Let's share book titles, links, etc.

Molly - posted on 02/04/2009 ( 46 moms have responded )

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I've been asking around for resources as I'm trying to figure out what to do with my kids in public schools. Thought it might be a good idea to put all sorts of resouces into one thread so they're easier to find? (Please excuse any typos - I'm cutting and pasting pieces from other places.)

Here's a start:

From Debrorah Ruf's office:
A book that we highly recommend that may answer your questions about working with the schools: Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children, by Barbara Gilman, published by Great Potential Press.


Other parents who have gone through the same thing you have are usually very good at giving suggestions. The MCGTdotnet listserv is only for MCGT members, but the Mensa BrightKids listserv is open to anyone. The MCGT is an advocacy group for gifted kids, so you could probably find lots of support there. (www.mcgt.net)

Dr. Ruf is a specialist in the SB5's use and interpretation with bright children and, in fact, she wrote the High Ability Assessment Bulletin for the SB5. (http://www.educationaloptions.com/sb5-as...) Her reports are very clear and take away any score confusion for both you and the school because she explains how scores from this test compare to other tests with which the educators may be more familiar.

Dr. Ruf's book, "Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind." In the book, Dr. Ruf talks about the different levels of giftedness and includes illustrations of gifted children's behaviors as told by their parents. The book is available on-line at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910707707/educationaloptions,

And these are from Ellen:

karenkindrick.typepad.com/courageous_bei...

intentionalparents.com/

simplycharlottemason.com/home/

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46 Comments

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Maria - posted on 05/30/2011

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look up hogies gifted web site in google.... It has helped me in so many ways and has so many other links you can find

Candy - posted on 12/23/2010

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Hi guys, a while since I posted- I have been putting together a childcare blog which will feature some easy-to-read articles on gifted kids. A lot of my insights are based on work by Miraca Gross, who is the guru of gifted education in Australia. The blog is at http://auntannieschildcare.blogspot.com/ if you're interested.

Rachael - posted on 11/04/2010

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I am reading my spirited child it is an amazing book.

Julie - posted on 11/04/2010

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I'm sure I've posted this elsewhere on this community, but I'll do it again. Here are some resources for people if they happen to look at this thread like I did.
Resources for books: www.Childswork.com
www.freespirit.com
ex. High IQ Kids, When Gifted Kids Don't Have all the Answers, The Gifted Kids Survival Guide ( choice of 2 - for ages 10 and under OR a teen handbook), The Survival Guide for Kids with LD* (Learning Differences), You're Smarter Than You Think: A Kid's Guide to Multiple Intelligences.
APA - www.apa.org
AP Courses from MITE: Free education
http://www.archive.org/details/ap.course...
Center for Gifted Education Policy
www.apa.org/ed/schools/gifted/index.aspx
Common Core State Standards Initiative
http://www.corestandards.org
Gifted Child Society http://giftedchildsociety.com
Gifted Students Institute smu.edu/education/gsi
SENG www.sengifted.org
OCW Consortium - Advanced Course
http://ocwconsortium.org/courses/search
NEAG Center for Gifted Education & Talent Development http://www.gifted.uconn.edu
Enchanted Learning enchantedlearning.com
CEC www.cec.sped.org
www.hoagiesgifted.org
The Association for the Gifted (TAG)
http://www.cetag.org
NAGC www.nagc.org
Gifted Conference Planners www.giftedconferenceplanners.org
LD Online Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities
http://www.idonline.org/article/5914
www.eduscapes.com
www.nfgcc.org
www.thinkfinity.org
education: voices.washingtonpost.com/education
voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle
National Society for the Gifted and Talented
www.nsgt.org
Giftedness and Asperger's Syndrome: A New Agenda For Education www.openspacecomm.com
www.ed.gov - look up FERPA, HIPPA, IDEA, IEPs
www.kidshealth.org
www.kidsource.com
www.education.com
www.about.com
www.wrightslaw.com
www.maapservices.org
www.acf.hhs.gov
www.udel.edu/bkirby/asberger
I probably have more - look on the epilepsy community since I posted links for gifted/talented there also today.

