It would be nice to have a thread where everybody could introduce them selves and their kids. I noticed that there is plenty of us here. So nice to share thought with other parents in similar situations.

I'll come back later when I have more time to add mine.

Hi, I'm mom of one 2 year old DD . She is very active little girl who would love to spend all day playing outside. DD has always been naturally athletic but I have just come to realize that she also seems to be more advanced than her peers other ways.

I have been surprised to notice how shy she has become, she usually can not even say hello to strangers. I'm anticipating that might become a problem later at school as she hides her academic skills well. Home she is very bossy though. For some reason she is really into excavators and bugs now. I work fulltime and she attends great daycare. Daycare told us that she seems to be more like a leader, definitely not a follower.

Welcome!

I have learned so much here from reading old posts and benefitting from the collective wisdom!

bk

Hi there.

I am a SAHM, and my incredibly fickle DD is 3. Right now, she is reading like crazy, going nuts with the computer, calling anyone she can anytime I let her, taking pictures of random bits of floor and wall. Yes, we need to get out more, but unfortunately she really dislikes the heat, and it is HOT in the summer here. So we're hanging out in the A/C, cooking, puzzling, making art, dancing, and singing. And we get to the beach once or twice a week.

Hello! I'm Catherine and I have a newly minted (as of last week) 4 year old son. G is a great kid, funny, smiley and sweet. He's a huge reader (I'd guess he's reading at about a late 2nd grade level) and is number crazy. This summer has been all about multiplication and learning the states and all their capitals. He's a joy and a challenge all in one.

I get stressed out contemplating school....he'll be a very young 5 year old if he starts K in 2010. I work full time in HR and G goes to a church based pre-school/daycare. We had a meeting recently and the director told me that she was always so pleased to see G love to read the bible during free time. I unfortunately had to tell her that his love of the bible comes not from a deep well of spirituality, but rather from all the chapter and verse numbers in the book. Oops.

Lovely to see you all here!

Hello Im a mother of Three oldest DD4 1/2yrs DS3yrs and DD8 1/2mo. and i am also a homeschooler or will be once they reach school ages i myself was homeschooled for 6yrs of my childhood and when i went to highschool found it to be a great waste of time because the things they teach in a week i could learn in a matter of hours at home

My oldest DD4 is Just started reading and enjoys inventing she is very creative and constantly building/making things she has an incredible vocab and understanding of language but is not really in to reading quite yet she only reads single words for now she also loves gymnastics and playing outside

My middle chid DS3 is also very verbal and has a HUGE imagination which is great for play but also makes him scared of almost everything he isnt a good sleeper and he has many sensitivitys he is very bright and has a great sense of humor he started making jokes at 18mo. and is also very social with kids of all ages but shy with adults he enjoys playing outside and riding his bike

My youngest DD8mo. is my earlyest baby and quite frankly scares me a bit she has been much more like a 12mo.+ baby since about 7mo. at 6mo. she started saying "I DID IT" and thats her favorite thing to say she started walking at 7 1/2mo. and now is walking quite well she is into everything and seems to have a great understanding of the world around her she is often described as being weird or unusual just because she doesnt seem like a baby...

My dd is 3, she enjoys bossing people around and mocking people by taking what they just said and restating it with made up silly words or words like 'pooh' inserted. Oh, and singing, and dancing, and trucks and reading about medical instruments and body parts.

Ds9 is our other child, but this thread seems to be in the preschool section, so I'll leave him out of it

I have 2 youngins
My DD7 was always smart, sweet & sensitive, the "perfect" role model child. We used to pat ourselves on the back because we were such good parents. Sigh
Then my DS3 came along...
He is our head strong, independent, opinionated one. Mix that with a very advanced vocabulary and the usual impatience of toddler hood and you get one intense child. He back talks, gets mad frequently, and will debate and argue ANY topic, no real temper tantrums though. On the flip his brain is amazing. The depth of his questions and curiosity amaze me everyday. I am quite sure his drilling questions are going to drive some poor teacher crazy in a couple of years.

DS 3 is a self described leader. He�ll allow you to walk beside him but would prefer you to stay behind. DS is athletic, an adrenaline junkie, logical and has a wicked sense of humor. I appreciate DS�s zeal for life, roll my eyes at some of the aforementioned, and would like to take a time out from debates/arguments with DS. DS attends a university run preschool.

I have two sons Wolf(almost 5) and Bear (2.5).

Wolf is probably HG and is currently working mostly at a late 2nd grade level and is starting a public school Independent Study program in the K-1 class and will officially be in 1st by the semester. He LOVES cars and books and is currently very into animals (predation, what makes them different, pretty much anything animal related). He is outgoing and ACTIVE and moody.

