Read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Looked at Seattle Washington on Google Earth and found the Space Needle
Played a sort of Mahjong game online
Practiced a Japanese song until she learned it by heart
Practiced Japanese vocabulary
Made her own Japanese flashcards – Hiragana on one side and pictures of the word that she drew on the other side
Practiced Hanukkah song for Winter Recital
Fed the cat next door (she is helping to cat sit the neighbors cat)
Gymnastics class
Read two non-fiction books by Joy Berry – Disobeying and Complaining
Practiced piano songs for competition
Read more Harry Potter
Japanese lesson – including singing, new vocabulary and writing
Took care of her Katatsumuri (snails)
Visited Jewish religious school and learned some Hebrew
Took care of cat next door
Sit-ups
martial arts rhythmic gymnastics
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Comprehensive curriculum for Gifted Learners
more excerpts from the gifted curriculum book
Content topics need to be selected according to the following criteria
1. Is the content topic important and worthy of the time to be expended on it.
For example, spending six weeks studying designer jeans or the history of teddy bears (two topics actually explored in gifted programs) would be judged less important then topic such as consumer economics or political opportunities in the nineteenth century.
2. Is the content topic conceptually complex enough to render it meaningful for gifted students?
Gifted students enjoy explorering a topical area, examining it from various perspectives. The topic choice has to be conceptually interesting and complex enough to hold up under intense investigation. Thus, the study of magnetism could offer more to the gifted then the study of horseshoes.
3. Is the content topic relevant to how the world works?
The study of law or a language, it could be argued, is more appropriate for the gifted to study than movie starts of the 1940s since the more general areas of study could provide the gifted with insights into societal systems rather than transitory cultural fads.
4. Is the content topic likely to be of interest to students?
Although student interest can be guaged formally before curriculum is contracted, it also grequenctly can be assessed more informally as topics are being considered. What is "likely to be of interest" may be more important than demonstrated interes since interest tends to follow exposure to particular types of experiences. Content topics to be chosen should not deliberately narrow a student's vision of knowledge area available to be explored.
5. Is the content topic one thta could be taught efectively by the designated instructor?
Content topics need to be selected according to the following criteria
1. Is the content topic important and worthy of the time to be expended on it.
For example, spending six weeks studying designer jeans or the history of teddy bears (two topics actually explored in gifted programs) would be judged less important then topic such as consumer economics or political opportunities in the nineteenth century.
2. Is the content topic conceptually complex enough to render it meaningful for gifted students?
Gifted students enjoy explorering a topical area, examining it from various perspectives. The topic choice has to be conceptually interesting and complex enough to hold up under intense investigation. Thus, the study of magnetism could offer more to the gifted then the study of horseshoes.
3. Is the content topic relevant to how the world works?
The study of law or a language, it could be argued, is more appropriate for the gifted to study than movie starts of the 1940s since the more general areas of study could provide the gifted with insights into societal systems rather than transitory cultural fads.
4. Is the content topic likely to be of interest to students?
Although student interest can be guaged formally before curriculum is contracted, it also grequenctly can be assessed more informally as topics are being considered. What is "likely to be of interest" may be more important than demonstrated interes since interest tends to follow exposure to particular types of experiences. Content topics to be chosen should not deliberately narrow a student's vision of knowledge area available to be explored.
5. Is the content topic one thta could be taught efectively by the designated instructor?
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
unschooling day three
Today I got the feeling that even when I downplay and omit a lot of what Z is doing when conversing with friends and aquintances it still comes across as extraordinary.
I didn't realize that because to me it is ordinary.
I am sometimes struck by the things Z does, like the songs she makes up or affinity she has for fractions.
But it doesn't occur to me that it is strange for her to be doing math at all or to even be reading words more complex than "hat" or "ball."
A very nice lady in my homeschool group today reminded me that most homeschooled kids Z's age are being "unschooled" because the are not ready for formal academics. She says that the things Z does are amazing.
I was surprised she would say that because I don't really share the amazing things. I mean they know Z takes Japanese but they don't know she can read and write in Hiragana. They know she takes piano but not what she is playing.
People think it is amazing that she could handle a Shakespeare class, they have no idea that she reads Shakespeare at home for fun.
I thought I was being careful and not sharing anything about Z that was too extraordinary.
I think part of the problem is that I know girls like Ami, Kaytlin, Grace, Rose and others and amoung them what Z is doing seems pretty normal.
************
Today was our homeschool group's park day so Z mostly played all day but otherwise this is what she did do:
Read Harry Potter
I Love Math
Poured teaspoons of water into the sink and then cups of water and then pitcher of water to estimate how many of each it would take to fill it up (she got this idea from and I Love Math activity)
Shakespeare class - 1 1/2 hours
Some art project with beads
Piano practice
Orchestra practice
I didn't realize that because to me it is ordinary.
I am sometimes struck by the things Z does, like the songs she makes up or affinity she has for fractions.
But it doesn't occur to me that it is strange for her to be doing math at all or to even be reading words more complex than "hat" or "ball."
A very nice lady in my homeschool group today reminded me that most homeschooled kids Z's age are being "unschooled" because the are not ready for formal academics. She says that the things Z does are amazing.
I was surprised she would say that because I don't really share the amazing things. I mean they know Z takes Japanese but they don't know she can read and write in Hiragana. They know she takes piano but not what she is playing.
People think it is amazing that she could handle a Shakespeare class, they have no idea that she reads Shakespeare at home for fun.
I thought I was being careful and not sharing anything about Z that was too extraordinary.
I think part of the problem is that I know girls like Ami, Kaytlin, Grace, Rose and others and amoung them what Z is doing seems pretty normal.
************
Today was our homeschool group's park day so Z mostly played all day but otherwise this is what she did do:
Read Harry Potter
I Love Math
Poured teaspoons of water into the sink and then cups of water and then pitcher of water to estimate how many of each it would take to fill it up (she got this idea from and I Love Math activity)
Shakespeare class - 1 1/2 hours
Some art project with beads
Piano practice
Orchestra practice
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
unschooling day 2
You know how when your kid is just starting to talk and they jibber jabber all sorts of things that only you, as their mother, can understand?
Z had a little baby speech impediment back then and even though she was speaking in long sentences and saying real and (to her) important things, most people didn't understand her.
I feel like I am still in that relationship with Z. She has such a mature and clever sense of humor these days and she often brings up heartfelt discussions and deep philosophical questions. (for example she told me today that she often wonders if her life is reallly just a dream she is dreaming. And that she likes to think about when in her life she might have fallen asleep or where she will be when she wakes up.)
But she rarely talks to other adults and I am pretty sure that she doesn't share her humor or philosophies with her little friends.
So even though she is almost six, I still feel like I am the only one who really knows when is going on with her.
**********
So today Z was another learning packed unschooling day
Read harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Compared Quidditch to basketball in the air
Made up a song, these were some of the lyrics:
Why can’t we both be right?
Why do I have to be wrong all the time?
Why can’t we both have the glory?
Why can't we both have the pain?
Why can’t we both have the worry?
Why can't we both be the same?
Finished her I Love Math book
Practiced piano pieces for competition
Practiced Science presentation
Taught Science to homeschool class – about tastebuds, the liquid in your ear and fingerprints with three activities.
Wrote thank you note
Wrote letter to friend and addressed it
Decided to read a book - Backyard Pets, exploring wildlife close to home – caught three snails and helped set up their habitat
Researched setting up bird feeders
Researched squirrel’s on wikipedia.com and then acted out squirrel behavior – foraging for nuts, fruit, eggs and frogs
Practiced new song on Piano
Z had a little baby speech impediment back then and even though she was speaking in long sentences and saying real and (to her) important things, most people didn't understand her.
I feel like I am still in that relationship with Z. She has such a mature and clever sense of humor these days and she often brings up heartfelt discussions and deep philosophical questions. (for example she told me today that she often wonders if her life is reallly just a dream she is dreaming. And that she likes to think about when in her life she might have fallen asleep or where she will be when she wakes up.)
But she rarely talks to other adults and I am pretty sure that she doesn't share her humor or philosophies with her little friends.
So even though she is almost six, I still feel like I am the only one who really knows when is going on with her.
**********
So today Z was another learning packed unschooling day
Read harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Compared Quidditch to basketball in the air
Made up a song, these were some of the lyrics:
Why can’t we both be right?
Why do I have to be wrong all the time?
Why can’t we both have the glory?
Why can't we both have the pain?
Why can’t we both have the worry?
Why can't we both be the same?
Finished her I Love Math book
Practiced piano pieces for competition
Practiced Science presentation
Taught Science to homeschool class – about tastebuds, the liquid in your ear and fingerprints with three activities.
Wrote thank you note
Wrote letter to friend and addressed it
Decided to read a book - Backyard Pets, exploring wildlife close to home – caught three snails and helped set up their habitat
Researched setting up bird feeders
Researched squirrel’s on wikipedia.com and then acted out squirrel behavior – foraging for nuts, fruit, eggs and frogs
Practiced new song on Piano
Victory!
You've Won!
Dear Novelist,
You did it.
Despite everything else going on in your busy life, you managed to pull off the creative coup of writing a 50,000-word novel in just one month.
When the going got tough, you got typing, and in four weeks, you built vast worlds and set them in motion. You created characters; quirky, interesting, passionate souls with lives and loves and ambitions as great as yours. You stuck it out through the notoriously difficult middle stretch, and pressed onward as 80% of your fellow writers dropped out around you.
And now look at you: A NaNoWriMo winner. And the owner of a brand-new, potential-filled manuscript. It's an amazing accomplishment, and we're proud to have had you writing with us this year.
I uploaded my 50,556 word novel to nanowrimo.org tonight and I got the above. I am feeling really good and the need to celebrate. I feel like I should be popping open some champagne. Why don't I have any champagne?!
*grin*
Dear Novelist,
You did it.
Despite everything else going on in your busy life, you managed to pull off the creative coup of writing a 50,000-word novel in just one month.
When the going got tough, you got typing, and in four weeks, you built vast worlds and set them in motion. You created characters; quirky, interesting, passionate souls with lives and loves and ambitions as great as yours. You stuck it out through the notoriously difficult middle stretch, and pressed onward as 80% of your fellow writers dropped out around you.
And now look at you: A NaNoWriMo winner. And the owner of a brand-new, potential-filled manuscript. It's an amazing accomplishment, and we're proud to have had you writing with us this year.
