We visited a museum a few days ago. One of the displays featured a video presentation. We weren't watching it, but could hear it, and J said, "Hey mom, isn't that the music from Nova?"
Nova and Nature are, quite possibly, J and Z's favorite tv shows.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
"G" whiz!
Gee whiz, my 4 1/2 year old is a "G" whiz! Ha ha, I'm so punny.
But no, really. He is trying to distract me from the fact that he's very disobediently still in just his underwear at 1 pm. And part of his method is spouting off some genius, because he knows I'm always pleased by displays of academic achievement. Before you go thinking I'm one of "those moms," think about it. Almost any parent (aside from Matilda's) is pleased when their child shows smarts. Anyway, I digress. Here's what Z said:
"Does 'scavenger hunt' have a G in it, but it's soft?"
"Um..." I thought about it for a second. "Uh, yeah, it does! Very good!"
"And 'go' has a G in it, but it's hard. And 'get going' has two hard G's!"
That's where his plan failed, because it reminded me that I'd told him to "get going" on the deplorable process of putting on clothes.
But no, really. He is trying to distract me from the fact that he's very disobediently still in just his underwear at 1 pm. And part of his method is spouting off some genius, because he knows I'm always pleased by displays of academic achievement. Before you go thinking I'm one of "those moms," think about it. Almost any parent (aside from Matilda's) is pleased when their child shows smarts. Anyway, I digress. Here's what Z said:
"Does 'scavenger hunt' have a G in it, but it's soft?"
"Um..." I thought about it for a second. "Uh, yeah, it does! Very good!"
"And 'go' has a G in it, but it's hard. And 'get going' has two hard G's!"
That's where his plan failed, because it reminded me that I'd told him to "get going" on the deplorable process of putting on clothes.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Disappointing
On the way to school this morning, J and I realized that he has only been to his gifted pull-out class three times since being accepted 2 1/2 months ago! It should be weekly. The holidays didn't help, and neither did all three kids coming down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Combine that with the gifted teacher taking a long vacation and a few times when J and his classmates were inexplicably not sent to Challenge, and J's gifted enrichment has left a lot to be desired! Hopefully he will get to go to Challenge today.
My consolation is that every day in second grade, he is getting far more of a challenge than he would have had in first grade.
My consolation is that every day in second grade, he is getting far more of a challenge than he would have had in first grade.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What was I like?
Once I asked this on my personal blog:
My mother replied:
The thing is, I was a child, and didn't have the perspective of a parent. I didn't know that I was unusual. Just like Z doesn't know that it's unusual for a 4 year old to know, or even care what plankton are or even what "microscopic" means.
I asked my mom to share some stories about me as a child, but as of yet, she hasn't obliged. I would also be very interested in seeing my own test scores. My mom might want to protect me from getting a big head, but I think that I can handle it. My boys give be a big dose of humility every day. It's a daunting task to be their mother!
What do you do when your 4-year old tells you that "plankton are microscopic plants and animals that live in the sea" and your 6-year old expounds, "yeah, the animal ones are called zooplankton, and the plant ones are called phytoplankton?"
My mother replied:
"Just remember what it was like when you were a little girl!"
The thing is, I was a child, and didn't have the perspective of a parent. I didn't know that I was unusual. Just like Z doesn't know that it's unusual for a 4 year old to know, or even care what plankton are or even what "microscopic" means.
I asked my mom to share some stories about me as a child, but as of yet, she hasn't obliged. I would also be very interested in seeing my own test scores. My mom might want to protect me from getting a big head, but I think that I can handle it. My boys give be a big dose of humility every day. It's a daunting task to be their mother!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Escaping Heat
Z (4 1/2) just asked us, "What keeps the heat from escaping from the Earth?"
"The air of our atmosphere," I answered.
J (almost 7) chimed in, "Yeah, especially methane. It's causing global warming." Of course, he remembers that because it's associated with rude bodily functions.
This is while they're watching Nature on PBS, the second time they've watched the episode about desert lions.
"The air of our atmosphere," I answered.
J (almost 7) chimed in, "Yeah, especially methane. It's causing global warming." Of course, he remembers that because it's associated with rude bodily functions.