Bear is the intense baby with sensitivity and overexcitability issues. He had HORRIBLE screaming tantrums several times a day that lasted for over 1/2 hour from the time he was a couple of months old, but chiropractic seems to be helping surprisingly enough. He is extremely shy, but loves music and dancing and is also VERY active. He is a clown at home. He is very physically and verbally advanced, but we're not exactly certain where he is going giftedness-wise.

HI Everyone-

My preschooler is four, going on 14! She rarely engages with kids her own age, and loves to hang out with her older sister and her friends, who are 8-12 years old, as well as our 14 year old family friend. She has no lack of little girls her age to play with, so I keep throwing them together and hoping that something will blossom. DD9 met her BFF when they were both four, and I feel sad that dd4 doesn't have a close friend yet.

"Penelope" loves to sing and dance, she reads "anything" at this point, loves math and history too.

Mr W is 18 mo.

He is fearless once he thinks things through. He is extremely observant of the world around him and has a photographic memory for places and people and music. He is smitten with cars and with the animated movie cars. He is bilingual, understanding and speaking Spanish and English, able to follow multi-step instructions in both. He knows his letters and numbers and can pick out musical artists' styles. His greatest trait is his happy face and wonderful, friendly disposition - he is a shameless flirt and will approach a group of girls in their teens and preen before them. He does throw screaming fits at times, but these last at most, 30 seconds.

Hi all!

After raising my older daughter I remarried and we decided to have two more. These two little gems are who led me to this wonderful forum. DD's are 4 & 6. The 6 yr old I've sent a DYS application to (no answer yet, still bitting nails) She has was I would consider to be a photographic memory and has been full of surprizes since birth, she spent half the year last year in K then went to first, but I fear the skip was not enough, we'll see how this year goes, my 4 yr old will be starting K, by starting her this year I hoping she will not need to skip a grade (yet), only time will tell. These two little beauties keep me on my toes (mentally and physically)

I have DD3.5 and DD15mo. DD3.5 is extremely active and must be engaged in an activity at all times or she becomes incredibly naughty. She loves to read and do "homework" (workbooks), loves playing on the computer and she likes to terrorize her little sister. DD3.5 is hilarious and says the funniest things with such a maturity at times that I can't help but smile. ("Actually, Mommy, I need to wear this because . . .") She amazes me everyday and I love to see how her brain works. I cannot wait until she starts pre-school this fall at a really nice private school that does personalized education plans for each child regardless of age.
DD15 mo. - not much to say here but I think she's headed on the same path as our older DD. Time will tell. She's pretty funny, too.

My name is Kathy. I have ds 7 years. He has been tested gifted and we homeschoolhim. I also have a dd 19 months old. She is showing signs of giftedness but still a little young to be for sure. She can count to 20 and can say her alphabet. She is very verbal and talks in 3-4 word sentences. I expect between now and when she turns 2 she will learn alot (my ds did this too at this age). Since we homeschool she wants to do school like her brother already. So, I have ordered Abeka curriculum for 2 year olds.

Hi! My preschool age child is Chico, who is 4 (my other two sons are Harpo, 8, and Groucho, 6). He is doing "preschool" at home (we homeschool all three boys).

Chico is a darling (says his fond mother), full of smiles and jokes and cuddles; he loves to stump people with riddles and card tricks, and to figure out little tunes on the piano. My favourite thing (at the moment!) is his arrival in our room every morning, when he announces, "it's huggings for grownups time!"--a nice way to start our day!

peace
minnie

Hello!
I have a DS who just turned 5 so he isn't technically a preschooler, he is skipping K and starting first grade next month. So I suppose he could still be a preschooler since he hasn't really been in school yet, LOL. He is a great kid. He is a PG kid and is very logical and constantly thinking (and making noises and talking), he is very into Math, boardgames, reading, and making contraptions....and he is a great big brother most of the time.

DD just turned 2. I don't know if she is gifted yet, as she is developing quite different than DS did. But she does know a lot of things and communicates very well. She is quite fun and imaginative, very different than DS in the imagination department. She likes to sing and play games and read books with us.

My DD is 4 starting kindergarten in the fall. She is a handful. Very, very active. Our house is a mess, there are "experiments" and homemade gadgets everywhere (pencils tied to dental floss hanging off doors). I cannot keep keep liquid hand soap because she mixes it up with every substance to see what will happen or pretends it is some type of chemical or medicine. She is a delight but it can be very exhausting. Loves science books and shows. She prefers to be around adults or older children. I am hoping she makes some friends at school this year. Good to know everyone else is out there.

