Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Ideas for Starting A Small GT Preschool Co-Op?

Hi everyone,

I haven't had time to be here in quite awhile, but I know you all have great resources!

A few of us in DS2.5's playgroup are talking about starting our own preschool co-op next Fall for about 6 children. I homeschool our DYS6 and we are in several co-ops, but I'm looking for great GT curriculum resources/ideas specifically for the preschoolers. Since I'm one of the leaders, I have the opportunity to jump out front w/ activities that will specifically benefit my little DS, since he's socially like the others but academically following his brother's path. He's an early reader and heading towards K level math, so I'm looking beyond "letter of the week" type of projects, want to get a lot of fine motor, maybe some logic type games, and also bring in 2nd language and science in small doses.

Would you please let me know if you've done anything like this or have found great resources? Thanks so much!!

The first grade lesson plan on the moon from the Mensa for Kids lesson plans page might be fun for science: http://www.mensaforkids.org/school_template.cfm?showPage=school_pt_resources.cfm

Hopefully someone else will have more ideas!

If there is a three story "children's museum" around make sure and have a field trip. I've been to 2 different one's. They will have a blast. I haven't tried the one room store front version in the mall.
Start the memory work. Repeat all the cheesy kid's songs over and over. Where is thumbkin? Twinkle twinkle. Itsy bitsy spider. Old macdonald.
Start the manual labor. Give them strips of paper to cut into chunks, then sheets into strips, then cut out pictures. They can't squeeze the glue yet, but encourage them to try periodically. They're close. I got a great America flag out of my boy for the fourth of July, with cut stripes and fingerprint paint stars. Oh yeah, don't forget to truly celebrate every holiday, that's fun.
Scholastic iSpy.
I'm test driving a great science program right now and I'm not sure my 3 yr old is ready. They showed a video of Aurora Lippor putting soap in the microwave. I was told the lady turned soap into food. I was skeptical. He was convinced that's what he saw happen. We tried it. He touched and tasted. It looked different but it was still just soap. So that's the science. But the logic is she explained scientifically. And he misunderstood what was happening.

I just ordered magnetic supermind and Mightymind which call themselves logic builders. I guess they teach trial and error. He did learn that 2squares make a rectangle.

I just ordered a book from the "flash kid's gifted kid's" series. Just got it from the mailbox today. The first page has a essay about airplanes with quiestions taken right from the page. What is a fast airplane? Jet. They called this critical thinking skills. Could have used those critical listening skills on that science project. We'll see how it goes.
Mine just turned three. Great thread.

When I was doing something a bit like that, I found a lot of things in teachers resource books, after all they are set up for groups of children already. Try teacher's websites. I will try to dig up some if you like but I'm on my way out now.

Some unsolicited advise, read at own risk I found that although my DS had a wonderful time - and still does - it wasn't really a learning experience for him. The other levels of the kids were just too different, even though there were some gifted children in the group. I'm not trying to make you feel down, I just had expectations that were too high when I started and found it quite disappointing. If I'd gone into it thinking "this might be fun" instead, things might have been less hard.

This:
http://www.stringartfun.com/section.php/2/1/free-patterns
Ok, well. They're preschoolers. Start with those little lacing cards or um.., geoboards.

Oh, oh.. And don't forget the trios. My trios have gotten, no, keep getting so much use. He brings me "ice cream cones", he made a pogo stick, he keeps hammering the walls because he's "a worker". It's safe. He's made an ax, a machine gun, a souped up car.,.. So many more I can't think right now. Pre-legos.

Jumpstart.com has a 3-d game world for babies. If you want them to be mini computer nerds. Turn-taking number drill board games-Sorry! And logically, Guess Who.

This is reminding me what a fun mother I am.

Puppets!!!

The root-vue garden. (we're trying with bean sprouts and a clear glass, but we've already killed one batch), tadpole hatching kits (we'll try after we quit killing the bean sprouts), butterfly gardens As Seen on TV.

Have them take pictures. 2.5 yr olds take fine pictures as long as you put them around nice things to snap (not the laundry hamper or up mamma's nose on the couch. c'mon folks- that's not cute, really.). Mine's documented local wildflowers and the playground equiptment, leading up to this year when I plan to have him photo document science projects for pre-writing journal practice.

Make a webpage. Don't be so perfectionist in making it. Just document your journey. I'll pm you mine. Yours will be better, I'm sure. This is nice to print out later to save samples of their work, but takes less space and is less likely to be damaged than hard copies. Besides with 6 of you it will be more interesting and full of ideas for other mothers.
A tip someone gave me for my wepage/forum posts/portfolio collection- people are more interested in seeing your kid's creations than they are in seeing their mastery of worksheets or cookie-cutter magazine crafts (I don't care, I'm impressed). So try to get a good balance at least, if you don't want just a child-led gallery, that's fine. Just a reminder.

My grandmother just sent a large box of presents and my boy's in the box now. Which reminds me. Once, when I was younger, my church set up a haunted house event which was essentially a massive four room crawl through maze which was entirely made out of cardboard boxes, complete with dead ends, and was large enough for an adult to crawl through.

I'm going to be stuck on this thread for a week, I can tell already.

Oh yeah, the language. I just bought disney DVDs in Chinese for my kid's. It takes a "multi-regional DVD player.". But it offers exposure. I bought Monsters Inc and cars. They have pinocchio, Cinderella. Everything we have.

A cousin wants me to open a daycare after seeing all that I do with Wyatt, and the hubby wants me to have more kid's so I don't waste my talent but they're both crazy. I can think beyond a pre-school level, that's just where I'm at now. Pouts.

http://www.quirkles.com/
Phonics with Science as the topics!