I uploaded my 50,556 word novel to nanowrimo.org tonight and I got the above. I am feeling really good and the need to celebrate. I feel like I should be popping open some champagne. Why don't I have any champagne?!
*grin*
Monday, November 27, 2006
this is not a good time to run out of coffee
I should have gone to the market today and gotten some coffee but I didn't make it.
Now I am feeling tired just looking at my calendar
Not only was Z doing 6 classes a week - her piano teacher just asked her to come in two more days a week to practice for the competition and winter rectial. Z won't just be playing piano in these classes but also playing in the orchestra and singing.
But that means that for the next three weeks (leading right up to Hanukkah) Zoe has nine classes a week, including extra practice at home for the competition and recital.
*sigh*
I asked her again today if she really want to do the competiton and she said yes. I asked her why and she said "I like to play in front of people. It will be fun!"
Luckily for Z she has crazy and frightening amounts of energy. (One reason I would not want to send her to regular school is that I worry she would get into trouble for talking and moving about so much. )
I on the other hand seem to need a lot of liquid energy to keep up with Z's busy schedule. And by that I mean diet coke and coffee. ;)
Now I am feeling tired just looking at my calendar
Not only was Z doing 6 classes a week - her piano teacher just asked her to come in two more days a week to practice for the competition and winter rectial. Z won't just be playing piano in these classes but also playing in the orchestra and singing.
But that means that for the next three weeks (leading right up to Hanukkah) Zoe has nine classes a week, including extra practice at home for the competition and recital.
*sigh*
I asked her again today if she really want to do the competiton and she said yes. I asked her why and she said "I like to play in front of people. It will be fun!"
Luckily for Z she has crazy and frightening amounts of energy. (One reason I would not want to send her to regular school is that I worry she would get into trouble for talking and moving about so much. )
I on the other hand seem to need a lot of liquid energy to keep up with Z's busy schedule. And by that I mean diet coke and coffee. ;)
First day of unschooling
Z woke up so excited to start her "unschooling" today.
I have decided that I will report a daily list of what she has done for this month. Mainly this would be for any readers I have who are interested in what can be accomplished by a child following her own accord.
To be honest I do not really believe in unschooling. I think that Z will not only learn more but she will learn better with me guiding her and teaching her.
This experiment is happening because Z just finished her second grade math book and I am not going to start EPGY until January. And also she will be busy with the classes she takes outside of the home during the month of december that I don't want to have a set curriculum that we will only fall behind on.
But still I am going to give it my best shot. :)
Today I really just followed Z's lead and this is what she wanted to do and did.
Read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I Love Math - word problems, fractions, measuring volume, shapes, measuring weight, and more. Z wanted to work on this for more than an hour
Piano - composed a song as homework for her piano class
Practiced a piano piece and a song for her winter recital
Science - Developed a presentation about the Human Body for a science class she is teaching tomorrow.
Read a Sailormoon book
Played the Allowance game again - doing things like paying $.85 for something and paying with a ten or five dollar bill and making change. She is getting good at this and is doing it in her head.
Wrote down fake names and addresses in her Harry Potter address book
Went to her piano lesson
Practiced her British accent for her voice-over class
Made Hanukkah crafts
Drew a Menorah and wrote a letter to a friend about Hanukkah and menorahs
Played with a Colonial girl sticker book
I have decided that I will report a daily list of what she has done for this month. Mainly this would be for any readers I have who are interested in what can be accomplished by a child following her own accord.
To be honest I do not really believe in unschooling. I think that Z will not only learn more but she will learn better with me guiding her and teaching her.
This experiment is happening because Z just finished her second grade math book and I am not going to start EPGY until January. And also she will be busy with the classes she takes outside of the home during the month of december that I don't want to have a set curriculum that we will only fall behind on.
But still I am going to give it my best shot. :)
Today I really just followed Z's lead and this is what she wanted to do and did.
Read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I Love Math - word problems, fractions, measuring volume, shapes, measuring weight, and more. Z wanted to work on this for more than an hour
Piano - composed a song as homework for her piano class
Practiced a piano piece and a song for her winter recital
Science - Developed a presentation about the Human Body for a science class she is teaching tomorrow.
Read a Sailormoon book
Played the Allowance game again - doing things like paying $.85 for something and paying with a ten or five dollar bill and making change. She is getting good at this and is doing it in her head.
Wrote down fake names and addresses in her Harry Potter address book
Went to her piano lesson
Practiced her British accent for her voice-over class
Made Hanukkah crafts
Drew a Menorah and wrote a letter to a friend about Hanukkah and menorahs
Played with a Colonial girl sticker book
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Unschooling 1st weekend
I am really excited to see how our first real day of homeschooling will go tomorrow. We had something of a day on Friday but Pere was home all day and it was a holiday weekend so it was not a regular day.
Here is a list of learning experiences that Z initiated this weekend
Did eight sit ups (P.E.)
Peeled carrots (home ec.)
Played her friend E (socializing)
Played Sorry (strategy and following directions)
Played Apples to Apples (reading comprehension)
Played with neighbor, S (socializing)
Practiced Gymnastics (P.E.)
Actively watched Basketball kept up with all the action and asked questions when she didn’t understand something. (team spirit)
Read three picture books – Kindness to Pets., Safety, Obedience (Reading and Character education)
Listened to chapter of Wind in the Willows (reading comprehension)
Practiced Piano - four songs for competition (music)
Played version of the card game War but with acute, right and obtuse angles (math)
Played the board game Allowance , with Z being the banker with problems like paying 78 cents for something and giving change back from $10.00 (math)
Watched Bill Nye the Science Guy- deserts (Science)
Practiced piano for competition in front of audience (music)
Played with neighbor friend S again - learned to use a walkie talkie (Socialization)
Watched the movie Witches based on the book by Roald Dahl which she read a couple weeks ago. (comparative analysis)
Listened to Pere read a chapter from My Side of the Mountain (reading comprehension)
Watched Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers (Literature/Storytelling/Mythology)
Coloring (art)
Here is a list of learning experiences that Z initiated this weekend
Did eight sit ups (P.E.)
Peeled carrots (home ec.)
Played her friend E (socializing)
Played Sorry (strategy and following directions)
Played Apples to Apples (reading comprehension)
Played with neighbor, S (socializing)
Practiced Gymnastics (P.E.)
Actively watched Basketball kept up with all the action and asked questions when she didn’t understand something. (team spirit)
Read three picture books – Kindness to Pets., Safety, Obedience (Reading and Character education)
Listened to chapter of Wind in the Willows (reading comprehension)
Practiced Piano - four songs for competition (music)
Played version of the card game War but with acute, right and obtuse angles (math)
Played the board game Allowance , with Z being the banker with problems like paying 78 cents for something and giving change back from $10.00 (math)
Watched Bill Nye the Science Guy- deserts (Science)
Practiced piano for competition in front of audience (music)
Played with neighbor friend S again - learned to use a walkie talkie (Socialization)
Watched the movie Witches based on the book by Roald Dahl which she read a couple weeks ago. (comparative analysis)
Listened to Pere read a chapter from My Side of the Mountain (reading comprehension)
Watched Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers (Literature/Storytelling/Mythology)
Coloring (art)
Shine part II - performing
Z performs as a form of self-expression. She does not perform because she likes to practice and practice the lines in her script or the movement in the dance or the notes in a piano piece over and over again.
She practices because she has an internal drive to do well. And because she wants the chance to perform at a level that challenges her.
She performs because something within her compels her to.
Her performing is best when she is doing an original composition. But at her age there are few opportunities for her to perform any thing of her own in front of any audience besides her parents. :)
She enjoys playing Mozart, and performing Shakespeare on a stage in front of an audience. She loves to go on auditions, even just for commercial where all she is asked to do is say a few lines and look pretty. She has asked for and worked hard for those opportunities.
But I think it is interesting that her own compositions are the ones that show her heart and soul. I feel like that means she is a creator rather than just a performer.
That is something I need to be aware of when I am helping her find outlets for this talent.
Currently she has a piano teacher who sees her as someone who can win competitions. The teacher chose only eight of her thirty students to compete in a local competition. Z is the youngest in this competition and she is competing against kids up to seventeen years old.
I don't think that Z has a real chance at winning. I think her teacher wants Z in this because she wants her to get used to competitions and to see if Z has the drive to do the amount of practice it takes to enter these things and win.
Z's teacher is great but I think what she wants for Z is a child who can perform at a high level and to do that it takes a lot of time which means Z's need to create is not being addressed.
It is my job to protect Z's creative spirit, the thing that makes her "shine."
She practices because she has an internal drive to do well. And because she wants the chance to perform at a level that challenges her.
She performs because something within her compels her to.
Her performing is best when she is doing an original composition. But at her age there are few opportunities for her to perform any thing of her own in front of any audience besides her parents. :)
She enjoys playing Mozart, and performing Shakespeare on a stage in front of an audience. She loves to go on auditions, even just for commercial where all she is asked to do is say a few lines and look pretty. She has asked for and worked hard for those opportunities.
But I think it is interesting that her own compositions are the ones that show her heart and soul. I feel like that means she is a creator rather than just a performer.
That is something I need to be aware of when I am helping her find outlets for this talent.
Currently she has a piano teacher who sees her as someone who can win competitions. The teacher chose only eight of her thirty students to compete in a local competition. Z is the youngest in this competition and she is competing against kids up to seventeen years old.
I don't think that Z has a real chance at winning. I think her teacher wants Z in this because she wants her to get used to competitions and to see if Z has the drive to do the amount of practice it takes to enter these things and win.
Z's teacher is great but I think what she wants for Z is a child who can perform at a high level and to do that it takes a lot of time which means Z's need to create is not being addressed.
It is my job to protect Z's creative spirit, the thing that makes her "shine."
Friday, November 24, 2006
Shine
I was thinking today about when Z really shines during a learning experience.
She shines the most when she discovers the answer to a question. The dawning comprehension brings light to her eyes, a toothy grin to her face and an ants in the pants dance of excitment to share her discovery.
she doesn't usually want to be told, she wants to figure things out for herself.
After she had figured something out she likes to play with the knowledge for awhile, literally or figuratively, turning it around and around, playing with it and poking at it and finding it's boundries and parameters.
Then she does not want the repetition often asked of her, to prove she knows it or to really cement the knowledge.
The above is very very true of Z and her learning experiences. How is it that I have never really thought about it as fact that needs to be worked with?
