Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Nontraditional Learning ideas

"Builders of the future"
When we get a interesting packaging/box in the mail or game with unique construction we look and appreciate how it is made and how it works.

We also make projects from recyclables, egg cartons, and interesting stuff headed for the trash. It's fun to collect and look at this stuff in a different way. We've done this with my kids friends. Sometimes that just don't know what to do from lack of experience so I help. It reminds me how important this kind of thinking is needed.

I started this when my son was a preschooler. I thought it would be good to share. Does anybody has some ideas like this to share?

We totally have this going on at our house, too!

All my kids like to save recyclables, but my DS11 is the most into it -- he always wants to make something out of something else. He has always brought things home from school that his teachers were getting rid of. I, too, was horrified, but got the same teacher resonse that you got, cricket3! Some of his favorites: a silverware basket from a diswasher, a letter "F" encyclopedia, and an entire set of office chairs that were going to be thrown out! For his 9th birthday we literally just got him 50+ boxes of all different sizes along with different types of duct-tape and miscellaneous do-dads from the hardware store. They kept him/them busy for many many months, and they eventually made a really great castle out of them a la "Henry and Mudge and The Long Weekend."

Now we institute a rule that for every new item that comes in one has to go out, or we wouldn't be able to walk through the house.

Ditto on Camp Invention, too. A huge favorite in our family.

Camp Invention - I have been interested in this. Is it at the right level for gifted kids usally? I would like to know more about your experiences if you care to share. (I'm hijacking my thread LOL)

thanks. I'm hoping to do this in the summer.