Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Wiped out with a tornado DS

My father taught me and my brother to play blackjack when we were preschoolers, as exercise in counting, addition, and probability. We were instructed to call it "21," though, especially outside the home.

DD9 kicked my butt at Set for the first time this past weekend (she just started playing a few days ago, because I didn't think of it earlier). I have a feeling it won't be the last.

Thanks ellemenope. I'm going to look into all those ideas you suggested.

By dint of the lack of storage/play space in our tiny 900sqft condo, I've had to be vigilant about only picking toys with some longevity. We have a lot of blocks, cars and trucks, a keyboard, Schleich animal figurines, a few puzzles, some simple musical instruments, a Playmobil fire truck, paints and art supplies, and a little Magnadoodle. We also bought a large Snap Circuits kit on speculation. Bookshelves feature prominently in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms! My in-laws have lent us an extensive Brio train set, but we don't have any space for a permanent train table, as it would occupy all our floor space in our downstairs.

The space, or lack thereof, is a challenge because everything has to be assembled and reassembled upon each use. But, c'est la vie. Living in the heart of downtown is only affordable in a condo (a home one block away would conservatively run over $2 million...yikes!), and we want to access the amenities we use extensively without having to take a 1 hour drive whenever we want to go somewhere.

Sounds like we spent our time in school similarly, Mana.

I'm in early stages yet, brainstorming and mobilizing contacts and financial info. The concept is a school that runs to 8th grade, as there are good gifted options in town for 9-12, but which can service students up to an early undergraduate level of study in the upper years.

Key features:
-I'd like a partnership with our nearby university with professor mentors in STEM subjects to provide project oversight for upper year students and to provide field trip opportunities. All classes taught by subject majors, preferably with graduate degrees for material conventionally covered in middle school or later.
- Heavily project and experiment based classes, with a preference on student-led topics. Think: turning your classroom into a mini TED talk within a broader topic.
- Socratic/precept model of instruction for initial subject introduction, with implicit and explicit coaching in rhetoric.
- music partnership with performers/instructors at our national conservatory, and other arts instruction with artists.
- Rotational student involvement in preparing lunches/snacks at the school restaurant, with training from an instructor at the local culinary institute. If space permits, I'd love to have a school garden so students could be involved in food preparation from farm-to-table. I need to think through what this would mean for insurance and student allergies.
- Minimal class blocking, possibly with a morning/afternoon split or full-day classes with extensive free time to allow students to learn what it means to operate in a self-directed flow state.
- Foreign language instruction in a minimum of 1 additional language with native speakers.
- Quiet spaces with natural light, cots and comfortable chairs for solitary reflection, naps, and reading.

PE I need to think about. It's a tricky subject to deliver in an urban setting if you don't have an enormous capital fund.

I love DS. I love being around him and being his teacher, but I know the time will come sooner than I want (and expect) when he'll need resourcing beyond my capabilities, be they intellectual or energy. I'm hopeful that I can create a partnership of educators who "get" the HG+ and can be an extended intellectual and emotional family for DS. That's my dream.

Mama2three, thanks so much for the feedback! Those sound like great activities. I love when the learning in an activity is secondary to enjoyment, as it sounds is the case with your cooking/measuring activities.

Join the school! Right now it's in the ideation phase only. Any input you have on concept or curricular preferences is welcome. My ideas are based on what I would have wanted in my ideal school. I would enjoy creating an environment that actually rewards intellectual curiosity.

And I'm reassured to hear you were able to have a larger family. I would LOVE to have another child, maybe more, when the time is right, so your post gives me great hope.

Portia, we just received shipment of Katamino. Great recommendation; thanks again. DS has already played with it as a puzzle, read the shapes as letters, used the pieces as conventional blocks, turned it into a pretend pizza with assorted toppings, and made it into a birthday cake for his stuffed donkey. All his ideas, and he's in a grouchy flu recovery mood today, too. Wonderful!

Me too! It was fun to see how he interpreted it. It's nice that it's a game that can grow with him.

LOL-- I, too, was a child who learned to play "21" as a preschooler. I never knew it was called anything else until I was in college.

Playdoh. Right around 19 months DS became hooked on playdoh. Initially I would make what he asked. His fine motor precluded too much realism early on, but who needs realism. Still one of his favorite toys at 6. One of the most open ended toys there is. Instead of the tiny jars buy the big plastic bags so there's enough to really make stuff. Encourage color mixing, just squeeze it all up at the end and it makes the dino colors of gray or brown which saves indefinitely in a ziplock. I found making our own never worked well because it eventually went moldy, sticky etc.

Other dino ideas, will need help for some:
Dinosaurs Geopuzzle
Dinosaur Bingo (good from this age)
For Kids Puzzler Deck Dinosaur Science (mix of dino facts and puzzles, some easy like match a pic of back legs onto the right dino). Can't find this on amazon, maybe out of print.
Dinosaur Train PBS online games
Make-A-Saurus Magnetic Activity (nice chunky magnets for little fingers). For the Dino Train fan.
Dinosaurs popup book by Sabuda. If you get one dino popup this is it.
Woodcraft dino kits, inexpensive, save several to mix into new species. Heavy on fine motor. Michael's carries these. Pack into a ziplock nicely.
Zoomorphs or something similar... we have several zoomorph sets and you can mix and match the parts. I don't see the dino set available anymore. There are also magna morphs which are easier on the fine motor for a toddler but I again I dont' see dino. Getting several sets over time has given us years of mileage, still using them at 6, stores into small container.

Polly, thanks so much for the thoughtful compilation of dinosaur ideas! I'm going to look into all of them.

Re: the Play Doh, I've only ever seen the small tubs sold around here. Do the larger format bags have a name that I can google, or are you using another manufacturer's product? Thanks!