I have said that she is "all about novelty" but that wasn't exactly right and it actually diminished and belittled the truth of it.
It is not about the information being new and it is all about the excitement of discovery.
She shines the most when she discovers the answer to a question. The dawning comprehension brings light to her eyes, a toothy grin to her face and an ants in the pants dance of excitment to share her discovery.
she doesn't usually want to be told, she wants to figure things out for herself.
After she had figured something out she likes to play with the knowledge for awhile, literally or figuratively, turning it around and around, playing with it and poking at it and finding it's boundries and parameters.
Then she does not want the repetition often asked of her, to prove she knows it or to really cement the knowledge.
The above is very very true of Z and her learning experiences. How is it that I have never really thought about it as fact that needs to be worked with?
I have said that she is "all about novelty" but that wasn't exactly right and it actually diminished and belittled the truth of it.
It is not about the information being new and it is all about the excitement of discovery.
Our Unschooling Experiment begins today
I am reading the bool "Homeschooling our children, Unschooling ourselves." I am not even halfway through it yet but it did give the a good idea that I can use during our five week unschooling experiment. The idea is to write down what they are learning instead of worrying about what subject matter they might be missing.
So it is 9:30 in the morning of our first day of unschooling and this is what we have done:
Talked about squirrels, watched them from the window, identified them as omnivores, identified that nuts grow in trees, hypothesized what the squirrel was looking at.
Saw two beagles, hypothesized they might be twins and because of pink leashes they might be girls. Saw a wild Siamese cat.
Looked up squirrels in Wikipedia and learned that they are in the
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata (they have a tail)
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Family:
Sciuridae (squirrels, woodchucks, others)
Then we also looked up Beagles and Siamese cats on Wikipedia.
Z decided that the animals she is most like (or her totem animal) is a cat and the cat she is most like is a Siamese cat because they have blue eyes. She read this about them:
“Siamese are affectionate and intelligent cats, renowned for their social nature. They enjoy being with people and are sometimes described as "extroverts." They are extremely vocal, with a loud, low-pitched voice that has been compared to the cries of a human baby, and persistent in demanding attention. They usually get on well with other cats, though they tend to be somewhat dominant, but they also have a great need for human companionship. Often they bond strongly to a single person. These cats are typically active and playful, even as adults.”
She decided that sounds even more like her.
She decided we should keep a log of all the animals seen this morning and she learned about making a tally (four marks and crossing off with the fifth.)
Her log: (with numbers instead of tallied)
Squirrles 2 (one named Squrriel Nutkin)
Little Birds ? 4
Doves - 9
Beagles - 2
Cats - 2
Siamese cat - 1
Watched an episode of Charlie and Lola to practice her British accent for her voice over class.
So it is 9:30 in the morning of our first day of unschooling and this is what we have done:
Talked about squirrels, watched them from the window, identified them as omnivores, identified that nuts grow in trees, hypothesized what the squirrel was looking at.
Saw two beagles, hypothesized they might be twins and because of pink leashes they might be girls. Saw a wild Siamese cat.
Looked up squirrels in Wikipedia and learned that they are in the
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata (they have a tail)
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Family:
Sciuridae (squirrels, woodchucks, others)
Then we also looked up Beagles and Siamese cats on Wikipedia.
Z decided that the animals she is most like (or her totem animal) is a cat and the cat she is most like is a Siamese cat because they have blue eyes. She read this about them:
“Siamese are affectionate and intelligent cats, renowned for their social nature. They enjoy being with people and are sometimes described as "extroverts." They are extremely vocal, with a loud, low-pitched voice that has been compared to the cries of a human baby, and persistent in demanding attention. They usually get on well with other cats, though they tend to be somewhat dominant, but they also have a great need for human companionship. Often they bond strongly to a single person. These cats are typically active and playful, even as adults.”
She decided that sounds even more like her.
She decided we should keep a log of all the animals seen this morning and she learned about making a tally (four marks and crossing off with the fifth.)
Her log: (with numbers instead of tallied)
Squirrles 2 (one named Squrriel Nutkin)
Little Birds ? 4
Doves - 9
Beagles - 2
Cats - 2
Siamese cat - 1
Watched an episode of Charlie and Lola to practice her British accent for her voice over class.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Our Thanksgiving
Today we are having Thanksgiving with my in-laws in Los Angeles.
It is not quite the same as the Thanksgiving I grew up with but I am getting used to it.
In my mom's house we always had more people over than we room at the table for. It was really about the food, of which there were huge amounts. My grandpa's oyster dressing was always one of my favorites and I was lucky if my grandmother made her key lime pie.
If we said prayers my grandmother lead them. I always wished we would also do something more soulful, like all talk about what we were thankful for.
At my in-law's Thanksgiving often seems like it is just another reason to get together. There is no praying because it is not a Jewish holiday. But I am going to try to change that this year as it is a harvest festival and we should thank God.
Including me and Z there are only six of us in the family now. Pere had two olders sisters and they both passed away, one to cancer and one to some complications with her liver. They both had husbands but they are out of the picture now, I think they might be remarrried even.
If they were still with us there would be ten in the family, not six. Also Pere's grandfather passed away last spring. This is the first Thanksgiving without him.
Pere's family sometimes has old family friends over for Thankgiving. This year they are having Pere's godparents and their son over. So there will be nine of us all together.
This year Pere is making a goose to go along with a smaller turkey. He wanted to make a giblets gravy but he was worried that most people wouldn't eat it. I told him to go ahead and do it and that I would eat it. :)
The Menu us
Turkey with stuffing and gravy
Goose with stuffing and gravy
My green bean casserole
My yams with marshmallow topping (I got this recipe from my sil Kelly)
Bread
Salad
Pies
What I am Thankful for:
My husband, my daughter, my family, my health, Pere's job, homeschooling, being alive here and now, freedom, my friends, things that make me think, things that make me grow, laughter, being able to learn, plenty of books, music and food, the internet... well, lots and lots of things. :)
It is not quite the same as the Thanksgiving I grew up with but I am getting used to it.
In my mom's house we always had more people over than we room at the table for. It was really about the food, of which there were huge amounts. My grandpa's oyster dressing was always one of my favorites and I was lucky if my grandmother made her key lime pie.
If we said prayers my grandmother lead them. I always wished we would also do something more soulful, like all talk about what we were thankful for.
At my in-law's Thanksgiving often seems like it is just another reason to get together. There is no praying because it is not a Jewish holiday. But I am going to try to change that this year as it is a harvest festival and we should thank God.
Including me and Z there are only six of us in the family now. Pere had two olders sisters and they both passed away, one to cancer and one to some complications with her liver. They both had husbands but they are out of the picture now, I think they might be remarrried even.
If they were still with us there would be ten in the family, not six. Also Pere's grandfather passed away last spring. This is the first Thanksgiving without him.
Pere's family sometimes has old family friends over for Thankgiving. This year they are having Pere's godparents and their son over. So there will be nine of us all together.
This year Pere is making a goose to go along with a smaller turkey. He wanted to make a giblets gravy but he was worried that most people wouldn't eat it. I told him to go ahead and do it and that I would eat it. :)
The Menu us
Turkey with stuffing and gravy
Goose with stuffing and gravy
My green bean casserole
My yams with marshmallow topping (I got this recipe from my sil Kelly)
Bread
Salad
Pies
What I am Thankful for:
My husband, my daughter, my family, my health, Pere's job, homeschooling, being alive here and now, freedom, my friends, things that make me think, things that make me grow, laughter, being able to learn, plenty of books, music and food, the internet... well, lots and lots of things. :)
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
forty thousand sixty seven
Sorry I haven't been writing much about the Gifted Curriculum book. I am not reading it right now.
But I have written 40,067 words in my book that I am writing for National Novel Writing Months or NaNoWriMo.
When I first decided to do this I figured it was pretty crazy and I had no idea if I would be able to pull it off. But since November 1st (except for one day) I have been writing at least 2000 words a day. Now there are nine days left in this month and I have about five days of writing left to do.
At the end of this month I will have written my first novel. I can say that because, at this point, I really believe that it is going to happen.
This is a big deal for me. I wanted to be a writer since I was five or six but I have never finished anything this size. Fifty-thousand words is more of a novella than a novel but it is a hell of a lot to write in one month, especiallly when you have a full time "job" and a family.
I have always been a fast writer usually because what I write just flows out of me. This time I think I am writing near my fastest because I am not worried about finding the exact best word everytime. So I am writing 2000 words in an hour. I imagine I could write a really good book if I worked at it four to six hours a day.
So anyway, soon I will have a (very) rough draft finished of my sci-fi/fantasy novella 9 Lives.
But I have written 40,067 words in my book that I am writing for National Novel Writing Months or NaNoWriMo.
When I first decided to do this I figured it was pretty crazy and I had no idea if I would be able to pull it off. But since November 1st (except for one day) I have been writing at least 2000 words a day. Now there are nine days left in this month and I have about five days of writing left to do.
At the end of this month I will have written my first novel. I can say that because, at this point, I really believe that it is going to happen.
This is a big deal for me. I wanted to be a writer since I was five or six but I have never finished anything this size. Fifty-thousand words is more of a novella than a novel but it is a hell of a lot to write in one month, especiallly when you have a full time "job" and a family.
I have always been a fast writer usually because what I write just flows out of me. This time I think I am writing near my fastest because I am not worried about finding the exact best word everytime. So I am writing 2000 words in an hour. I imagine I could write a really good book if I worked at it four to six hours a day.
So anyway, soon I will have a (very) rough draft finished of my sci-fi/fantasy novella 9 Lives.
unschooling
So I guess we started unschooling a little early.
Today would have been our last day of my six week curriculum. But Z had science class early so we didn't get everything done. And I didn't really care about doing it.
Z usually has afternoons to herself. This afternoon she asked me to play a game with her so we played Cadoo, which is a really cool game!
When we finished she wandered into her room and then came out and ask "Mommy, can we do some math?"
I warily asked "What kind of math?"
'Like we did yesterday, geometry and measuring angles." she said.
So we played the next game in the geometry book that had you trying to draw angles certain with only a ruler.
I wonder if this is how unschooling is going to be. LOL
***********
Today I was talking to some homeschooling mom friends with gifted kids. I was talking with them about my unschooling experiment and some of them are going to try it over the holidays too. One mom said that it was normal for kids to just want to play but when they got to be eleven or twelve they would start asking for more formal work.
And I said "Z was asking me to teach her when she was really young."
