Reconciling Science & Religion

This morning, J said, "I know that there weren't really any people alive when the dinosaurs were on the earth."

"That's right," I said. "Can you imagine what it really would be like if there were dinosaurs and people together?"

He ignored my invitation for a discussion on that topic and asked, "So when did Adam & Eve come?"

Ah, yes. Quite interesting. And while I'm no dummy, I am pretty sure I didn't start wondering about how evolution, the fossil record, and the Bible all reconcile until I was in college.

Twenty Questions.

We played Twenty Questions for the first time last week, and my boys eat it up! I started by choosing an animal for the boys to figure out. Then they wanted turns. Z chose a baby zebra (his favorite, because they have brown stripes that turn black later, he says), then J chose a kangaroo, then there was a horse and some other things. Then it was J's turn again.

I had learned that his animal had no legs, it was definitely not a pet, it had no tail, and he wasn't sure about if it had a mouth. Completely perplexed, I gave up.

"It's an ammonite. I saw it on Dinosaur Train."

And I was thinking that kangaroo was an unusual choice! J definitely stepped up the game!

I think we might have to put some restrictions on the animals, like ones that aren't extinct.

Easy Road Trip

Wow, let me tell you how wonderful it is to have a kid who can read on a road trip!

We drove from Idaho to Arizona last week. It took us two days. Late the second day, after the sun had set, J grabbed his backpack full of library books and a dollar store clip-on book light. He read two Magic Treehouse books and half of Beezus & Ramona in just an hour and a half!

When we got to Grandma's house, I hid the library books he hadn't read yet. I checked out the maximum 15 books, and I think he only has 2 or 3 left for the return trip!

Ophelia

We're visiting Grandma right now. Having struggled with getting some of her children to read well, she was very anxious to hear J read. I have no idea what they were reading, but I think Grandma was having fun, giving J obscure words to see if he could read them. She was properly impressed when he encountered the word "Ophelia" and didn't skip a beat!

J's Aunt, also visiting, was impressed with his skill at reading out loud. He really is quite good at phrasing and inflection. I remember working on that with him twice, and as usual, he picked it up very easily.

I was pleasantly surprised to find J in the back row of the van with a book of silly songs, with 2 cousins and his brother packed in there with him, leading them in singing a song about a food fight. On this trip, J has really enjoyed his reading skills, and I think he got his younger cousin really excited about learning to read, too!

Check-Up

J had his 6 year check up today. He turned 6 last week. There really isn't anything to report, except that his pediatrician wanted to know if I'd followed up on the information he gave me. I told him that I'd found a a woman from church who sends her daughter to the school he told me about, and that she'd told me that we'd have to pay for the testing to see if J qualifies for the school. Then the doctor asked if my husband has found a job yet, since obviously, we won't be paying for testing if he's unemployed.

But he'll find a job, and I'm pretty sure we'll get J tested. J will finish out his kindergarten year where he is, and if the tests show that he falls in the highly gifted range, we'll make the decision to move him or leave him.

Hallelujah!

I can't believe what I found today. Idaho actually does have gifted resources! They have a web site and a monthly meeting for parents, even. I really thought this state was devoid of help for me.

I don't know why it is so hard to find this site, but what's important is that I did find it.

Treasure Valley PAGE

I'm so excited!

Article

Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm just bragging about how smart my kids are. I don't think most people understand how difficult it can be to keep them happy and growing. And they don't realize that when my kids are not consistently challenged, they act up, getting wild and obnoxious and into trouble. I realized this when J would drive Z nuts in the car, poking and hitting him, or singing nonsense at the top of his lungs. I found I could get him to stop by giving him a math problem.

I bet most people think that my job is a breeze. I mean, good grades and college are guaranteed, right?

This morning, I read a good article about gifted kids:

Finding the Gift in Giftedness by Jennifer ?

This quote from the article really struck me:

"Think of it this way: if you put IQ scores on a Bell curve, the gifted child would be as far to the right as the mentally disabled child is to the left. They are, in their own unique way, “special needs” kids – which creates a big problem when the educational system teaches to the middle or to the lowest common denominator."

Yay! Finally, someone understands and has explained the challenge I face! That's why I sometimes get overwhelmed trying to figure out what my kids need!

That quote also led my thoughts to the other end of that Bell curve. No one would dream of sticking a traditional "special needs" kid in a regular kindergarten class and tell the teacher and parents, "Your kid will be fine. He'll adapt. Let's give it two or three years, then we'll see if your kid needs any special classes." It wouldn't be fair to the teacher, because he would need so much extra attention and create extra work. And DUH, the teacher and parents already know that the child needs special classes.

But that is the system. That's what we have to work with. The decisions we have to make sometimes feel very heavy.