This is while they're watching Nature on PBS, the second time they've watched the episode about desert lions.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Kindergarten Teacher
We got a chance to say hi to J's kindergarten teacher today, and tell her that he's skipped to second grade. She's so sweet! Her face was very animated as she congratulated J and said that she had thought he might skip. She also expressed her frustration as a kindergarten teacher, when she recognized J's needs and talents, but the school really couldn't/wouldn't do anything for kids that young. I told her how we had to "work the system" to get him tested by claiming that we wanted him to skip first grade. Of course, we did have him skip first grade, but we hadn't even thought of skipping a grade until we had to do it to get J tested!
I understand her predicament better now, and we all love her even more. Z is looking forward to being in her class next year. That's highly likely if J stays at his current school, because siblings get priority and don't have to be drawn in the lottery. And Z is reading better than lots of kids can before kindergarten, so I'm sure he'll be placed in the top class, which is taught by our wonderful Mrs. G.
I understand her predicament better now, and we all love her even more. Z is looking forward to being in her class next year. That's highly likely if J stays at his current school, because siblings get priority and don't have to be drawn in the lottery. And Z is reading better than lots of kids can before kindergarten, so I'm sure he'll be placed in the top class, which is taught by our wonderful Mrs. G.
Second Week of Second Grade
J's first week of 2nd grade was just 3 days long because of Parent-Teacher Conferences. I thought it a good sign that, when I went in to wake him up, all I had to do was whisper, "It's time to get up and go to second grade!" and he'd pop out of bed with a smile on his face. His second week was all grins, too.
At his Parent-Teacher Conference, the teacher mostly caught me up to speed on how her classroom works. It was like a Back-To-School Night just for me. She mentioned that J really seems to fit in just great with the rest of the class. He is even right in the middle height-wise, too. He's made friends, and is a bit of a celebrity for now. We tried to tell him not to say anything about skipping a grade, because we don't want to make anyone feel bad, but the kids already knew. And they didn't have a problem with it at all. J said that when his special class teachers (such as gym and computers) asked why he was with a different class, the other kids would explain for him. His teacher said that there have been arguments about who gets to be J's "special buddy" to show him things in the classroom.
I was also very pleased when I spoke with his engineering teacher one evening at a church event. He said that he thought skipping was a good move, and while J seemed much more relaxed in his 1st grade class than he had been in kindergarten, he is even more social and relaxed in 2nd grade.
Because it was such a monumental decision for us to make, and because it's a life-changing decision, I fully expected bumps during J's transition. I was braced for him to come home from his first day exhausted and emotional. I mean, who wouldn't be exhausted from trying to learn a new class routine, meeting 20 new kids, and going to your first pull-out gifted class? But no, he was almost giddy with excitement when I picked him up. We still haven't hit any bumps. This transition has been super-smooth, better than I would have ever hoped for!
At his Parent-Teacher Conference, the teacher mostly caught me up to speed on how her classroom works. It was like a Back-To-School Night just for me. She mentioned that J really seems to fit in just great with the rest of the class. He is even right in the middle height-wise, too. He's made friends, and is a bit of a celebrity for now. We tried to tell him not to say anything about skipping a grade, because we don't want to make anyone feel bad, but the kids already knew. And they didn't have a problem with it at all. J said that when his special class teachers (such as gym and computers) asked why he was with a different class, the other kids would explain for him. His teacher said that there have been arguments about who gets to be J's "special buddy" to show him things in the classroom.
I was also very pleased when I spoke with his engineering teacher one evening at a church event. He said that he thought skipping was a good move, and while J seemed much more relaxed in his 1st grade class than he had been in kindergarten, he is even more social and relaxed in 2nd grade.
Because it was such a monumental decision for us to make, and because it's a life-changing decision, I fully expected bumps during J's transition. I was braced for him to come home from his first day exhausted and emotional. I mean, who wouldn't be exhausted from trying to learn a new class routine, meeting 20 new kids, and going to your first pull-out gifted class? But no, he was almost giddy with excitement when I picked him up. We still haven't hit any bumps. This transition has been super-smooth, better than I would have ever hoped for!
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