Then I felt weird for saying that because I really wasn't trying to brag. I was just really caught off guard by the idea that kids didn't ask to be taught math or reading or science until they were eleven.
Is Z really that different?
I mean I kind of get it that it is unusual for a five year old to initiate measuring angles with a protractor but it doesn't seem totally unlikely to me.
The whole exchange left me really wondering if Z is unusual even amoung other gifted kids for being academically inclinded.
Today would have been our last day of my six week curriculum. But Z had science class early so we didn't get everything done. And I didn't really care about doing it.
Z usually has afternoons to herself. This afternoon she asked me to play a game with her so we played Cadoo, which is a really cool game!
When we finished she wandered into her room and then came out and ask "Mommy, can we do some math?"
I warily asked "What kind of math?"
'Like we did yesterday, geometry and measuring angles." she said.
So we played the next game in the geometry book that had you trying to draw angles certain with only a ruler.
I wonder if this is how unschooling is going to be. LOL
***********
Today I was talking to some homeschooling mom friends with gifted kids. I was talking with them about my unschooling experiment and some of them are going to try it over the holidays too. One mom said that it was normal for kids to just want to play but when they got to be eleven or twelve they would start asking for more formal work.
And I said "Z was asking me to teach her when she was really young."
Then I felt weird for saying that because I really wasn't trying to brag. I was just really caught off guard by the idea that kids didn't ask to be taught math or reading or science until they were eleven.
Is Z really that different?
I mean I kind of get it that it is unusual for a five year old to initiate measuring angles with a protractor but it doesn't seem totally unlikely to me.
The whole exchange left me really wondering if Z is unusual even amoung other gifted kids for being academically inclinded.
bits
My blogger has been down the last two days. That is why I haven't updated.
********
The other day Z was sitting at the dining table drawing and out of nowhere she said. "I've never met a person I didn't like."
Isn't that wonderful? I am very happy for her. :) Pere said she is like Will Rogers and actually he is a really good role model. . Last spring she read a biography of his written for children (one of the Value Tales) and she really liked it. She talked about him for days afterwards.
We happen to live by his estate and museum which is open to the public. I think we should go there soon on a field trip.
*********
Yesterday morning Z read a book about division during breakfast (we both usually read to ourselves then.) I can't really say anything about it since I was reading a book about geometry. She wanted to start on the division book now that she has finished her 2nd grade math workbook but I convinced to do the geometry. So that morning she learned what side, vertex, obtuse, acute and right angle are and how to measure angles by measuring things around the house with a protractor.
*********
Also yesterday I told her that after Thanksgiving we are going to homeschool. I said she can basically just do what she wants. I said if she wants she can play all day or we can do different educational type stuff and she interrupted with "educational stuff!" as if she thought she had to make a choice about it tonight. *heh*
Personally I am really looking forward to this new educational experiment. I have actively unschooled (as opposed to just being too busy to do our regular school stuff or taking "break days") for a long time. And five weeks is pretty long so I think we will really get an idea of how that would go.
*********
Today Z had her homeschooling science class that the kids teach themselves. Z played with all the kids in different ways, they hunted for fairies, they had a sword fight and they performed a concert. It was really cool.
One of the mom's has a gifted six year old and she was asking me about Davidson. I told her that I have found it to be completely worthwhile.
********
The other day Z was sitting at the dining table drawing and out of nowhere she said. "I've never met a person I didn't like."
Isn't that wonderful? I am very happy for her. :) Pere said she is like Will Rogers and actually he is a really good role model. . Last spring she read a biography of his written for children (one of the Value Tales) and she really liked it. She talked about him for days afterwards.
We happen to live by his estate and museum which is open to the public. I think we should go there soon on a field trip.
*********
Yesterday morning Z read a book about division during breakfast (we both usually read to ourselves then.) I can't really say anything about it since I was reading a book about geometry. She wanted to start on the division book now that she has finished her 2nd grade math workbook but I convinced to do the geometry. So that morning she learned what side, vertex, obtuse, acute and right angle are and how to measure angles by measuring things around the house with a protractor.
*********
Also yesterday I told her that after Thanksgiving we are going to homeschool. I said she can basically just do what she wants. I said if she wants she can play all day or we can do different educational type stuff and she interrupted with "educational stuff!" as if she thought she had to make a choice about it tonight. *heh*
Personally I am really looking forward to this new educational experiment. I have actively unschooled (as opposed to just being too busy to do our regular school stuff or taking "break days") for a long time. And five weeks is pretty long so I think we will really get an idea of how that would go.
*********
Today Z had her homeschooling science class that the kids teach themselves. Z played with all the kids in different ways, they hunted for fairies, they had a sword fight and they performed a concert. It was really cool.
One of the mom's has a gifted six year old and she was asking me about Davidson. I told her that I have found it to be completely worthwhile.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Early Reading Meme
I have been visiting some new blogs recently and I found this meme on Mommy Brain
1. How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?
The story goes that I was reading at three but I don't really remember it. My mother taught me. I do remember her reading to me in my bunkbed at night.
2. Did you own any books as a child?
I am sure I did. But when I was really little I mainly went to the library. My mom (or the library) had a rule that I could only check out as many books as I was years old. This was when I was reading chapter books. I think we went to the library once a week.
When I was older I had quite a collection of fantasy and horror novels.
3. What’s the first book that you bought with your own money?
I really don't remember
4. Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, which book did you re-read most often?
The Great Brain books by John Fitzgerald. When I was a little older the Xanth books by Piers Anthony.
5. What’s the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?
When I was ten I read Pet Cemetary by Stephen King. That same year I went on to read Christine, Carrie, Firestarter, The Bachman Books, Skeleton Crewe, Cujo, and more. I didn't read The Stand till I was older.
6. Are there children’s books that you passed by as a child that you have learned to love as an adult? Which ones?
Lots! I never read the classics. First I read a lot of stuff like Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly and then I went right into fantasy, sci-fi and horror.
With Z I am reading the unabriged originals of the best children's classics and now I see why they are classic. Peter Pan is one of my favorite books ever.
1. How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?
The story goes that I was reading at three but I don't really remember it. My mother taught me. I do remember her reading to me in my bunkbed at night.
2. Did you own any books as a child?
I am sure I did. But when I was really little I mainly went to the library. My mom (or the library) had a rule that I could only check out as many books as I was years old. This was when I was reading chapter books. I think we went to the library once a week.
When I was older I had quite a collection of fantasy and horror novels.
3. What’s the first book that you bought with your own money?
I really don't remember
4. Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, which book did you re-read most often?
The Great Brain books by John Fitzgerald. When I was a little older the Xanth books by Piers Anthony.
5. What’s the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?
When I was ten I read Pet Cemetary by Stephen King. That same year I went on to read Christine, Carrie, Firestarter, The Bachman Books, Skeleton Crewe, Cujo, and more. I didn't read The Stand till I was older.
6. Are there children’s books that you passed by as a child that you have learned to love as an adult? Which ones?
Lots! I never read the classics. First I read a lot of stuff like Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly and then I went right into fantasy, sci-fi and horror.
With Z I am reading the unabriged originals of the best children's classics and now I see why they are classic. Peter Pan is one of my favorite books ever.
Friday, November 17, 2006
us time, friends, zoo w/ video and pics
Tonight Z is staying with her grandma. Pere and I are staying in and watching the Lakers game and sharing some glasses of wine. We plan to stay up late and sleep in. Then tomorrow Pere and I are going to see Marie Antoinette before we go get Z.
Today I got a call from the mother of the friend that Z made this summer at the gifted kids summer camp. She wants our girls to get together.
I am really thankful fthat we have found so many gifted boys and girls in our area. We have been very lucky and I don't have to despair that Z will find kids to connect with.
We are also really lucky to have three girls just Z's age in our apartment complex, including one right next door and a large homeschooling group with a huge number of good kids for Z to play with. I am very happy with our social situation here.
In other news the leader of our homeschooling group who has previously been rude and mean to me has started being nice since Halloween. I am totally fine with that and I am more than happy to pretend like nothing happened. I never had anything against her other than her attitude towards me and I really like her kids.
I took Z to the Zoo today. Two really cool things happened. First the Gibbons and the Siamang were yelling and howling and screetching for a long time. I got video of it, be sure to turn up the volume on your computer when you view it, and wait till the end and hear the crazy sounds the gibbons could make. Apes on Youtube,
And we saw a chimpanzee get into a fight with some others and yell and run around and be very billigerent and slap the doors and the windows with his feet! It was so exciting!
Today I got a call from the mother of the friend that Z made this summer at the gifted kids summer camp. She wants our girls to get together.
I am really thankful fthat we have found so many gifted boys and girls in our area. We have been very lucky and I don't have to despair that Z will find kids to connect with.
We are also really lucky to have three girls just Z's age in our apartment complex, including one right next door and a large homeschooling group with a huge number of good kids for Z to play with. I am very happy with our social situation here.
In other news the leader of our homeschooling group who has previously been rude and mean to me has started being nice since Halloween. I am totally fine with that and I am more than happy to pretend like nothing happened. I never had anything against her other than her attitude towards me and I really like her kids.
I took Z to the Zoo today. Two really cool things happened. First the Gibbons and the Siamang were yelling and howling and screetching for a long time. I got video of it, be sure to turn up the volume on your computer when you view it, and wait till the end and hear the crazy sounds the gibbons could make. Apes on Youtube,
And we saw a chimpanzee get into a fight with some others and yell and run around and be very billigerent and slap the doors and the windows with his feet! It was so exciting!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Fun with web and ink
Most of you have probably already heard about Google Earth. But if you haven't already downloaded it and played with it I really recommend that you do.
http://earth.google.com/
Today I used it in a lesson about Vikings so Z could see the harsh climate of Norway, Iceland and Greenland.
Yesterday I showed her the apartments her Pere and I lived in when we first started dating.
Pere showed her the school he went to as a child.
They also looked up some big earthquakes in California and off the coast of Japan and compared their magnitude.
We found the apartment we stayed at in Paris. She looked around in Egypt.
And we flew around downtown Tokyo in 3-D.
I give Google Earth two thumbs up!
Speaking of thumbs, one of mine is bright blue.
Today Z and I got some ink and did our fingerprints and then Z studied them with a magnifying glass and wrote down if they had an arch, loop, or whorl pattern. Then she dusted the my water glass and found my prints and we talked about how police and detective use that information.
Also Z finished her second grade math book today. She asked if she could start the 3rd grade book today too but I asked her to wait.