Coralee - posted on 11/04/2010

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Davidson, J., Davidson, B., & Vanderkam, L. (2004). Genius denied: How to stop
wasting our brightest young minds. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Reviews of Genius Denied and excerpts available at www.GeniusDenied.com
Available through online and local bookstores

I am reading this now...very good!

Amelia - posted on 01/16/2010

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If your kids like mysteries - try the Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton. If they are too easy or simple move onto the Famous Five. My now 10 yr old daughter read them all a few years ago & loved them.

Amelia - posted on 01/16/2010

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Me too!
All the books I have are about Dyslexia & Learning Differences - a common trait in gifted kids!

Marit - posted on 01/15/2010

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I have read many books on this subject and my experience is that not all books are created equal. Some are written for a PhD level. Some are written to argue against other books. I believe that some are too in depth ane lose the reader. I am personally very fond of the following book as it is written by a mother to 5 (using fake and funny names for her kids) and an educator who was the daughter of an educator. I believe her intent is to instruct us from her understanding, professional experience and of course, her personal experience. I like this book as it covers many aspects of giftedness as other books do, but with personal experiences and funny examples that kept my attention and kept me entertained. Some literature is too dry for my taste. This one was usually corny but occasionally had me in stitches.

Though this book is truly a light read, and not in great depth on any particular issue, it is helpful to get an overview of the subject and hear about the experiences and opinions of other parents. However, for a parent who is new to gifted education, the "newly diagnosed and uninitiated," this book is exceptional. It made me feel like I wasn't alone with several gifted kids who are skilled in such different areas and just plain weird. Why did my kids go from f's to d's when I put them in the gifted program? They paid attention and weren't bored anymore. But, they still didn't turn in homework!!! This book helped explain all that in a very easy to read format. My kids have enjoyed it as well as they grew older.

I strongly recommend it. Many of the othe books just took it all too seriously and I felt that I was getting pulled in all directions by different schools of thought competing with each other.

On another note, we have a teacher who is highly trained as a challenge teacher. She has advanced degrees in teaching gifted children. I have had 3 children attend her classes. None of have approved of her or given good reviews. The students in her current class were dropping the class and switching into normal programs. Finally, the complaints from my third child were so intense and constant that eventually we pulled him out in favor of homeschooling until the semester break.

Conclusion: reading helps. Application helps. Common sense, knowing people, and having your heart in your work helps even more. The teacher is either having a difficult time, or just doesn't have her heart in the work. So, even with decent programs, people are people. We have had good luck with IEP's and gifted programs and schools over the years, but there are still individuals who may lack certain skills like empathy, flexibility, compassion and patience. Argh....Good luck to all of you!

Sherri - posted on 11/11/2009

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I found this book to be highly insightful and a breakthrough of information



Right Brain Education by Pamela Hickein



://www.rightbrainkids.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage5/product_id,168/category_id,54/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,26/



and started applying its methods to the way I home school my almost 4 year old daughter

as I believe she is predominately a highly gifted , Right Brain thinker - it has benefited her in so many ways - I cannot express that enough - she will get plenty of Left Brain geared education once she starts School so I felt the need to do all I can to expose her Right Brain learning to an equal amount of attention and I am so glad I made that decision

Krista - posted on 11/08/2009

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Public school (from my experience) is really lacking in gifted ed. I actually have a license in gifted ed but I work as a coach for a school system-training teachers. I can give you thousands of articles on gifted ed. However, I thought maybe I could share 2 really awesome websites for kids. I have purchased both and my children's teachers let my kids use them during the day when they are ahead of the other in work.
The first is biguniverse.com if your child likes to read and write then this interactive, book making website is awesome. It also has books on line they can read from the computer. The second is renzullilearning.com This site allows you to create a student profile and will then give you thousands of sites geared towards your learning styles and interests. If you have gifted kiddos at home, try them out. They are great.

