Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Afterschooling Suggestions??

Hiya Everyone! DD& is 150+ and possible ADHD-I or just bored and cranky about it. She is in public school and doing well but needs a LOT of supplementation after school to feed her voracious appetite! The supplementation all comes either from me or from things I've found that interest her. Sometimes I feel like all I do is look on the computer or in books for more and different ideas to keep her brain smiling!

Big changes coming in hubby's job where they might all be working 80% for the rest of this year. The whole local industry will be affected so, absent moving, we have to just "deal with it". That means I would need to pick up the slack and do more of my work (from home). I'm not sure how to accomplish that without dropping the ball on keeping DD7 stimulated.

So here's my question/problem. Do any of you have any good ideas about how we can teach DD7 to start learning more on her own, finding answers herself, etc? I was thinking of setting up a reference bookshelf for her, and also organizing her books and extras by topic, as opposed to books on the bookshelf, toys in the toybox, almost like creating individual "boxes" of topics that she can go to and immerse herself in. For the foreseeable future, we have to control what she has access to, because she has such a vivid imagination that a lot of things give her nightmares. Any ideas out there?

I'm trying to keep her curiosity and creativity alive until she gets done with school and can FLY! Thanks for any advice you have for us.

I don't know if this helps,but... when my two were a bit younger I created the "answer binder." This was in response to all the many many questions I couldn't answer. I'd write down their questions, and when I had a spare moment I'd google and print, and add the pages to the answer binder. This created a reference material that was customized to their specific interests.

I take it her school won't accelerate her?

I recommend "strewing." That's where you pick topics you think your kid will like, raid the library, and leave things lying around for your kid to discover for herself.

I realize that still requires a time investment, but hopefully it will pay off in self-directed learning. I find that a one hour blitz at the library, without the kid along, can yield enough to keep us going for . . . well, honestly, only for about three days, but my kid is younger and we read shorter books!

Have you considered getting a spare computer (see if you can score a decent used one), putting on some heavy site-blocking software, bookmarking a few educational sites, and turning her loose on it for an hour or so at a time?

And finally, I'm sure this has occurred to you, and I know each family has its own dynamics, but if hubby is dropping down to 80% time, can't he pick up a bit of the afterschooling?

We are big on strewing, too. We do not do any formal afterschooling; however, we have gotten huge mileage out of books, as well as the Periodic Table shower curtain. :-)

DeeDee

You might try a musical instrument, that's a pretty good time gobbler. Videos by Standard Deviants, available on Netflix. Check out her Math level, and if she is can do this:
http://data.artofproblemsolving.com/aops20/courses/Prealgebra1/PreTest.pdf
try her for online Art of Problemsolving PreAlgebra 1.
Or get her the book and let her work though it with an adult first, and then do the online class.
Is there anyone you can barter afterschooling with - you send your kid to my house where I'll teach X, then tomorrow I'll send my kid to your house where you'll teach Y.

Good luck,
Grinity

Thanks for all of the great ideas, everyone! And yes, hubby will definitely be picking up some of the slack. DD seems to save up all her "special" questions for me, but that doesn't mean I have to be the one to look up the answers, though, right??!

LOVE the strewing idea, and the extra computer idea too.

if your husband's hours are reducing can't he do stuff with her?