I got a lot of cool math activity books from the library in this series Measurement Mania - this one says "Once you’ve mastered the basic forms of measurement––length, volume, weight, temperature, and time––you’ll learn how to measure the length of an ant in millimeters, the height of a telephone pole in feet, the volume of a bathtub in ounces, the weight of one spaghetti noodle in grams, and the temperature inside a refrigerator in Celsius.You’ll discover how to tell time with a candle, create optical illusions, and measure the tallest tree in your neighborhood without climbing an inch!"
I also got some fun eco friendly science books with activities - I am really excited about Animals Alive! and The Private Eye.
http://earth.google.com/
Today I used it in a lesson about Vikings so Z could see the harsh climate of Norway, Iceland and Greenland.
Yesterday I showed her the apartments her Pere and I lived in when we first started dating.
Pere showed her the school he went to as a child.
They also looked up some big earthquakes in California and off the coast of Japan and compared their magnitude.
We found the apartment we stayed at in Paris. She looked around in Egypt.
And we flew around downtown Tokyo in 3-D.
I give Google Earth two thumbs up!
Speaking of thumbs, one of mine is bright blue.
Today Z and I got some ink and did our fingerprints and then Z studied them with a magnifying glass and wrote down if they had an arch, loop, or whorl pattern. Then she dusted the my water glass and found my prints and we talked about how police and detective use that information.
Also Z finished her second grade math book today. She asked if she could start the 3rd grade book today too but I asked her to wait.
I got a lot of cool math activity books from the library in this series Measurement Mania - this one says "Once you’ve mastered the basic forms of measurement––length, volume, weight, temperature, and time––you’ll learn how to measure the length of an ant in millimeters, the height of a telephone pole in feet, the volume of a bathtub in ounces, the weight of one spaghetti noodle in grams, and the temperature inside a refrigerator in Celsius.You’ll discover how to tell time with a candle, create optical illusions, and measure the tallest tree in your neighborhood without climbing an inch!"
I also got some fun eco friendly science books with activities - I am really excited about Animals Alive! and The Private Eye.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
confronting a friend
Z has some problems with a girlfriend, A. They have been friends for over a year now and see each other every week at our homeschool group's park day.
Well since this school year started Z had been pulling away and hanging out with other kids.
A's mom came to me and said that Z told A not to sit next to her in class and when A sat next to her anyway Z got up and moved to sit next to the teacher.
When I asked Z about this she said that she didn't know why. But later she told me why.
She said A never lets her have a say in the games, she says no to all Z's ideas and input.
A has made a new friend she had plays favorites and will hold hands with the girl and not with Z. Then they walk ahead of her and when Z tries to catch up with them they walk faster. (That makes me really sad)
Today when Z was telling me about it she started crying and said that she was afraid that if she didn't do what A wanted that A wouldn't be her friend anymore.
I told her that real friends care about each other and don't try to hurt each other. Then Z told me that before now she was too little to handle A but now she is old enough that she knows what to do. (awww)
Anyway look at that last sentence again. You know that is the situation we put our kids in all the time. I mean I had been explaining to Z what she should do about A for a long time and she stood up for herself her and there. But she was still felt like she was "too little" to handle it. Now all of the sudden, without my urging, she is handling it herself. But I know this is just the beginning of these "girl issues".
I asked her to just keep coming to me with her problems because this is how girl relationships can be and that I had the same problems so I can help her navigate through all this.
Well since this school year started Z had been pulling away and hanging out with other kids.
A's mom came to me and said that Z told A not to sit next to her in class and when A sat next to her anyway Z got up and moved to sit next to the teacher.
When I asked Z about this she said that she didn't know why. But later she told me why.
She said A never lets her have a say in the games, she says no to all Z's ideas and input.
A has made a new friend she had plays favorites and will hold hands with the girl and not with Z. Then they walk ahead of her and when Z tries to catch up with them they walk faster. (That makes me really sad)
Today when Z was telling me about it she started crying and said that she was afraid that if she didn't do what A wanted that A wouldn't be her friend anymore.
I told her that real friends care about each other and don't try to hurt each other. Then Z told me that before now she was too little to handle A but now she is old enough that she knows what to do. (awww)
Anyway look at that last sentence again. You know that is the situation we put our kids in all the time. I mean I had been explaining to Z what she should do about A for a long time and she stood up for herself her and there. But she was still felt like she was "too little" to handle it. Now all of the sudden, without my urging, she is handling it herself. But I know this is just the beginning of these "girl issues".
I asked her to just keep coming to me with her problems because this is how girl relationships can be and that I had the same problems so I can help her navigate through all this.
busy for the rest of the year
Z has a lot going on in the coming weeks
She already has piano, Shakespeare, gymnastics, and Japanese.
Last Sunday she started a four week Voice Over class. She has a new homeschool science class on Tuesdays and after
Thanksgiving she'll be starting am eight week Astronaut Training class. Besides all that she is also getting ready for a piano competition and, of course, doing about two auditions a week.
Good thing I decided we would be mostly unschooling over the holidays. So her schedule will look like this*
Monday - Piano
Tuesday - Homeschool science
Wednesday - Shakespeare and Gymnastics
Thursday - Japanese
Friday - Astronaut Training
Sunday - Voice Over
*plus extra piano practice and auditions
I hope it doesn't get to be too much for her. Knowing Z it won't unless she gets a big audition just before her piano competition. The voice over and astronaut classes will be over before the new year and we will get back to normal.
She already has piano, Shakespeare, gymnastics, and Japanese.
Last Sunday she started a four week Voice Over class. She has a new homeschool science class on Tuesdays and after
Thanksgiving she'll be starting am eight week Astronaut Training class. Besides all that she is also getting ready for a piano competition and, of course, doing about two auditions a week.
Good thing I decided we would be mostly unschooling over the holidays. So her schedule will look like this*
Monday - Piano
Tuesday - Homeschool science
Wednesday - Shakespeare and Gymnastics
Thursday - Japanese
Friday - Astronaut Training
Sunday - Voice Over
*plus extra piano practice and auditions
I hope it doesn't get to be too much for her. Knowing Z it won't unless she gets a big audition just before her piano competition. The voice over and astronaut classes will be over before the new year and we will get back to normal.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
busy girls
sorry I don't have that much time to write tonight
but I wanted to report that I have hit the half way mark on my 50,000 word book. I finished tonight's writing with 26, 035.
Also I had a teeth cleaning this morning. I hate to admit this to the general public but I had not had my teeth cleaned in seven years. I have a fear of the dentist.
last time I went I had a deep cleaning and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. So I never went back.
Well, until this morning. I need to be a good rolemodel to Z for dental hygiene so I dutifully made us appointments and went to face the music this morning.
There wasn't music so much as this terrible whirring sound, like a tiny little sander and there was some gasping in pain and whimpering. There was also blood and water spraying up into my face, and blood on the gloves and blood on the hook.
I am feeling dizzy just talking about it.
So today my mouth hurts an awful lot. but my teeth are looking really good. I feel like smiling to show off their sparkling cleanliness but it hurts too much.
In other bad news I have two "tiny" cavities. So I have to go back soon and get them worked on. I am thinking I might need a sedative.
but Z was a trooper and they gave her a new toothbrush and not a junky one like I used to get but a Cinderella toothbrush with a fancy handle. And she got to pick out a toy and guess what it was? A My Little Pony! LOL
Then we went to a science class. This class has five kids, three are gifted. The kids are supposed to take turns teaching the class (with some parental help). Today they made terrariums. Next week is volcanos.
Z wants to either teach about cells or blood. LOL.
Tomorrow is park day. After Shakespeare Z is going to have to miss Girl's Club for an audition. Her agent called me tonight for an audition tomorrow evening but that is when she has gymnastics. The only time I could reschedule it was during Girl's Club. Oh well.
She also read the entire Aesop's Fables today This version. it was not a homeschool assignment, just a book she pulled off the shelf.
And she drew a picture for her science club of a body with cells and blood vessels.
Nighty Night
but I wanted to report that I have hit the half way mark on my 50,000 word book. I finished tonight's writing with 26, 035.
Also I had a teeth cleaning this morning. I hate to admit this to the general public but I had not had my teeth cleaned in seven years. I have a fear of the dentist.
last time I went I had a deep cleaning and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. So I never went back.
Well, until this morning. I need to be a good rolemodel to Z for dental hygiene so I dutifully made us appointments and went to face the music this morning.
There wasn't music so much as this terrible whirring sound, like a tiny little sander and there was some gasping in pain and whimpering. There was also blood and water spraying up into my face, and blood on the gloves and blood on the hook.
I am feeling dizzy just talking about it.
So today my mouth hurts an awful lot. but my teeth are looking really good. I feel like smiling to show off their sparkling cleanliness but it hurts too much.
In other bad news I have two "tiny" cavities. So I have to go back soon and get them worked on. I am thinking I might need a sedative.
but Z was a trooper and they gave her a new toothbrush and not a junky one like I used to get but a Cinderella toothbrush with a fancy handle. And she got to pick out a toy and guess what it was? A My Little Pony! LOL
Then we went to a science class. This class has five kids, three are gifted. The kids are supposed to take turns teaching the class (with some parental help). Today they made terrariums. Next week is volcanos.
Z wants to either teach about cells or blood. LOL.
Tomorrow is park day. After Shakespeare Z is going to have to miss Girl's Club for an audition. Her agent called me tonight for an audition tomorrow evening but that is when she has gymnastics. The only time I could reschedule it was during Girl's Club. Oh well.
She also read the entire Aesop's Fables today This version. it was not a homeschool assignment, just a book she pulled off the shelf.
And she drew a picture for her science club of a body with cells and blood vessels.
Nighty Night
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Talent
or How I have tried to Develop and Protect Z's talents -
It is hard to know what to do for a child with talents beyond her age. I have had to make different decisions for her different talents, based on the nature of her talent and the availablity of resources to develop her talent.
Poetry and Oral Expression - Z used to be called Poetry on the gifted boards I frequented because she had a passion for poetry and, it seemed, a talent in expressing herself that way. To develop that talent I have continued to expose Z to many different styles of poetry and verse. From Robert Louis Stevenson and A.A. Milne to The Raven by Poe to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Z regularly reads poetry on her own but these days she is more likely to sing than recite a poem.
