Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Preschool 2010-2011

My DD4 will be returning to her play based pre-school that moves at a snail's pace academically because she likes some of the children there. It isn't a perfect fit, far from it, but I hope it works for her.

DeHe, what Magic School Bus kits do you recommend? My DD4 loves science esp. space, the human body, anything to do with nature, immunology,etc.

Hi TwinkleToes

We bought all of them thinking we would get to them eventually, LOL!!!! We have completed Space and Germs and are on the Human Body right now. We did space and germs together because germs had experiments that took 7 days!!!! So I found that DS was good setting the long ones up provided you did one with immediate pay off. So we watched bread mold for a week but did red light in the closet, and painted a solar system. On amazon, people said the rainbow one was boring and other comments but no complaints so far, and DS loves the stuff, we got eye droppers, test tubes, etc. And he loved the MSB books so that set him up because it was presented the same way. So short version loved the first 3 and expect the next 4 will be cool just for the sheer act of doing it rather than the amazing science of it. He has read so much but this was hands on and that really appealed. Everytime we did it he would create his own experiment after, I have great video of yeast and water in the sink after watching yeast blow up a balloon!

DeHe

That sounds great DeHe. I've got ds taking photos to start journaling and observation. I just bought a couple erector sets and we've worked with tiny legos to get the fine dexterity warmed up. I was considering the board game operation to start using tweezers. Those science kits sound great if I could have him document the experiments with a camera. That would be cool.

MAE:

Hijack away. The subject of this thread is broad for a reason and I would love to read more about it.

I love reading about everyone's preschool experiences. It is very helpful to me. Katelyn'sM_om, I was wondering how your DD was enjoying her language immersion school. I remember you signing her up a year ago.

DD3.5 has been in an advanced kindercare preschool since she was not yet 2.5. It's been good in many ways, but our adventure lover is ready to move on.

She just got off the wait list to get into the university-based preschool where DH works, starting this month. DD has been on the wait list since birth, so we are thrilled. When we left our orientation DD screamed and cried. She loved it! She asks about it every day now.

There are several indoor and outdoor classrooms, a vegetable garden, computers, turtles, a chicken and a snake (she also cried that she didn't get to hold the snake). She'll start two 8 hour days and commute with DH. Parents are expected to participate and join them for lunch if they are on campus. We'll up the hours as she is ready and we can afford.

Best of all, DD can progress at her own pace up through K - important because she's a December baby. That has been my biggest concern by far.

My reply was so long and detailed I ended up just PM-ing you. The bottom line is that we loved the language experience and also hoped that it would work out until 5th grade. But we've been dealing with issues of asynchrony from late K until now, 2nd grade, and have utilized a variety of educational options over the last year consisting of primarily English instruction supplemented with French tutoring. The language and cultural experience is invaluable, but in my experience it doesn't really slow anything down except the development of each language, and only for a little while. When we had DS tested in K his language scores were too low to qualify for his current program, which could have been the dual-language lag or it could simply have been the 5-year-old wiggles. Regardless, a year later his scores were closer to where we expected and he is loving his new HG school.

Seablue, great news! I remember you writing about being on the wait list. Glad she got in and I'm sure she will love having lunch with Daddy!

MAE, I just got your PM. Been on a little vacation but I will try to write you back tomorrow.

oh boy I met my DD4's new teacher last night and she seems very nice but when she talked about how the big thing this year is learning upper and lowercase letters and that they will still be focusing on things like colors and shapes--things both my girls had figured out when they were 1.5--I felt a sweep of dread pass over me. I didn't mention a thing about my daughter and she said she had asked the other teachers and directors NOT to tell her about her students so they would enter with a clean slate so to speak. Now I am wondering if I should say anything at all today when we go for a visitation day. Do I just let her figure it out or do I give her a little information on my DD's background? My DD can act very silly and immature esp. if she doesn't have children or adults who can speak with her on a sophiticated level throughout the day. Do I trust that this lady will be able to see giftedness through the flurry of silly impulsive activity? My DD4's language is very sophisticated and clear, her reading is very advanced, and she is like a mini encyclopedia for so many things, so those things may "out" her some if she speaks in her normal way and chooses to read aloud and share the things she knows, but last year she pretended she couldn't read when around those children and changed her speech to be more like the kids in her class. She is in a class with many five year olds, but still, the end of year kindergarten class we visited there last year was still working on things she mastered by the beginning of her entry into three year old pre-K. The good thing is they will be doing a lot of crafts and singing and dancing and playing which means less time sitting for academics that are far too easy for her. I think it will be harder next year when they will be plodding through things she mastered years ago.

Sometimes I think you and I are in opposing universes and reading your posts, especially about the preschool, makes me ponder if I over reacted to DD's time with her social preschool. I used the exact same argument about why it might be better for her since DD loves arts and crafts plus singing and dancing, etc. We also watched DD shorten her words to 3 word sentences max when the child has been able to speak in complicated sentences 15+ words before age 2. She could also write and draw but followed the kids' lead and just scribbled. I think you get the picture.

But to answer your question about the teacher. I thought the same thing ... don't tell them a thing. They will surely figure it out. DD wouldn't reveal that part of herself so they never saw it and when I told them later about her abilities the teacher was in shock, but by this time I had already decided the school was not a good fit and was looking to move her into another school. I know I really didn't give them a chance to try once they learned the information but the school we wanted to move her into had one spot open up and we had to take it by that week or we would lose it. A few months later DD and I ran into her old teacher while at a store and I was quite amused by the interaction. No longer was DD quiet and shy and holding back. She was talking in complex sentences and asking her questions. I guess it was enough for the teacher's mouth to drop. So I definitely don't regret my decision. Immediately upon moving her to the new school DD returned to the DD we knew ... because while at the other school her attitude at home had changed.

But if I were in your shoes I would definitely inform the teacher.

Is it a play based school? If it is, and the letter/color recognition is a short and simple part of the day. You should be fine. In my DD's 4yo class there were a range of skills from not even recognizing all the letters and not hearing beginning sounds to reading fluently. It wasn't a problem for any of them. Phonics were limited to an exercise at circle time where they'd all think of words starting with the letter of the day and the teacher would write them down. Then they'd decorate a cutout of the letter of the day during craft time. Mostly their time was spent playing, singing, having stories read to them. They all loved it. Sure, some went home and did first grade math or read a fifth grade book, but preschool was for playing with their friends.