Amanda - posted on 11/07/2009

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Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher.
Anything in the "Baily School Kids" Series.

Julia - posted on 10/23/2009

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...and some books for bright kids to read:
'The strange affair of the dog in the night'
'Does anything eat wasps?' and other titles in the 'New Scientist' 'Last word' range
'This Thing of Darkness' Harry Thompson (voyage of the 'Beagle' from the Captain's point of view)
Thom Madley's 'Marco's pendulum' series
'The Dodman Quest' & 'The Coleman Trail' Ann Ashley (exciting etymology!)
'Sophie's World' Jostein Gaarder (actually got a non-reading teen into philosophy!)
Cabinet of mathematical curiousities' Ian Stewart
'Bad Science' Ben Goldacre
'The Science of Harry Potter' Roger Highfield, also 'can Reindeer fly?'
'The boy with the magic numbers' Sally Gardner
'The Boy Mechanic' Popular Mechanics
All Terry Pratchett's books and their associated 'Science of Discworld' books

All of these are interesting for adults, too!
Best wishes from Julia Hawkes-Moore

Pat - posted on 10/20/2009

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Hello. Looking for children's books and for gifted kids, as well? Look on MY PROFILE page and see where I got mine for my kids! THey even have A FREE ONLINE BOOK DRAWING! I will check out your above sites. Look good.

Faith - posted on 09/14/2009

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Thanks for the info! I'm so glad to know it isn't just our public school that has this battle!

Rachel - posted on 09/09/2009

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I work at a company called Zoodles, and we've put together hundreds of fun, educational games online for every age from 2 - 8. We cover all the traditional subjects like math, language and literacy, science, and social science, but we also have awesome nontraditional subjects like memory skills, logic and reasoning, computer literacy, etc. I think it would be great for parents with gifted children! Check it out at http://www.Zoodles.com, and let me know what you think!

Rachel
http://www.Zoodles.com

Sandra - posted on 09/06/2009

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Thanks! I always need new suggestions. I have never heard of Enid Blyton-- something new for me too.

Mandi - posted on 09/06/2009

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Hi Sandra - there are lots of things out there at the 8yr old level that are also safe for 5year olds - my daughter is in the same boat! I would go into your local bookshop and ask for recommendations as there is always someone there who should be able to help. We like Belmont and the Dragon series, old favourites like Enid Blyton plus some of the great graded readers - a little more expensive but targetted really well and our library stock lots of them too! Hachette Kids do lots of these readers - you should be able to google their site and then ask your bookshop to order you in specific titles!
Good luck - our little readers keep us busy!

Sandra - posted on 09/02/2009

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Great idea! He likes Ricky Ricota-- but I think thee might me some classics they redid in comic format too.

Joanna - posted on 09/01/2009

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Sandra - check out the library for kid friendly graphic novels. My son loves them.

Sandra - posted on 08/31/2009

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I could use some suggestions too! My son is reading at about 3rd grade level but I find many books for that age are negative, anti-school, and gross-- and just not working well for a 5 year old. We need something with not too much text on the page, as it intimidates him even though he can read it. We have tried Magic Treehouse, but he is kinda bored with the same format each time, and we tried the children's version of Choose Your Own Adventure, but it was scary. He liked Ricky Ricotta (but I found it a little too "old" for him). This is a tough stage to find good books for. I could use some help. Our public library lacks books at this level. He does like comic books (Tiny Titans), but that only comes once a month.

Kathleen - posted on 08/16/2009

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Virginia - I'd love some book suggestions for my 4yo son. He started reading this past Dec (6 weeks after he turned 4, he announced he could read. And he could!). We began with the Dick & Jane books, but he got bored. Lately we've been doing Frog & Toad, which is good for us to read together. I'm looking for other things that might interest him. He loves dinosaurs and super heros. I'm SO open to suggestion!

Virginia - posted on 08/12/2009

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If your children are reading beyond grade level, as a librarian, I have compliled lists of books for precocious readers. I can post if you would like!

