[quote=Windyx]
And my last comment (I promise lol!) - is that playing with Legos etc isn't just wasted time - there can be a *lot* of mind-building and creative thinking and synapse-connecting going on during activities like Legos. My EG ds spent literally years playing with Legos - they were the creative outlet for him instead of the fantasy-play world of dress-up and Barbies my dds lived in
I think really that type of unstructured play is *so* important for our children - it's where I feel like I've seen their most creative, original thinking. Even now that my ds is much older and doesn't play with his Legos *as often* - I still feel that his brain strengths are nurtured more during the time he's just free to read/explore/think for himself than they are doing most schoolwork, whether or not it's work that is the right level of academic challenge.
But that's just me
Thanks polarbear, that's a lot of good advice you have given me there. I really have a lot to learn as I grow with this child. I really get you there, that playing with Lego is not a waste of time. My DD6 does play a lot - and on good days I think, ok that's great she is learning and being creative and being a child. And on other days I see how she really can't even get off her *ss to do just one sum and I wonder whether I have failed to teach her discipline and should really get her ready for schoolwork and regular school. But she also changes moods from day to day - so I guess that is the roller coaster ride that gifted kids do bring their parents on.
Thanks also for your comments about the IQ tests - WPPSI-III and WISC. It seems like this testing thing objective as it is supposed to be still works out in different ways for different kids? At the end of the day, I would like to have some certainty, although I do realise that at the same time, even with the certainty there's not going to be an instruction manual for this kid
