Honestly, I think that for a lot of children that are very gifted they do not get challenged in k12. When they take AP classes they will probably need to study for EOCT's, it can be a lot of information to memorize. As far as being actually challenged I think that probably happens when they realize they love something enough to really challenge themselves. As far as your two DD's the 12 year old will probably have the advantage when things get challenging. We don't look at school as an academic institution as much as a place they have to go where they learn to get along with others and make friends (social skills will be as important as academics later), learn to organize their lives and learn their personal strategies for task completion. Otherwise, we just tell DD to enjoy the ride;).
