Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion The ultimate brag thread

Kerry, here's hoping they assign points for style as well as accuracy!

Ultramarina, glad your DS has found his "home".

I'm brand new to the board - it's so nice to find a place like this! I must admit, I don't even know what to write here - suffice it to say that my husband and I have all but stopped talking about what my son (3 years old) does on a daily basis because we are sick of the looks, the 'you must be drilling him', the 'stop teaching him things!", the 'oh, you're lying',...etc. it has become rather frustrating, sometimes infuriating.

So let's see what I can come up with...

The basics:

My son is a math head. He has been from the very beginning - currently, he is hovering around 3rd grade math...anything with numbers, he is immediately drawn to. (for ex. he watched a youtube video about the digits of pi, in song, and from that memorized 60 some-odd digits past the decimal...and I still only know like 5, lol!)

He can read incredibly well - of course, getting him to read is a trial (he would rather be read to.) That's a double-edged sword, because I really want him to WANT to read, but don't want to push it on him either. (if anyone has an opinion on how to help with that, please feel free to enlighten me! Though it might be as simple as...'he will when he's ready,' and that's ok, too.)

I'm only scratching the surface but I don't think I need to write a book here. Every day he amazes and scares the living daylights out of me...because as much as my husband and I research giftedness and how to deal with it, the very thought of him not being challenged and all the hurdles we will have to face (emotionally as well as cognitively) is almost too much to bear.

I just wanted to say that I love the idea of this thread - as a parent of a gifted child, you really do have to hold your tongue around people...DH and I decided to give little to no details about what my son was doing because we were sick of the 'you are lying', 'you are drilling him', or, my favorite, "stop teaching him! let him watch tv!' (which he does...sid the science kid is on more than i would like to say, lol.) So I can really appreciate a place to be able to voice our kid's achievements.

so true, Marnie! when i first showed up here in the spring (i think?) it was SUCH a relief. i felt like i had found "my people"... this one and the quirky thread are my absolute favourites - it's so great to hear about everyone's kids.

DD8 had homework last night, which included an interesting puzzle from her gifted math class. It involved a 5x5 grid, 25 numbers to fit into the grid, and 10 labels for the columns and rows... things like "prime numbers," "multiples of 5," "factors of 60," "square numbers," and "triangular numbers" (yeah, that one needed a little explanation from DD... think bowling pin arrangements). The challenge is to arrange the labels and the numbers in such a way that they all fit together, all conditions are true.

The assignment isn't due until tomorrow, but Wednesday is the day she goes to gymnastics with her friend, then plays with her after dinner, so we forced her to finish it last night, because we're cruel hothousing parents like that.

Recognizing that this wasn't your average math worksheet, I teamed up with DD to help her solve it, and as we got started, she said something to the effect of, "I like this assignment, because it's challenging. My classmates were complaining about it, because it's challenging."

"Cruel hothousing parents" that by itself is a brag. LOL!
Care to share more details on the assignment. I would love to solve the puzzle

For an additional challenge, find all solutions to the puzzle, and prove that there are no other solutions.

At dinner tonight, I asked DS (6.5) what 7x10 was. He said 70 right away.

Then I asked him a question I knew was hard for him... What is 7x7?

In his head (no paper to write on) he figured (and talked) out this formula:

10x7=70

10-7=3

2x7=14+7=21
so...
70-21=49

7x7=49

I didn't know he could do that.
He's memorized a lot of the times table, but some like 7x7 always seem to stump him.

that is so cool, Ametrine! i always think it's so neat to hear what actually goes on inside their heads - i hardly ever get that from my kid!

my stuff... (sorry it's longwinded - we seem to have had quite an exciting week around here.)

it's now a week into homeschooling, and DD5 has raised her reading level an entire grade since i last tested her in august, and i just got a report that she has finished 40% of the Grade 3 math in her online practice program. she also did some sick geometry this week: designing, measuring and building her own contiguous patterns for several quite complex 3D shapes.

also... we've always kept a bike for her in the shed, but she's never been that interested. this morning at breakfast, she boldly announces that "those useless training wheels are holding me back." i stifle a laugh - there speaks the Great Rationalizer - but i'm thrilled, so we get out the wrench and pop them off.

i was secretly hoping she'd finally experience a little healthy failure - but sadly, it was not to be. she climbs onto the bike, shrugs my hand off her back and RIDES AWAY LAUGHING. (yay/arg)

Doubtful...

You made my day with your DD's success shrugging off the training wheels. I KNOW how difficult the seeming easy stuff is for our kids.

DS has been weepy today. Some days he's on the edge because his ideas are too big for his abilities...I know you know what I mean.