Thanks for the fascinating insight, everyone!
DS had essentially NO words until 2, and then, in the span of a few weeks was babbling off sentences with a vocab much higher than we could count, from delayed to advancee...it was like a light switch turned on. We have a new little one (5 months) and my DH and I keep wondering whether he will talk earlier and if so...what 'baby talk' really sounds like...because our older DS didn't do it. it was nothing and then boom, conversation!
HK, I totally get the 'quantum learning' thing...I always say this to DH...we show DS3.5 something once, and he gets it. It's a bit freaky really. Esp with math. I was originally wondering if the higher level topics he's doing are really as 'hard' as they are meant to be...I mean, spending maybe 5 mins teaching your 2 year old how to identify even or odd, and then him just getting it, to the million billions whatever the number. or him wanting to try something in grade 5 on IXL (we usually do 2nd and 3rd grade) and me being incredibly dubious but I'm like, ok...whatever...and he picks decimals. and then, after a 5 min explanation of how the hundred square grid works (the colored portion is the part of a whole, etc etc, count by tens - he already knows place value and skip counting for every number through 12, so that was easy enough) and then, oh, he's doing 5th grade math (granted, he wouldn't be able to do everything in 5th, there are definite foundations that are missing there - math is his passion). Mind you, these are the times that terrify me more than make me excited. I mean, it's exciting but...how do you DEAL with that??
Reading is an interesting one over here. He learned to read entirely on his own at 2.5, was sounding out unfamiliar words a bit before that but wasn't really interested until then. He loves to be read to, but still doesn't really like to read out loud, even though, when he does, he can pretty much read anything we put in front of him - so we don't push the matter. I figure he will eventually realize that reading on his own is fun and stimulating and so will want to do it. Until then, we'll read to him, and he will read on his own when he feels like it. (That's pretty much the rule in general: if there is interest, he flies ahead, if there is no interest...well, there is really no convincing stubborn boy to do anything he doesn't want to in that regard. So we don't.)
I just want to make sure he is happy and challenged. Our school board doesn't grade skip AT ALL and doesn't do pull out...but they will bring in materials...I just don't know if it will be enough. Right now he is in a loosely Montessori school, and his teacher just rolls with the punches, which is so awesome. Lately, we have been considering homeschooling more and more. Luckily, we have a little bit of time to decide, as he can stay in the Montessori another year, or two if he does K there. But it's not cheap! If public school could work something out...free really does sound nice over here....I'm not holding my breath though.
Last edited by Marnie; 11/17/13 09:00 AM.
