Friday, January 14, 2011
Tips for the Second Half of the School Year
The first semester is over and students are in the winter doldrums. For GT kids, this can be a hard time of year. How can parents help them put some wind in their educational sails? Here are a few tips:
1. Plan down time. Everyone puts places they have to be on the calendar. Help your child schedule some goof-off time - no guilt, no chores, no school. It doesn't have to be a lot - even an hour a week in bits and pieces is fine. Bite your tongue when they spend it in ways you don't think are a good use of time. That's not the point. The point is decompression.
2. Find a new interest. The TED website is a great place for GT kids to explore new interests. Let your child browse through some talks and find a new avenue of intellectual interest to explore. My grandmother always says a change is as good as a vacation. It's not a cruise, but learning about something new and interesting is actually fun and invigorating for smart kids!
3. Celebrate. Use websites that share interesting holidays and birthdays to create fun and interest on the most doldrummy (is that a word???) day in the winter of your child's discontent. How can you feel ennui when you are celebrating Stephen Foster Memorial Day by belting out "Oh, Susannah!"? By the way, January 19th is National Popcorn Day...you might want to stock up now. Here's a site to get you started: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/.
4. Give back. The easiest way to improve your mood is to give to others. For instance, January is National Soup Month (who knew?). Make some soup (or soup mix) and take it to a neighbor. Read "Stone Soup" and invite some of your child's friends over, asking each of them to bring an ingredient. You supply the rolls and let them enjoy their creation.
5. It's summer somewhere. It's summer in the Southern Hemisphere right now. Let your child track the weather in a city "down under." Their movement toward Fall means we're getting closer to Spring!
Here's a TED talk to get your child started in thinking beyond the frightful weather outside to the eternal spring that is her amazing mind:
1. Plan down time. Everyone puts places they have to be on the calendar. Help your child schedule some goof-off time - no guilt, no chores, no school. It doesn't have to be a lot - even an hour a week in bits and pieces is fine. Bite your tongue when they spend it in ways you don't think are a good use of time. That's not the point. The point is decompression.
2. Find a new interest. The TED website is a great place for GT kids to explore new interests. Let your child browse through some talks and find a new avenue of intellectual interest to explore. My grandmother always says a change is as good as a vacation. It's not a cruise, but learning about something new and interesting is actually fun and invigorating for smart kids!
3. Celebrate. Use websites that share interesting holidays and birthdays to create fun and interest on the most doldrummy (is that a word???) day in the winter of your child's discontent. How can you feel ennui when you are celebrating Stephen Foster Memorial Day by belting out "Oh, Susannah!"? By the way, January 19th is National Popcorn Day...you might want to stock up now. Here's a site to get you started: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/.
4. Give back. The easiest way to improve your mood is to give to others. For instance, January is National Soup Month (who knew?). Make some soup (or soup mix) and take it to a neighbor. Read "Stone Soup" and invite some of your child's friends over, asking each of them to bring an ingredient. You supply the rolls and let them enjoy their creation.
5. It's summer somewhere. It's summer in the Southern Hemisphere right now. Let your child track the weather in a city "down under." Their movement toward Fall means we're getting closer to Spring!
Here's a TED talk to get your child started in thinking beyond the frightful weather outside to the eternal spring that is her amazing mind:
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