Resources for homeschooling a gifted child
Homeschooling a Profoundly Gifted child is easy in some ways (the fact that she almost always instantly grasps a subject means I am very rarely frustrated that she just isn't getting something, plus not having to teach her to read, yes that was a huge plus), but it is definitely not without its challenges. There is no straight path with these kids. No plan laid out, K-12, knowing what to expect. I honestly don't know when A will graduate, what age she will be ready for college classes or how I will go about navigating those years. What I do know is that with the advent of the internet age, parents of gifted kids no longer have to navigate those waters alone.
Tonight I wanted to share with you some resources for homeschooling gifted children. Some I have used, some I plan on using in the future, and some I just know about but do not have personal experience with.
The first place to start if you are new to this homeschooling a gifted child gig, is to remember to not be confined by the curriculum. You know your child. It's okay to skip grades, to skip sessions, to skip practice problems in math, etc. A just finished 5th grade Teaching Textbooks, we skipped a good portion of the beginning because it is review and honestly she doesn't need it. We skipped lessons here and there throughout because she had already grasped the material, and we are skipping 6th grade all together and going into 7th this coming school year, with plans to skip portions of that as well. She is 8, and would be going into third grade. Repetition to these kids is torture.
First off I want to share a list of general websites that I go to for support.These are full of information regarding all aspects of gifted parenting, schooling, and life in general. If you've read my blog before, you have probably seen some of these mentioned before. This is a great place to dive in and get your feet wet if you are new to this journey.
Gifted Support Websites
Hoagies' Gifted Education Page- The "all things gifted" page. A go to resource perfect for beginners. Explains testing, levels of giftedness, includes many articles on all aspects of gifted life and education.
SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted)- Full of great resources, seminars, online and in person support groups.
Davidson Institute for Talent Development- Provides support for profoundly gifted children from 5-18, but includes a database of articles and also parent support forums. Anyone can join these.
Gifted Homeschoolers- a wonderful website with forum, articles, and even online classes for gifted students.
A great thing about homeschooling a gifted child in today's world is that you really and truly are not alone. There are now classes for gifted children online. Classes that move at a pace they can relate to, with other gifted peers, so that even if you live in small town USA, these resources can ease some of the isolation gifted children often feel.
Online Classes for Gifted Students
This is a list of places for gifted students to take online classes and interact with other gifted peers. Now that we live where we have decent internet A will be taking her first online class this coming semester.
Online G3- G3 offers a variety of online classes for students working on a junior high through high school level. There is no age limit to their courses which is a huge plus for profoundly gifted kids, and they encourage acceleration. A will be taking Horrible Rome and Egypt this semester to correlate with our study of ancient history.
Gifted Homeschoolers- Gifted homeschoolers also offers online courses for gifted students. Unfortunately they do have age limits which can hinder a PG child's ability to move at their own pace. A was interested in one class this fall but they wanted students to be 13. We may try them out next semester though.
Athena's Advanced Academy- This is another site that offers online classes for gifted and advanced learners. What I like about this site is there is again no age limit. Classes have prerequisites of required reading or writing levels, etc., but as long as your child can handle the work then they can take the class. This is great for the extremely gifted student.
giftedandtalented.com(formerly Stanford EPGY)- I have heard many great reviews from this program before it changed names and leadership although we have not personally used it. Developed by Stanford University, it offers online courses in Math and Language arts for gifted students.
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth- CTY offers talent searches, online courses, and summer programs for gifted students.
Duke TIP- This program through Duke University offers talent searches, independent study courses for gifted students, summer programs, and e-learning courses. A and I plan on checking out one of their independent study courses this year.
Well, that's it for tonight. I will be adding these and other resources to the Gifted Resources button at the top of the blog for quick and easy access. Parenting and homeschooling a gifted child can be overwhelming and at times a daunting task, I hope this helps you on your journey,
Tonight I wanted to share with you some resources for homeschooling gifted children. Some I have used, some I plan on using in the future, and some I just know about but do not have personal experience with.
The first place to start if you are new to this homeschooling a gifted child gig, is to remember to not be confined by the curriculum. You know your child. It's okay to skip grades, to skip sessions, to skip practice problems in math, etc. A just finished 5th grade Teaching Textbooks, we skipped a good portion of the beginning because it is review and honestly she doesn't need it. We skipped lessons here and there throughout because she had already grasped the material, and we are skipping 6th grade all together and going into 7th this coming school year, with plans to skip portions of that as well. She is 8, and would be going into third grade. Repetition to these kids is torture.
First off I want to share a list of general websites that I go to for support.These are full of information regarding all aspects of gifted parenting, schooling, and life in general. If you've read my blog before, you have probably seen some of these mentioned before. This is a great place to dive in and get your feet wet if you are new to this journey.
Gifted Support Websites
Hoagies' Gifted Education Page- The "all things gifted" page. A go to resource perfect for beginners. Explains testing, levels of giftedness, includes many articles on all aspects of gifted life and education.
SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted)- Full of great resources, seminars, online and in person support groups.
Davidson Institute for Talent Development- Provides support for profoundly gifted children from 5-18, but includes a database of articles and also parent support forums. Anyone can join these.
Gifted Homeschoolers- a wonderful website with forum, articles, and even online classes for gifted students.
A great thing about homeschooling a gifted child in today's world is that you really and truly are not alone. There are now classes for gifted children online. Classes that move at a pace they can relate to, with other gifted peers, so that even if you live in small town USA, these resources can ease some of the isolation gifted children often feel.
Online Classes for Gifted Students
This is a list of places for gifted students to take online classes and interact with other gifted peers. Now that we live where we have decent internet A will be taking her first online class this coming semester.
Online G3- G3 offers a variety of online classes for students working on a junior high through high school level. There is no age limit to their courses which is a huge plus for profoundly gifted kids, and they encourage acceleration. A will be taking Horrible Rome and Egypt this semester to correlate with our study of ancient history.
Gifted Homeschoolers- Gifted homeschoolers also offers online courses for gifted students. Unfortunately they do have age limits which can hinder a PG child's ability to move at their own pace. A was interested in one class this fall but they wanted students to be 13. We may try them out next semester though.
Athena's Advanced Academy- This is another site that offers online classes for gifted and advanced learners. What I like about this site is there is again no age limit. Classes have prerequisites of required reading or writing levels, etc., but as long as your child can handle the work then they can take the class. This is great for the extremely gifted student.
giftedandtalented.com(formerly Stanford EPGY)- I have heard many great reviews from this program before it changed names and leadership although we have not personally used it. Developed by Stanford University, it offers online courses in Math and Language arts for gifted students.
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth- CTY offers talent searches, online courses, and summer programs for gifted students.
Duke TIP- This program through Duke University offers talent searches, independent study courses for gifted students, summer programs, and e-learning courses. A and I plan on checking out one of their independent study courses this year.
Well, that's it for tonight. I will be adding these and other resources to the Gifted Resources button at the top of the blog for quick and easy access. Parenting and homeschooling a gifted child can be overwhelming and at times a daunting task, I hope this helps you on your journey,
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