I have resisted buying these workbooks because the names makes me cringe, but I finally caved and bought "Math for the Gifted Student", by Flash Kids (at Barnes and Noble).

It is awesome. Really fun, cool and interesting activities not strictly covering the normal curriculum, with lots of puzzles, logic testing, patterns, cool geometry stuff. I'm not so good on grade level, but I think it's pretty much on/around the grade level advertised. So we have the grade 2 book, and grade 2 is right for another couple of books we have. It has a ton of color pictures, though, and really appeals to my younger child. And it's almost 200 pages, which at five pages a night will last us a couple of months.

I also bought the normal grade 2 book from the same company, and it's definitely written for seven year olds following the curriculum. There is lots of arithmetic in this one, not as much in the fun one. Lots of numbers and sums and not as many pictures or games.

Hope this helps other people trying to find things with pictures and less arithmetic.

We got the first grade version of that one, and I agree with your assessment!

That's great! I've been considering those but just wasn't sure, now I shall have to go to B&N and seriously check them out!

Thanks!!

We have those and I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM! We bought the math for 4th grade gifted and the reading, and math for gifted for 2nd grade and they are both just AWESOME workbooks!

My DC loved the abstract thinking and logic puzzles vs. the straight fowardness that other books provided. I HIGHLY recommend them!

So if I have a 6 yr old 1st grader doing 3rd grade math through k12 and EPGY what level book do I buy him?

(ditto for a 5 yr old Ker doing 1st grade math)

I have to say, the level of the books was very accurate. I had a child working several years ahead across the board and I flipped through all the books and decided to get the correct grade level. the challenges are abstract enough that it was sufficient. Then when we were approved for a grade skip, we went with the skipped grade level and it too, was spot on. It's not like most workbooks where you need to buy the grade level several years ahead. Being a gifted book, it assumes the child is working ahead of level already. I would see if you could look at one at Barnes and Noble and see for yourself what would work best. It would depend on the child. If that isn't possible, go with one grade ahead of current, maybe, and if there are sections that he can't do, save them for later.

My almost 4.5 year old has been working in the 1st grade math book just fine.

ETA: We did put it away and I just pulled it out to look at. It's not going to be very challenging for her anymore. I would try and thumb through them to see the content if I were you.

I would go for third grade and 1st grade. The puzzles and games are around and extensions of the normal grade level work, I think.

We have the 2nd grade book and it has simple logic problems, patterns to continue (both color, shape and number), permutations (of digits, colors, meals and other things), word problems for addition and multiplication, color fractions, estimation of lengths and weights, creating and reading line graphs. But having said that, I'd really enjoy doing most of the sheets in the book, and I'm working well past 2nd grade.

I think the grade levels are roughly accurate too, going by our state standards here in NH anyhow. I just wanted to give a huge thanks for mentioning these; we are enjoying them tremendously. I love that they are perforated and easy to rip out; I've been scanning them into PDF form and that's made it a lot easier. The lack of boring repetition and thought given to the activities is just great. I also like how, in the reading one we have, there occasionally little runs of content organized around a theme.

I also just bought some Critical Thinking workbooks, and those are great too, but without as much fun variation, color, etc. to hold children's interest. I haven't found anything else like the FlashKids books for their combination of fun level and quality.

I bought the first-grade one for my MG 1st-grader who has not had much instruction in math and for whom it is not a primary interest (just now learning multiplication and division at home; doesn't yet know how to subtract with borrowing). I like the general style of the book, but it's too easy for her. She said the same thing when I gave it to her to flip through. Just noting this here because it surprised me a bit. I think 2nd grade would be right for her.

Might wanna just skip to grade 3. There would probably be plenty in there to interest your kid, even if some of the problems were too hard. OTOH I am sure the grade 2 would have much of interest in it too.

Last year my son really enjoyed some of the reading comp. worksheets too. They sparked an interest in multiple areas of science. I'd check 'em out.

There is also a separate, physically smaller and cheaper line of workbooks by the same publishers, called FlashKids something or other. The problem solving ones are pretty great IMO. I think they're about $4 US on Amazon, and well worth it. (Some of them are drill drill drill, like the multiplication ones, and should be avoided for a gifted kid.)

ETA: Here's one of the "Flash Skills" mini-workbooks I mentioned: http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-Grade-Flash-Skills/dp/1411434692/ref=cm_aya_orig_subj (this is a good one)

Thanks! I went through the book and dogeared some of the stuff that looked like it would still be fun, if a little easy. She really enjoys the logic puzzles ("John is older than Sue, and Sue is younger than Jane..." kind of stuff.) That's not something we've ever done with her. So that stuff is good...I should see what else I can find like that. But the stuff on patterns, time, coins, and addition/subtraction is too easy.

I like these also. I'd read the "for the gifted" part of the title more like "for the easily bored". They are targeted at the standards for the listed grade level, but have a nice variety of activities in 1-2 page bite-sized amounts.

Have you tried the Grid Perplexors series?

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/mindware/grid_perplexors_level_a.cfm

It's just got the one kind of puzzle, but if you're looking for logic puzzles, it might fit the bill. My kids love them.

Hip, those look great! My DC loves those kind of things. Her Math teacher does those kind of things in school every week and she can't get enough of them. I'll have to look into that for the summer time! Thanks!

I'll add another workbook idea for parents on here.

These books were recommended by a teacher at the gifted school that my dds attend. I have no vested interested in these books. I've just used them and enjoyed them.

http://www.summerskills.com/

I haven't used the language arts book yet, but the thing I like about the summer skills math sharpener is that each "lesson" is only one page (front and back). So it's easy to have your child do one on any given day over the summer. Plus, each page has a variety of topics on it (money, time, calculations, word problems) so it's not the boring repetition that so many of our kids dislike.

Also, you can preview pages on their website to find the appropriate placement for your kids.

I ordered 3rd grade review for DD6 earlier this spring with the intention of doing it this summer. But, of course, she got a hold of it and whipped through it.

So now I've ordered 4th grade for her and 1st grade for DD5.

I just purchased summer skills for grade 2 for dd7 and math for grade 1 for ds5. These books look great!. Thanks for the suggestions!


Sheila

Just an update.. both kids completed 95% of their books this summer.

Ds5 (going into kinder with math acceleration) thought the math (grade 1 gifted math) was a bit easy. The reading he had to do in the book was a bit above his level at first but as the summer went on he was able to read the word problems himself.

Dd7 (going into 2nd with math acceleration) didn't like doing the summer bridge for 2nd grade gifted at all. It was a chore to get her to sit down. Nothing like bribery.. I mean positive reinforcement of fun stuff in the afternoon.