Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Science to re-inspire 5th grader

DD10 was very, very sciency at ages 4-8. She ate up books, camps, and some excellent local classes. This is the kid who at 2 1/2 went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and demanded to see their carnivorous tunicate. The volunteers didn't know they had one (and just blinked at the small child pronouncing the words).

At around 9 she seemed to decide she already knew everything anyone would teach her and completely lost interest. I think she's probably right, especially given her science MAP scores for this fall: off the scale for her age, 99th %ile for 8th grade, in both general and concepts/processes. I had no idea her level was that far out.

My parenting style is to offer her interesting tidbits and see what gets a nibble. She's had more than a year with no significant science now. We do get Muse, but just reading an article and then dropping the magazine on the table doesn't count for much in my book.

Any suggestions for what to offer her next?

It needs to be intriguing, accessible with middle-school math (we're just starting EPGY algebra), and most importantly offer something she hasn't seen already. Humor and outlandishness are a definite plus. Videos win. Textbooks are likely to be uninspiring. She reads enthusiastically if slowly at a high-school level - but the pop-sci books that I have, intended for sciency adults outside their field, are probably beyond her comfort zone. Bonus points for very cool biology, since her class is doing a life-science oriented unit that she could extend nicely with their support if she cared to.

I would love to see her setting up experiments on the dining table, but she's never really gone that direction. She seems to prefer thinking the problem through to setting it up in person. She is also more of a scientist than an engineer - figure out how it works rather than how to make it work.

Thank you for any help! I hate to see her sparkle disappear.

That seems around the age where the competitions and science fairs begin. Maybe finding one or more of those or helping to start one in school is a way to refire the focus?

Seek out Expanding Your Horizons in the spring. Attend public lectures at a local college or universities. Ask to be put on their outreach elist (small colleges will have one for the whole school, but contact specific departments for larger schools). Read the Tuesday science section of the NYT, and start a subscription to Scientific American. Muse doesn't hold DD's attention because it doesn't have enough detail. Watch NOVA.

I came across a DNA education site about half a year ago. It offered participation on projects thru the web as well local projects of various types. I'm not sure if the site below is the site I am thinking about. (I bookmarked the site on my older computer, which I currently do not have access to, and I'm not sure if the bookmarks were saved. I will try to check in about a week) However, this site seems to be the same one, and seems to offer alot of info and opportunities for student participation of many different levels thru college.

http://www.dnalc.org/about/

Ljoy

I feel your pain, this is my DS at 6.5, he is a bit worried that he does know more than his science teacher, or at least more than his science teacher plans to teach him!

I second the NOVA, going to lectures, science channel, all that stuff is great because it's pitched at interested adults, which means high school not detailed knowledge.

For bio interest - has she seen David MacCauley's book the way we work, it's very detailed with fabulous and funny pictures - DS devoured it because it was too hard, he worked at it, which was awesome, we did cut out the section on reproduction - it was way too graphic a picture for us to feel comfortable to give to our 6 year old. I felt so guilty cutting a book! And DS totally realizes that he is missing a critical piece of information DH resorted to I'm not ready to give you that information. DS surprisingly took it, but I digress!

DeHe

Great suggestions! I'm not sure how I forgot about NOVA.
The DNA site looks great.
I've never heard of Expanding Your Horizons, that sounds interesting.
She hasn't picked up our Scientific American or Smithsonian yet. I remember Discover was a little more accessible, we can check it out.

I had forgotten - in the last year she went through ALL of the Brainpop videos, and I mean all of them. I think this has been her science diet for a while. She would highly recommend them for other kids.

If I can get her to the point of making a science fair entry, I will have succeeded.
Thanks!

Maybe you could combine science with her current interests? I burned out on science way too young....but became completely fascinated with social science/anthropology/psychology/medicine around middle school. Social psychology was particularly fun.

There is a science to everything.

She has new passions?