in preschool. We also had music classes, etc. DD also watched the whole series of Magic Schoolbus over and over and gobbled down those books. Kindergarten was OK. Starting from 1st grade when teachers had a pretty fixed curriculum to use and the focus was on bringing all kids up above a baseline, things went all the way downhill until high school.

So if I went back, I would not want to enroll my kids early in school at all. I'd give them more free time. Actually, since DS was maybe 3rd grade, our goal changed from advocating for more advanced instruction to finding him more free time at school so he could do what he needed/wanted to do. Same goes for DD.

I couldn't agree with you more.

This. We delayed him entering Kindergarten as long as we could because he was learning so much in preschool. He really honed his social skills, got to explore the world on his terms with the play-based curriculum, and got lots of practice with the fine motor coordination that he really needed. Kindergarten had much less of that. Looking back on it, we should have tried to enroll him in first grade directly from preschool (though I'm not sure we're allowed to do that where I live).

I recommend music lessons (this will add on a short music practice to your daily routine) and sports (soccer, gymnastics, dance, swimming etc). These are very age appropriate and helps the child develop a lot of coordination and muscle strength as well as have fun in a social setting.

ETA: Forgot to add, we used Cuisenaire rods and Tangrams a lot at that age just to play and explore math, patterns etc.

My now 4.5 yo was the same at 3. Truth be told, everything we did at home, just continued. I only have him in preschool 3 days a week, 3 hours per day and he is increasingly bored and having behavioral issues (due to boredom, sensory issues and executive funtioning issues). I probably should have kept him in the 2 days a week program. He always tells me how boring it is. He loves playing with his friends and playtime is his favorite part of school.
We are currently in the process of entering him into K at age 5, middle of the year. We are in CA and it's unheard of at this time, but I have taken our mission all the way to the superintendent and the school board.
We are also considering a homeschool program as an alternative if public K isn't working out. It's a m/w/f at home learning schedule and they offer t/th enrichment courses.
Around 3.5, our DS began to draw and paint and art was a new obsession. This was a great replacement activity to academics, which was his first love from 12m-3.5. His interests began to change and he started playing with toys more. I got him an electrical circuit at 4 and other science toys as well. He still enjoys workbooks, but not for 4 hours straight. We also enrolled him in a music class (music theory not a group sing-a-long type). I take him to our local children's museum almost two days a week. I know two more years seems daunting and insane considering how much your DS enjoys academics. PM me if you ever need support. : )