Do you think your child is gifted?

Do you think your child is gifted?   Now that sounds like a loaded question, but actually it isn't.  Parents are usually the best judge of whether their child is gifted.
If you know your child is gifted, or have been wondering if  they are, a great place to explore  is Hoagies. (Yes, like the sandwich.)   It is a great web site for all things gifted.  There is a great deal of information on homeschooling, the different levels of giftedness, and many articles about the needs of gifted children.  I highly recommend it.  I learn something each time I stop by.  
Happy learning!

Danny Books by Mary Ruth Books

My son loves his Danny Books. Danny Books are published by Mary Ruth Books. The books are sold in sets of 6. The books come in varying reading levels. The web site says, " Our books are created with the idea of stimulating young children to enjoy reading while they are practicing the strategies necessary for becoming successful readers. " I have seen my son's reading improve as he reads these books. They have become an integral part of him learning to read.

The books have pictures of Danny the dog participating in various activities. The books have a way making me smile as we read them together each day. They are wholesome books that beginning readers can't help but love. We love Danny! Check them out.

AIMS for Science and Math

When I taught in Georgia I was introduced to AIMS. (Activities Integrating Math and Science). AIMS is non-profit organization dedicated to helping you give students a solid conceptual understanding of math and science, built on research in best practices and brain-based learning.

I have always loved their hands on activities. They sell books that range in price from $20-$40 with activities by theme for grades Kindergarten through 9th grade. Some examples of themes are: Plants, Physics, Problem Solving, Probability, etc. They also have fabulous $2.00 activities you can download. If you live near a university with a Teacher Education Library, they sometimes have the books available to borrow. Inter-library loans would be another way to try them out. There are also free samples of activities on the web site.

My kids love the activities. The supplies are usually things you have around the house, or very basic science equipment. They also sell a small group/homeschool science kit. The activities include making predictions, making a graphs, and charting results. The charts and all forms are all made for you. The instructions are easy to follow.

This is a great way to add experiments to your science program, or problem solving to your math curriculum.
Enjoy!

Lego Quest

Legos are such an awesome way for kids to work on so many skills.  They help with imagination, visual spatial skills, math, science, and are just plain fun. My boys and my girls love them.  The duplos for the little ones and regular size for the 5 and up crowd.

This summer my children have been following the blog Lego Quest.  They are crazy about it.  Each week the blog presents a Lego challenge.  The kids have a week to complete the challenge, take a picture of their creation, and then send it in.  The pictures are posted on the blog and commented on by Sam the blog owner.  Sam  does a great job affirming creativity, and giving good feedback.  My kids can't wait to see their creations on her her site, read what she wrote,  and check out what everyone else has completed for the challenge.  The range of projects is truly amazing.

This last week the challenge was to make a Lego boat that floats.  My boys spent hours building their boats in the basement and coming up to our bathroom sink to see if the boat floated.  They learned about buoyancy, design, and some engineering skills.  They experimented with many designs before snapping a picture of their final one.  It was amazing to watch all they learned.  I highly recommend Lego Quest!

Happy Building!