Thank you all so much for your input. We'll definitely be looking into Montessori.
I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on hothousing versus innate giftedness. We definitely do flashcards with my son, but that's because he asks us to. I would imagine that while this is probably hothousing, it's indicative of his curiosity and intelligence.
DS23mo loves memory work, too. Me, I'd rather do more probing analysis, but he loves flipping through encyclopedias on dinosaurs, naming countries on the globe, identifying rocks in the extensive geology section at the museum...it definitely happens.
If the child is tugging at the parent's sleeve, asking, and excited, I think it's safe to say that that's a child-led approach!