Singing - This is a talent that I try to protect more than develop. I have been told she has a great voice for her age. Twice Z had voice teachers and twice I felt like it wasn't a good fit. Both times I felt I would rather her not have any lessons than the wrong type of lessons. The main thing I do in regards to her passion for singing is to give her free time during the day. It is when she has that time that she makes up her long musical style songs and expresses herself. Usually she will sing for about an hour each day. But when we have had a busy week, like last week, I notice that I didn't hear her voice as much and it worries me. So my commitment is to give her free time to be creative.
Languages - Z also had a passion for languages. I remember that before she turned two she was counting to ten and saying common words like Hello, Good-bye, Goodnight, Yes, No, etc in five languages and she was asking to add Russian to it. :) These days we are focusing on Japanese. But she still brings out her Hebrew, French, and Spanish dictionaries and reads them to herself. I am trying to develop this talent by giving her private lessons in Japanese once a week. We have a super wonderful teacher who has custom created an entire curriculum for Z and who is very flexible, which you have to be to keep up with Z. She makes the classes very fun and Z is learning a lot and enjoying it.
Acting - at this point it seems like Z is doing a lot of acting related stuff. Last week I read a good article from a former child actor that gave me a good warning. It said that you can't want it more than they do. That sentence is my guide in all this. I am letting Z's interest in this be my lead. As long as Z is having fun (and it isn't taking too much time out of our life and it isn't having a negative effect on her outlook) then we will keep doing it. We are fortunate to live in Los Angeles so she can try this. Also thre are many local opportunities for children to act, like Shakespeare and musical theatre classes.
Piano - I don't think that Z has a talent for piano. I think she would be as good as she is at piano as any instrument she tried. I do think she is musically talented though and and because she is so strong in singing and making up songs piano seems like a good instrument for her to learn to support and develop herself as a musician
Not really a talent but-
Learning - Z needs mental stimulation like an introvert needs quiet time. She requires it for her happiness and mental health. There is so much that goes into providing Z with her personal learning experience. It requires being very flexible and responsive to her needs. I have to be really tuned in to her. As her mother I feel like we have such a strong connection that I am usually able to pick out just what she needs at the moment or tweak things so that she reponds more positively to them. But I have found that I also enjoy the challenge of playing catch up with her. :) Though I am looking forward to her getting older and taking over more of her own education. That should be interesting.
It is hard to know what to do for a child with talents beyond her age. I have had to make different decisions for her different talents, based on the nature of her talent and the availablity of resources to develop her talent.
Poetry and Oral Expression - Z used to be called Poetry on the gifted boards I frequented because she had a passion for poetry and, it seemed, a talent in expressing herself that way. To develop that talent I have continued to expose Z to many different styles of poetry and verse. From Robert Louis Stevenson and A.A. Milne to The Raven by Poe to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Z regularly reads poetry on her own but these days she is more likely to sing than recite a poem.
Singing - This is a talent that I try to protect more than develop. I have been told she has a great voice for her age. Twice Z had voice teachers and twice I felt like it wasn't a good fit. Both times I felt I would rather her not have any lessons than the wrong type of lessons. The main thing I do in regards to her passion for singing is to give her free time during the day. It is when she has that time that she makes up her long musical style songs and expresses herself. Usually she will sing for about an hour each day. But when we have had a busy week, like last week, I notice that I didn't hear her voice as much and it worries me. So my commitment is to give her free time to be creative.
Languages - Z also had a passion for languages. I remember that before she turned two she was counting to ten and saying common words like Hello, Good-bye, Goodnight, Yes, No, etc in five languages and she was asking to add Russian to it. :) These days we are focusing on Japanese. But she still brings out her Hebrew, French, and Spanish dictionaries and reads them to herself. I am trying to develop this talent by giving her private lessons in Japanese once a week. We have a super wonderful teacher who has custom created an entire curriculum for Z and who is very flexible, which you have to be to keep up with Z. She makes the classes very fun and Z is learning a lot and enjoying it.
Acting - at this point it seems like Z is doing a lot of acting related stuff. Last week I read a good article from a former child actor that gave me a good warning. It said that you can't want it more than they do. That sentence is my guide in all this. I am letting Z's interest in this be my lead. As long as Z is having fun (and it isn't taking too much time out of our life and it isn't having a negative effect on her outlook) then we will keep doing it. We are fortunate to live in Los Angeles so she can try this. Also thre are many local opportunities for children to act, like Shakespeare and musical theatre classes.
Piano - I don't think that Z has a talent for piano. I think she would be as good as she is at piano as any instrument she tried. I do think she is musically talented though and and because she is so strong in singing and making up songs piano seems like a good instrument for her to learn to support and develop herself as a musician
Not really a talent but-
Learning - Z needs mental stimulation like an introvert needs quiet time. She requires it for her happiness and mental health. There is so much that goes into providing Z with her personal learning experience. It requires being very flexible and responsive to her needs. I have to be really tuned in to her. As her mother I feel like we have such a strong connection that I am usually able to pick out just what she needs at the moment or tweak things so that she reponds more positively to them. But I have found that I also enjoy the challenge of playing catch up with her. :) Though I am looking forward to her getting older and taking over more of her own education. That should be interesting.
Mean, Medium, and Mode
Yesterday in the car Z asked what an average was. Earilier she had read a question in a 4th grade BrainQuest card asking the average of four two digit numbers.
We explained it to her and then she worked out the average of four single digit numbers in her head. After that we gave her a couple examples of why we would want to find the average of things.
Then, since we were stuck in traffic, we went on to explain Median and Mode.
This morning she worked out the mean, median, and mode of the ages of her friends.
The mean age of her friends is 12.86
The median age of her friends is 6
The mode of her friends is 5
She wanted to do more so she is working out the mean, median and mode of the pages in the books she is reading. :)
update:
The mean page count of books Z is reading 292
The median page count is 186
So why do they wait until 4th grade to introduce these ideas? I remember wondering that when she was three and was really into doing Venn diagrams.
We explained it to her and then she worked out the average of four single digit numbers in her head. After that we gave her a couple examples of why we would want to find the average of things.
Then, since we were stuck in traffic, we went on to explain Median and Mode.
This morning she worked out the mean, median, and mode of the ages of her friends.
The mean age of her friends is 12.86
The median age of her friends is 6
The mode of her friends is 5
She wanted to do more so she is working out the mean, median and mode of the pages in the books she is reading. :)
update:
The mean page count of books Z is reading 292
The median page count is 186
So why do they wait until 4th grade to introduce these ideas? I remember wondering that when she was three and was really into doing Venn diagrams.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Sick girl and temper
Poor Z was sick today with a tummy ache.
But last time Jose Luis Orozco was in town, two years ago, I was sick and she didn't get to see him. Z had been listening to Jose Luis Orozco since she was two and our librarian introduced her to Spanish. When I was teaching Z Spanish back then we used to listen to him all the time.
We loved him and his concert today was great and Z and I were both glad we went.
This was her sitting and drawing while we were in line.
Z with some of her friends we met at the concert. You can tell she is sick.
They found a leaf with the underside covered with aphids.
After the concert Z had another audition. She was feeling better there and played hang-man with some of the other girls.
But I think her sickness really threw her off.
We got home late this afternoon. We met up with one of our neighbors who is pregnant and who needed help carrying some big items up to her apartment. She has a young homeschooled daughter that Z sometimes plays with. After we dropped off the items at her house Z asked if she could stay and play.
I said "No." and she immediately got this obstinate look on her face.
"Why not?!" she demanded.
I answered her under my breath, very evenly. "I don't have to tell you why not. But it is time to go."
"Well, I want to know why." She said and I could see her digging in her metaphorical heels.
I gave her my "don't even go there" face.
She started to run off. I called after her and she said, almost in tears "I have to say Good-bye!"
I went after her and waited while she said good-bye to her friend.
But, of course, she really wasn't willing to go, even after she said good-bye. She started crying again about me rushing her and and wouldn't come.
I ended up having to carrying her home and when we got there she shouted at me.
To tell the truth I was a little impressed that she yelled at me. I want to have the kind of relationship with Z where she feels like that is a possibility.
While this was going on there was a knock on the door and our neighbor and her daughter came by to see if Z could come over and play. I told her that Z was definitely not coming over.
Afterwards Z cuddled up with me and we made up.
But last time Jose Luis Orozco was in town, two years ago, I was sick and she didn't get to see him. Z had been listening to Jose Luis Orozco since she was two and our librarian introduced her to Spanish. When I was teaching Z Spanish back then we used to listen to him all the time.
We loved him and his concert today was great and Z and I were both glad we went.
This was her sitting and drawing while we were in line.
Z with some of her friends we met at the concert. You can tell she is sick.
They found a leaf with the underside covered with aphids.
After the concert Z had another audition. She was feeling better there and played hang-man with some of the other girls.
But I think her sickness really threw her off.
We got home late this afternoon. We met up with one of our neighbors who is pregnant and who needed help carrying some big items up to her apartment. She has a young homeschooled daughter that Z sometimes plays with. After we dropped off the items at her house Z asked if she could stay and play.
I said "No." and she immediately got this obstinate look on her face.
"Why not?!" she demanded.
I answered her under my breath, very evenly. "I don't have to tell you why not. But it is time to go."
"Well, I want to know why." She said and I could see her digging in her metaphorical heels.
I gave her my "don't even go there" face.
She started to run off. I called after her and she said, almost in tears "I have to say Good-bye!"
I went after her and waited while she said good-bye to her friend.
But, of course, she really wasn't willing to go, even after she said good-bye. She started crying again about me rushing her and and wouldn't come.
I ended up having to carrying her home and when we got there she shouted at me.
To tell the truth I was a little impressed that she yelled at me. I want to have the kind of relationship with Z where she feels like that is a possibility.
While this was going on there was a knock on the door and our neighbor and her daughter came by to see if Z could come over and play. I told her that Z was definitely not coming over.
Afterwards Z cuddled up with me and we made up.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
When it rains it pours and Smart Talk
Since Z started doing the professional acting thing in August she has had two auditions a week pretty regularly. So I was surprised when she didn't get any calls last week.
But this week more than made up for it. She has four this week, including one callback and another one already set up for Monday.
I asked Z today "What if you had an audition everyday? Would that be too much?" and she said "No way! I love auditioning!"
Okay...
It would kind of be a pain for me though. I had to cancel two play dates this week and bow out of a fieldtrip where I was supposed to give someone a ride and my credit card was holding the reservations. :( But they were able to put the reservations in their own name.)