Rebecca - posted on 08/11/2009

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My children go to a Steiner kindergarten, it's excellent. Montessori is great if you want to give your children intellectual support. If you don't want to send your child to a private school it would be worth checking out the philosophies to see how you can support their learning at home

Denise - posted on 06/27/2009

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Does anyone have a recommendation for a book that deals with social/emotional issues of gifted toddlers? I have a 4 year old and every year he loses his mind for a month or two- I suspect while in a growth spurt. It's become completely impossible to live with this time and the whole family is disrupted so we are trying to find information on how to better address his needs and help him through it. I saw some good looking books on amazon under a search for 'gifted children' but would like a specific recommendation from anyone dealing with younger children. Thanks!
Denise

Rae Ann - posted on 06/05/2009

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My seven year old is too old for this site now, but my 4 year old loves it!... www.starfall.com

Pauline - posted on 06/02/2009

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These are mostly in the UK, but will probably help others too.

http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk/ : The National Association for Gifted Children. However, this starts at 3.

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/database... There is a lot of information and books etc.

http://www.brainskills.co.uk/GiftedChild...

Superpowers for Parents. The psychology of great parenting and happy children. by Dr Stephen Briers. This is not about gifted and talented children, but is a book about how to help children emotionally. I think that as most children who are G and T have emotional problems, this is a good book anyway.

Also we used a DVD called "Baby I and Q". They have a few different topics, "the world around us" "baby's first word" etc. We've been watching it with her since she was 6 months old before all her naps and sleep. She now knows what's coming next and talks through it instead of us. The whole concept of the DVD is to get parents talking to their kids again, so you watch it together and commentate on the images, it has really beautiful music too. We have tried to drop it a few times, but she won't let us. Ho hum!!!

Happy reading and researching.

Pauline

Sherri - posted on 04/18/2009

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These are all great resources - thanks for sharing everyone !

some of these I've known about but a lot of them I haven't heard of

Beki - posted on 04/18/2009

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This is a site I use daily, it has free to print grade work from preschool to grade 5 It is AWESOME I also type "maze" into google image search engine, thats always fun for the kids too :D oh and www.crayola.com

Zoe - posted on 03/13/2009

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The Language thread got shut off, so I can't answer the question there.  Rosetta Stone could be used for little kids.  Order the demo CD to check it out.  The online demo is Turkish and they don't show you all the options it has (like just listening and speaking, or putting the words up as well).  My daughter quickly took the mouse out of my hand when I started playing with it!



The homeschooling edition just gives you more control of lesson plans and being able to demonstrate where they are (from what I can tell of the website)

Zoe - posted on 03/13/2009

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The Language thread got shut off, so I can't answer the question there.  Rosetta Stone could be used for little kids.  Order the demo CD to check it out.  The online demo is Turkish and they don't show you all the options it has (like just listening and speaking, or putting the words up as well).  My daughter quickly took the mouse out of my hand when I started playing with it!



The homeschooling edition just gives you more control of lesson plans and being able to demonstrate where they are (from what I can tell of the website)

Yelena - posted on 03/06/2009

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This is not a web site but something that I got for my son that worked amazing and may be very good for young children from 9+ months.  My son did not like watching t.v. so one day I was browsing and saw a D.V.D it is called "The Letter Factory" made by Leapfrog (Purchased in bestbuy).  I played it for my son and he absolutly loved it.  The DVD contains cartoon letters and teaches the children the letter and the phoneme (sound).  My son new his letters by 12 months and I think that this d.v.d helped.  LeapFrog also has a number of other DVD's "The Math Circus", "Complex Words" "Learn to Read" and a few more that I cannot think of at the top of my head.  My son enjoyed those dvd's very much and I feel like it helped him learn so much faster. 



Also I am huge on any book that is rhyming.  At an early childhood age the rhyming is what helps them learn language and learn how to do early forms of spelling (even though your 2 year old will not spell out not and hot for you) it will make it much easier for them in the long run. My son just turned three and he can tell me the beginning sound of the word and what the endings are if I tell him two words that rhyme.