This reminds me of my daughter who is now heading to seventh grade. I could not keep us in baking soda back then.

She is using this enthusiasm now for the Twilight Saga. It is interesting to see her loving something more mainstream. She draws pictures of it and knows all about vampires and each character. I took her to Forks, WA where this takes place and it was the trip of a lifetime for her.

Having a messy house is a huge part of being gifted. Her experiments now have to deal with making her own lip gloss, but it is essentially the same.

We were going through all her "cats" in her room and she found all their casts and other medical issues they had. We laughed about it. She asked why her cats always had medical problems.

After months of debating we have finally decided to take the plunge into pre-k! My DS still has 2 years before K, but we think he needs some outside stimulation, now.
I have found a university led preschool that looks like a good fit. 3 1/2days a week, academically focused, & reasonably priced. They only allow 3 and up. We just crossed that line, so most of the kids will be older than him.
Wish us luck. My head strong DS is sure to give them a run for their money!

Any of ya'll have experience with a university/college based preschool? Advice?

Floridama I PM'd you.

Hi there!
I have an older DD8 and a DS3. DS3 is fascinated with numbers. We recently took a long car trip and he kept himself amused with a calculator for most of the ride. He also loves planets and the solar system. Tonight I had to look up where the dwarf planets Ceres and Eris are located so he can include them when he lists the planets in order (if anyone's interested, Ceres comes after Mars and Eris is out past Pluto). His favorite toy is the Quadrilla marble run and he likes to invent his own structures.

He'll be starting at a Montessori preschool this fall, and I hope they can keep up with him.

Hello-

New gal here with two dds. We believe dd3 is at least moderately gifted...I'm comfortable at putting her on a lower level 2 on Dr Ruf's levels of giftedness. She will be starting PreK/K at home on August 31st. Her writing skills are definitely at a 3 year, 3 month level but she is at a mid-K level with everything else.

She definitely keeps me on my toes and constantly surprises me with stuff that she knows (on her own) and remembers!!

Baby dd just started pulling herself up to standing! She is very alert and active....needs constant action and stimulation!! She is a spit fire too!

I posted this in another post but I am still having trouble believing that not all kids are "advanced". How did anyone else deal with this? It's just so normal to me!

PS...to those with HG kids...I give you huge PROPS because I can barely keep up with my dd!! I can't imagine having a HG kiddo!

Welcome!!!!!

Wow, calculator is a great idea! Isn't is amazing how much we learn because of our DC. I can recognize few dinosaurs because of DD2.



I'm still not dealing with it I keep on reading about gifted kids and when ever I find one who did something more or younger than DD I'm telling myself "See, she's not gifted, just bit advanced". On Ruf's scales I place her somewhere above 2, less than 5. Does her book go into more details about the scaling, than what is usually shown on web? It does not help that I'm pretty sure DD's BFF is gifted. She has quite a vocabulary and both of her parents are gifted. I'm also struggling with the fact that DD is also very athletic. Ppl tell me daily, she will be a gymnast. At 2 she can do things I can not! If she sees big kids doing something at the park, she will go, try and succeed. Her being advanced academically would be easier to accept if she would be more normal (or behind) in something else.

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On Ruf's scales I place her somewhere above 2, less than 5. Does her book go into more details about the scaling, than what is usually shown on web?
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Yes, the book gives a much more detailed description of each level along with examples of different children at each level. Plus a summary....the book is how I comfortably put my dd at a lower level 2.

LOL, it's quite normal to question it at times. DS5 is clearly a PG kid and meets the criteria for those level 5 kids...but he still does stuff sometimes that makes you wonder, because they are still kids (like putting his pants on backwards, not paying attention at times). Most recently we were at a house on a lake with some friends/family for the weekend and we asked DS5 a few times if he wanted to go out on the boat. Everytime we asked him he would say "what boat?" after he had clearly seen it. He even said "what boat?" after he had been on it. Clearly not paying attention. I will say that having him tested confirmed what I already knew...but I will also say that I would not at all have had him tested that young if I didn't think that we needed to do it for school.

oli - I've had gifted denial for almost 6 years now... and even though I'm excited about my DS5.5 possibly being whole grade accelerated, I still often find things that make me think twice - whether it be his attitude, or the way he responds to something or like shellymos said with not paying attention to what we'd think as obvious.

And don't even ask me to "label" DD3.5! She can't read, and she doesn't seem quite as advanced as DS5.5 did at her age, but if I start trying to, then I'll talk myself out of putting her anywhere!