************
Today we got our free copies was the new Robert Schultz and Jim Delisle book, Smart Talk - What Kids Say About Growing Up Gifted.
If any of you pick up this book you will find Z's story on page 92 and 93. They have this really funny black and white graphic of a littel girl with pig-tails singing on her story. :)
It is about children with passions and, Z was interviewed for this when she was 4. In it she talks wanting to explore her talent for acting and musical theatre. I feel pretty good with how we have found better opportunities for her in the last year and a half.
But this week more than made up for it. She has four this week, including one callback and another one already set up for Monday.
I asked Z today "What if you had an audition everyday? Would that be too much?" and she said "No way! I love auditioning!"
Okay...
It would kind of be a pain for me though. I had to cancel two play dates this week and bow out of a fieldtrip where I was supposed to give someone a ride and my credit card was holding the reservations. :( But they were able to put the reservations in their own name.)
************
Today we got our free copies was the new Robert Schultz and Jim Delisle book, Smart Talk - What Kids Say About Growing Up Gifted.
If any of you pick up this book you will find Z's story on page 92 and 93. They have this really funny black and white graphic of a littel girl with pig-tails singing on her story. :)
It is about children with passions and, Z was interviewed for this when she was 4. In it she talks wanting to explore her talent for acting and musical theatre. I feel pretty good with how we have found better opportunities for her in the last year and a half.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
acting, Durga, Red Riding Hood, and more
Tonight when I put Z to bed she said she would rather go over her script than have me read her a bedtime story. So I played the parents and she did her lines for a movie she is auditioning for this week.
She is in there now still reading it - this is probably her four or fifth time going through it.
You know, I can't really remember much about being five but I don't know if I would have cared as much about this kind of stuff as Z does. It is hard for me to imagine what is going on in her mind. Can a five year old really want to be an actor? I don't know.
*************
Today I had Z draw a picture of herself as the Hindu Goddess Durga. I told her to give herself many arms and have each arm hold something special to her.
Then I went and took a shower (grin)
When I got out she was done. I thought she would put things in her hands that represented her interests, like music and reading. After that I was going to ask her to make up what she would be the goddess of based on what she was holding in her hands.
But this is what put in her hands "my mommy", "my daddy", "my grandparents", "my friends", "M and A (two close friends), and "my life".
So what she the goddess of? :)
****************
yesterday for her journal I asked her "How would the story be different if you were Red Riding Hood?"
she wrote "I wolud not stray off the path and I wolud not lisen to the wolf. I wolud go to the grandmother's house early so that i migt not meet any wolves because wolves come out at nigt. And if I met any wolves I woldent just stand there talking to it. I wolud run away and screm!"
hee hee
***********
Today's writing assignment was to write what she wants to be when she grows up:
"A mom, a doctor, a actress, a writer, a dancer, a astronot, a teacher, and a basket ball player."
She is in there now still reading it - this is probably her four or fifth time going through it.
You know, I can't really remember much about being five but I don't know if I would have cared as much about this kind of stuff as Z does. It is hard for me to imagine what is going on in her mind. Can a five year old really want to be an actor? I don't know.
*************
Today I had Z draw a picture of herself as the Hindu Goddess Durga. I told her to give herself many arms and have each arm hold something special to her.
Then I went and took a shower (grin)
When I got out she was done. I thought she would put things in her hands that represented her interests, like music and reading. After that I was going to ask her to make up what she would be the goddess of based on what she was holding in her hands.
But this is what put in her hands "my mommy", "my daddy", "my grandparents", "my friends", "M and A (two close friends), and "my life".
So what she the goddess of? :)
****************
yesterday for her journal I asked her "How would the story be different if you were Red Riding Hood?"
she wrote "I wolud not stray off the path and I wolud not lisen to the wolf. I wolud go to the grandmother's house early so that i migt not meet any wolves because wolves come out at nigt. And if I met any wolves I woldent just stand there talking to it. I wolud run away and screm!"
hee hee
***********
Today's writing assignment was to write what she wants to be when she grows up:
"A mom, a doctor, a actress, a writer, a dancer, a astronot, a teacher, and a basket ball player."
Monday, November 06, 2006
Checklist of Curriculum principles for use in developing gifted/talented programs
I think this has some good food for thought, whatever form your homeschooling takes
1. Continuity - A well-defined set of learning activities that reinforce the specified curriculum objective.
2. Appropriateness for gifted learners - Definition of the curriculum based on assessment of abilities, interests, needs and learning styles of all gifted students.
3. Diversity - Provisions for alternative means to attain determined ends within a specified curricular framework. Yeah! I think this one is very important. There is definitely not enough of that going around.
4. Integration - Integrative use of all abilities that include cognition, emotion, and intuition to the curriculum.
5. Openness - Elimination of preset expectations that limit the learning within the curricular framework. also a very good one for schools to include. I probably have fewer "preset expectations" than many, just because I live with a surprising and creative kid, but when I think about it there are some areas where I could have more "openess."
6. Independence - Provisions for some type(s) of self-directed learning.
7. Substantive learning - Inclusion of significant subject matter, skills, products, and awareness that are of consequence or importance to the learner and the discipline.
"that are of consequence or importance to the learner" How do you like that one Sarah? *grin*
8. Complexity - Provision for exposure to systems of knowledge, underlying principles, and concepts, and key theories about what the students study.
9. Interdisciplinary learning - Provisions made for transfer of learning to other domains of knowledge, new situations, etc.
10. Decision making - Provisions for students to make some appropriate/relevant decisions regarding what is to be learned and how it can be learned.
Yes, allowing the kid to make relevant decisions is a good one. I do that in piano and in some other areas. A lot of times I feel like Hey She is Only Five, but I do want her let her make more and more decisions as she grows. And letting her make the right decisions will help her grow wiser and with confidence.
11. Consistent with good teaching/learning methodologies - Inclusion of varied teaching practices that allow for motivation, practice, transfer of training, and feedback.
12. Creation/recreation - Provisions to apply the creative process to improve, modify, etc one's creations; to challenged prevailing thought and offer more appropriate solutions.
13. Interaction with peers and a variety of significant others - Provisions to learn about and meet with individuals who share same and different gifts/values.
14. Value system - Inclusion of consistent opportunities to develop and examine personal and societal values and to establish a personal value system.
15. Communication Skills - Development of verbal and nonverbal systems and skills to dialogue, share and exchange ideas.
16. Timing - Apportionment of time span for learning activities that is consistent with the characteristics of gifted learners for shorter/longer allotments.
17. Multiple resources - Provision for the utilization of a variety of material and human resources in the learning process. YOu mean we shouldn't get all our information from books?! *wink*
18. Accelerated/advanced pacing of content - Provision of quickness and aptness of gifted students to master new material.
19. Economy - Compressed and streamlined organization of teaching material to match learning capacity of gifted students.
20. Challenge - Provision for a sophisticated level of learning experiences that requires learners to stretch for understanding.
1. Continuity - A well-defined set of learning activities that reinforce the specified curriculum objective.
2. Appropriateness for gifted learners - Definition of the curriculum based on assessment of abilities, interests, needs and learning styles of all gifted students.
3. Diversity - Provisions for alternative means to attain determined ends within a specified curricular framework. Yeah! I think this one is very important. There is definitely not enough of that going around.
4. Integration - Integrative use of all abilities that include cognition, emotion, and intuition to the curriculum.
5. Openness - Elimination of preset expectations that limit the learning within the curricular framework. also a very good one for schools to include. I probably have fewer "preset expectations" than many, just because I live with a surprising and creative kid, but when I think about it there are some areas where I could have more "openess."
6. Independence - Provisions for some type(s) of self-directed learning.
7. Substantive learning - Inclusion of significant subject matter, skills, products, and awareness that are of consequence or importance to the learner and the discipline.
"that are of consequence or importance to the learner" How do you like that one Sarah? *grin*
8. Complexity - Provision for exposure to systems of knowledge, underlying principles, and concepts, and key theories about what the students study.
9. Interdisciplinary learning - Provisions made for transfer of learning to other domains of knowledge, new situations, etc.
10. Decision making - Provisions for students to make some appropriate/relevant decisions regarding what is to be learned and how it can be learned.
Yes, allowing the kid to make relevant decisions is a good one. I do that in piano and in some other areas. A lot of times I feel like Hey She is Only Five, but I do want her let her make more and more decisions as she grows. And letting her make the right decisions will help her grow wiser and with confidence.
11. Consistent with good teaching/learning methodologies - Inclusion of varied teaching practices that allow for motivation, practice, transfer of training, and feedback.
12. Creation/recreation - Provisions to apply the creative process to improve, modify, etc one's creations; to challenged prevailing thought and offer more appropriate solutions.
13. Interaction with peers and a variety of significant others - Provisions to learn about and meet with individuals who share same and different gifts/values.
14. Value system - Inclusion of consistent opportunities to develop and examine personal and societal values and to establish a personal value system.
15. Communication Skills - Development of verbal and nonverbal systems and skills to dialogue, share and exchange ideas.
16. Timing - Apportionment of time span for learning activities that is consistent with the characteristics of gifted learners for shorter/longer allotments.
17. Multiple resources - Provision for the utilization of a variety of material and human resources in the learning process. YOu mean we shouldn't get all our information from books?! *wink*
18. Accelerated/advanced pacing of content - Provision of quickness and aptness of gifted students to master new material.
19. Economy - Compressed and streamlined organization of teaching material to match learning capacity of gifted students.
20. Challenge - Provision for a sophisticated level of learning experiences that requires learners to stretch for understanding.
fairy love
We were shopping this weekend and I took Z into a new shop that opened up in the strip mall we were at. It was one of those New Age shops with crystals and tarot cards and such.
Well it has been a long time since I was in a place like that and apparently fairys are "In".
And Z was enraptured. There were stone fairies, glass fairies, fairy books, fairy encyclopedias, fairy posters, fairy t-shirts, fairy tarot cards, etc.
While I looked around Z sat down and read a book of fairy "spells".
When it was time to leave I could tell Z had fallen under a spell herself. She was so touched that she couldn't even speak for awhile. It was like she had been to a real "magical" realm and all her secret hopes were true there.
I held her (she was so starry-eyed I was afraid she would walk into a wall) and I smiled for her. But then she said in a forlorn little whisper "I wish the fairies would come to me." and I felt sad for her because they won't.