Erica - posted on 02/11/2009

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The Davidson Foundation - awards grants to non-profit organizations whose work supports the Foundation's mission.
http://www.davidsongifted.org/

The Davidson Institute for Talent Development - a collection of PG (profoundly gifted) resources.

FamilyEducation.com - get specific about where your child excels, and how you can challenge her and expert answers your questions about your child and giftedness. Find in-depth tools, programs, and materials to learn and do more.
http://school.familyeducation.com/gifted...

The Gifted Development Center - information about identification, assessment, counseling, learning styles, programs, presentations, and resources for gifted children and adults. Materials on visual-spatial learners, resources for understanding and helping gifted children, personnel to assist you, links to other resources.
http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/


Hoagies' Gifted Education Page - complete sections for parents, educators and students.

Institute for Educational Advancement - gifted & talented resource center; contests, awards and scholarships; distance learning opportunities.
http://www.educationaladvancement.org/

Teacher's Tips - Gifted & Talented Resources - National Research Center on the Gifted & Talented, National Foundation for Gifted & Creative Children, Center for Talent Development Network.
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~tvantine/edgt...

Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented - Gifted and talented related publication resources
http://www.txgifted.org/

Fact and statistic sheet.

Texas Education Agency – Division of Advanced Academic Services - Education programs for gifted and talented students, Texas Advanced Placement Incentive Program, Scholarship program for early high school graduates.
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/gted/

Kylie - posted on 02/05/2009

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Also this is actually not really directly related to "giftedness" but my children love this site as it is educational and fulfills their need to contribute in a socially conscious way - www.freerice.com. They learn, while simultaneously benefiting the plight of the less fortunate - a great initiative.

Kylie - posted on 02/05/2009

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Love the Charlotte Mason site - thank you. Here is a site that I find has alot of helpful information both for gifted and just general parenting information http://childparenting.about.com/od/gifte....



I have had contact with Helen Dowland directly and she has a wonderful wealth of information, experience and advice.

Claudine - posted on 02/04/2009

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Here is one I found helpful:



http://www.helendowland.fasthit.net/



Helen Dowland, B.Sc., B.A,(Hons), Dip.Ed.

Consultant & Education Consultant working with Gifted Children, their families and schools.

" Helping Gifted Children...so that the potential won't be lost."

Molly - posted on 02/04/2009

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Great - thanks!  That's exactly what I was looking for.

Deborah - posted on 02/04/2009

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Here is a few resources. I will add some more later. A few of them are free pdf files but some are books that you would have to buy.

Advocacy is an ongoing process that requires thoughtful, organized planning directed towards achieving identified goals. Advocating for Exceptionally Gifted Young People: A Guidebook is specifically designed for parents interested in addressing the needs of their exceptionally gifted children. Ideally, it is to be used as an organizational tool and informational guide to building a strong foundation for parent advocacy efforts. This text was created largely in response to requests from parents for a guide that synthesizes many of the available advocacy resources and applies the information to addressing the needs of exceptionally gifted young people.
http://print.ditd.org/Guidebook1.pdf

Colangelo, N., Assouline, S., & Gross, M. (2004). A nation deceived: How schools
hold back America’s brightest students, Vol. I & Vol. II. Iowa City, IA: The University
of Iowa. Available at http://nationdeceived.org

Davidson, J., Davidson, B., & Vanderkam, L. (2004). Genius denied: How to stop
wasting our brightest young minds. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Reviews of Genius Denied and excerpts available at www.GeniusDenied.com
Available through online and local bookstores

Rogers, K.B. (2001). Re-forming gifted education: How parents and teachers can
match the program to the child. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Book review of Re-Forming Gifted Education available in GT CyberSource
Available through Great Potential Press
http://www.giftedbooks.com/productdetail...

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/ - Great website with a lot of useful information.

http://www.gt-cybersource.org/ - Gifted Resources

http://www.sengifted.org/ - Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted Child

Lauryan - posted on 02/04/2009

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Excellent! I will pin this topic so that it is easy to find. :)