Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums High School Best things for gifted High School students

It is the end of the school year here and I wanted to start a positive topic about the best things every one has found for our DC in High School.

I'll start it off with MATH CAMP
Math Camp is the best for a math oriented gifted kid because
1) they can go to sleep away camp (this is my favorite part LOL) 2) according to my DD they " did a year of linear algebra in two weeks!!" 3) the higher level math camps provide direct interaction with math professors 4) they meet lots of other kids that think it is cool to do math all summer

There are several really good math camps with different levels of math listed on AMS under "Programs for Students"

Research INTERNSHIP programs!!

Usually associated with universities/large companies, these are often competitive and g-loaded opportunities to get into real research settings.

My DD would never have made it through the last two years of high school without this kind of thing on the horizon.



Travel (for kids that like it)--

engaging, novel, and not that expensive (depending upon where you go and what you do)-- Citypasses are your friend; LOADS of museum/cultural passes for discounted pricing. San Francisco is one of my all-time favorite destinations with a GT kiddo, but Paris or London is also an amazing and rich environment.

The best thing from this year is Marching Band. My son LOVES Marching Band, it has given him some discipline and most importantly a social life with other bright kids. And it has given him a reason and motivation to want to stay in school. I am very grateful that I steered my son this direction years ago after listening to my friends who told me how wonderful Marching Band would be for my son.

The other things was my son's H. Biology teacher. He is really one of the top teachers at the school and my son loved this class.

Phew. It sure is a relief to the more budget conscious among us that this doesn't involve interplanetary travel.

Why is SF one of your all time favorite locations? It's one we get to quite often because grandparents live nearby. Took DS to the Explorotorium last fall, and we like the new Science Museum. And I enjoy several of their art museums. We tend to drive through SF a lot, and see it one day at a time. Is there something special you like there?

We did London when my son was in Elementary. Would love to do Paris, but it's out of our budget right now.

The best is also the worst: teachers don't give you a homework pass just because you "clearly know the information". In HS if you don't turn it in, it's a big fat 0 on your record, and enough of those, not very many, really, can drastically lower your grade.

DS was really surprised! One hopes he turns that surprise into motivation this summer, with the AP summer assignments, and next year.

Museums galore-- and culturally distinct/diverse neighborhoods, Alcatraz, MBA, Marin Headlands, etc. etc. Muir Woods-- all day trips. It's a fascinating place both historically/culturally/socially and also scientifically/architecturally/financially, etc.

Asian Art museum there is the best I've ever seen anywhere. It's overwhelming to see it in one day-- it's like the Louvre of Asian Art. DD loves the MoMA, the Marina District, just-- everything.



I also love Victoria BC-- for many of the same reasons, though the lack of robust public transportation was a downer there. That's one of the key components in my experience-- exploring a super-rich environment like that kind of requires an avid curiosity and continuous observation-- DD and I love to travel together.

Recall that I live on the west coast, also. While I love Portland and Seattle both, they aren't quite as kid-friendly as SF was for my DD. The Twin Cities is another great kid-friendly place to do LOTS of stuff that appeals to GT kids. Look at it this way-- much cheaper (and more enjoyable for adults) than Disney.

My favorite eastern US city this way is probably DC, but I've not taken DD to New York, so I can't say whether that would be fun or not. I think she'd like it.

Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Yosemite are kind of the "don't miss" national parks/monuments, but Zion, Lassen, and Glacier are nearly as impressive-- and much less crowded.


GT kids (high school or otherwise) love experiential learning opportunities, in my experience. That's why travel to some places is particularly lovely.

Outside SF there is a really cool 1/4 scale live steam train ride (and the conductor takes questions between rides). This is not a gas or battery powered train, but a genuine real 100% steam powered train.

(and the Golden Gate live steamers club is right next to it - they have open houses periodically where one can go behind the fence and get close to hot and dangerous little steam trains).

Yes! Second that.

I'll add quirky sports like archery, biathlon, or cross country skiing. National level competitions in high school or compete with adults. Teens can pursue this through clubs or organizations--with or without parental involvement. Tons of fun and competitive without being insane (well, depending on where you live, because all of these are pretty popular in some locales). DC could go to the Olympics or just have fun throughout their lifetime.

Are you talking about the Mathcamp
www.mathcamp.org
or Math Camps in general.
I'm curious abous doing "a year of linear algebra in two weeks!!". How does the camp cater to kids that are ready to learn differenbt things. Are there classes at different levels? How does it work?