I mean, it is possible that she will go on believing in magic, I start partly do. But magic is only something we can have faith in or "believe" that we are experiencing. But the fairies won't really come to her the way she wants them too.
But I can console myself with the idea that something else might come to her and fill her with the same faith that something wonderful exists just beyond our knowledge.
Well it has been a long time since I was in a place like that and apparently fairys are "In".
And Z was enraptured. There were stone fairies, glass fairies, fairy books, fairy encyclopedias, fairy posters, fairy t-shirts, fairy tarot cards, etc.
While I looked around Z sat down and read a book of fairy "spells".
When it was time to leave I could tell Z had fallen under a spell herself. She was so touched that she couldn't even speak for awhile. It was like she had been to a real "magical" realm and all her secret hopes were true there.
I held her (she was so starry-eyed I was afraid she would walk into a wall) and I smiled for her. But then she said in a forlorn little whisper "I wish the fairies would come to me." and I felt sad for her because they won't.
I mean, it is possible that she will go on believing in magic, I start partly do. But magic is only something we can have faith in or "believe" that we are experiencing. But the fairies won't really come to her the way she wants them too.
But I can console myself with the idea that something else might come to her and fill her with the same faith that something wonderful exists just beyond our knowledge.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Needs of Gifted Students
This was from a chart where you could rate 1 (not at all) to 5(to a great extant) how these things are integrated into a gifted program
1. Basic Cognitive Skills
a. Critical Thinking
b. Creative Thinking
c. Problem Solving
d. Research
e. Decision Making
2.Basic Affectice Skills
a. Tolerance of self and others
b. Constructive use of humor
c. Coping with being different
d. Discriminating between the real and the ideal
e. Using their high-level sensitivity
3. To be challenged by master level work in areas of strength and interest
4. To be challenged by exposure to new ideas.
5. To be challenged by the opportunity to see interrelationships
6. To be challenged by the experiences that promote understanding human value systems
7.To be challenged through discussions with intellectual peers
8. To be challenged by activities at complex levels of thought
9. To be challenged through opportunities for divergent production
10. To be challenged by the opportunity for real-world problem solving
I would think a lot of ideas on that list are incorporated in our homeschooling or raising of Z.
There are some things I think I should work on or that I have questions about:
e. Decision Making - I think I could create more opportuities for Z to do decision making
e. Using their high-level sensitivity - I don't think it has occured to me to try to use her high-level sensitivity, but once I thought about it some things came to me.
7.To be challenged through discussions with intellectual peers - Z does play with other EG/PG kids but they don't really have "discussions".
9. To be challenged through opportunities for divergent production - I am not sure what that means. Any ideas?
1. Basic Cognitive Skills
a. Critical Thinking
b. Creative Thinking
c. Problem Solving
d. Research
e. Decision Making
2.Basic Affectice Skills
a. Tolerance of self and others
b. Constructive use of humor
c. Coping with being different
d. Discriminating between the real and the ideal
e. Using their high-level sensitivity
3. To be challenged by master level work in areas of strength and interest
4. To be challenged by exposure to new ideas.
5. To be challenged by the opportunity to see interrelationships
6. To be challenged by the experiences that promote understanding human value systems
7.To be challenged through discussions with intellectual peers
8. To be challenged by activities at complex levels of thought
9. To be challenged through opportunities for divergent production
10. To be challenged by the opportunity for real-world problem solving
I would think a lot of ideas on that list are incorporated in our homeschooling or raising of Z.
There are some things I think I should work on or that I have questions about:
e. Decision Making - I think I could create more opportuities for Z to do decision making
e. Using their high-level sensitivity - I don't think it has occured to me to try to use her high-level sensitivity, but once I thought about it some things came to me.
7.To be challenged through discussions with intellectual peers - Z does play with other EG/PG kids but they don't really have "discussions".
9. To be challenged through opportunities for divergent production - I am not sure what that means. Any ideas?
10 Random Facts
Like my new friend at Painted Rainbows and Chamomile Tea I would like to share ten random facts.
1. I was born in southern Texas. I lived there until I was five and spent many summers of my childhood there.
2. I used to teach karate and self-defense. The style I did was Kyokushin karate.
3. In the 33 years of my life I have lived in 25 houses.
4. When I was a teenager I worked for a comic book store.
5. I met my husband at a role-playing game get-together.
6. My favorite food in the world is my mother's seafood gumbo.
7. When I was in 8th grade I got sent to the principal's office because I had dyed my hair red.
8. I was born with a heart defect.
9. I used to own a used bookstor.
10. My favorite band is The Beatles.
1. I was born in southern Texas. I lived there until I was five and spent many summers of my childhood there.
2. I used to teach karate and self-defense. The style I did was Kyokushin karate.
3. In the 33 years of my life I have lived in 25 houses.
4. When I was a teenager I worked for a comic book store.
5. I met my husband at a role-playing game get-together.
6. My favorite food in the world is my mother's seafood gumbo.
7. When I was in 8th grade I got sent to the principal's office because I had dyed my hair red.
8. I was born with a heart defect.
9. I used to own a used bookstor.
10. My favorite band is The Beatles.
Curriculum for Gifted Learners
Since some of my blogging friends seem interested in this book I will do my best to post more of my notes and thoughts.
It is the kind of book that if I owned it would be full of highlighted passages. It is also a text book and some of the writing takes awhile for me to digest. And it iswritten for schools so I need to figure out how to use the ideas as a homeschooler.
But for now I am taking Z to see Flushed Away. :)
It is the kind of book that if I owned it would be full of highlighted passages. It is also a text book and some of the writing takes awhile for me to digest. And it iswritten for schools so I need to figure out how to use the ideas as a homeschooler.
But for now I am taking Z to see Flushed Away. :)
gifted party and dinner party
Yesterday was a very busy but cool day.
In the morning I was running around getting things ready for a party I was hosting for a group I had started for families of hg,eg and pg kids. I was able to use the party room in our complex for the day.
I set up several board games as well as ping pong and legos.
We had eight families there with 26 people altogether.
I got a chance to talk with everyone and two of the families were new to me. Most of us are homeschoolers and there was talk of setting up educational activities.
It was great! The only probably was that it was too short. I think most people would have stayed longer but I only had the room till 5:00.
Z cried when it was over because she didn't get a chance to play with all her friends enough.
As soon as the party-goers left we had more friends arrive, Pere's co-worker and his wife and children.
It was hard to get everyone's schedule to coincide for the earlier party and it ended up that the day that most people could come was the same day Pere's co-worker could make it over. Like I said, it was a busy day. But everything (almost) went great!
Our dinner guests were very cool. They also homeschool so we had that to talk about. Their kids were really well-mannered an sweet too.
Poor Z cried when they left too. It had been such a big day for her.
Today we are just taking it easy, although we may go see a movie.
In the morning I was running around getting things ready for a party I was hosting for a group I had started for families of hg,eg and pg kids. I was able to use the party room in our complex for the day.
I set up several board games as well as ping pong and legos.
We had eight families there with 26 people altogether.
I got a chance to talk with everyone and two of the families were new to me. Most of us are homeschoolers and there was talk of setting up educational activities.
It was great! The only probably was that it was too short. I think most people would have stayed longer but I only had the room till 5:00.
Z cried when it was over because she didn't get a chance to play with all her friends enough.
As soon as the party-goers left we had more friends arrive, Pere's co-worker and his wife and children.
It was hard to get everyone's schedule to coincide for the earlier party and it ended up that the day that most people could come was the same day Pere's co-worker could make it over. Like I said, it was a busy day. But everything (almost) went great!
Our dinner guests were very cool. They also homeschool so we had that to talk about. Their kids were really well-mannered an sweet too.
Poor Z cried when they left too. It had been such a big day for her.
Today we are just taking it easy, although we may go see a movie.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Gifted Program Goals
So one of the things that is keeping me busy these days is reading Comprehensive Curriculum of Gifted Learners by Joyce VanTassel-Baska.
This is an over 400 page book and I am only 40 pages into it. But since nothing much happened with Z and homeschooling today (except that she had almost finished Pinocchio, which she just started this morning) I thought I would share some of my notes from this books.
More able learners do better with less structure and less able learners do better with more. Structure here refers to the level of prior cognitive organization by the teacher and the degree of explanation and description of concepts during the instruction process. The teacher can predigest and present new material with didactic finality, or the teacher can do less predigesting and leave much of the structure and organization of new content to be organized by students. Gifted and talented children thrive with the latter approach.
This made me wonder about a highly able PG kid who is who is radically accelerated. Would they, at that point, still be considered "more able learners" given that the materials they are working on are at an appropriately challenging level?
and
Curriculum for the gifted should stress the importance of developing large and well -organized knowledge bases gained from reading, lectures, and discussion, as well as direct observational experience in research and analysis. The teacher should encourage analyzing, conceptualizing, and synthesizing activities to facilitate the development of well-organized knowledge bases.
Additional lessons are derived from the emphasis on problem - solving experiences. On aspect of such experiences is deriving skill in analyzing and classifying problem situations, especially as in case study analysis, laboratory experiments, and inquiry- discovery encounters with complex and abstract phenomena.
This is an over 400 page book and I am only 40 pages into it. But since nothing much happened with Z and homeschooling today (except that she had almost finished Pinocchio, which she just started this morning) I thought I would share some of my notes from this books.
More able learners do better with less structure and less able learners do better with more. Structure here refers to the level of prior cognitive organization by the teacher and the degree of explanation and description of concepts during the instruction process. The teacher can predigest and present new material with didactic finality, or the teacher can do less predigesting and leave much of the structure and organization of new content to be organized by students. Gifted and talented children thrive with the latter approach.
This made me wonder about a highly able PG kid who is who is radically accelerated. Would they, at that point, still be considered "more able learners" given that the materials they are working on are at an appropriately challenging level?
and
Curriculum for the gifted should stress the importance of developing large and well -organized knowledge bases gained from reading, lectures, and discussion, as well as direct observational experience in research and analysis. The teacher should encourage analyzing, conceptualizing, and synthesizing activities to facilitate the development of well-organized knowledge bases.
Additional lessons are derived from the emphasis on problem - solving experiences. On aspect of such experiences is deriving skill in analyzing and classifying problem situations, especially as in case study analysis, laboratory experiments, and inquiry- discovery encounters with complex and abstract phenomena.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Updated my links
I finally updated the links on the right ---->
I have updated what Z's reading and I have added what books we are using for homeschooling.
I have updated what Z's reading and I have added what books we are using for homeschooling.
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