Resources for Gifted and Talented Families
Here’s a classic puzzle you should try with your child:
My uncle was 31 when I was 8. Now he is twice as old as I am. How old am I?
More Puzzles: Smarty Buddy App
Here’s a Solution:
First find the difference in ages. It is 31 – 8 = 23.
The difference in ages does not change with time, of course. My uncle will always be 23 years older. So if my uncle is twice as old, I must be 23.
Elegant solution for a problem that might be hard to solve at first.
I came across this interesting article in Huffington Post about the perils of hovering over your children. In reality, it seems that an average middle class family falls into the “helicopter parenting”. Do our kids do anything on their own any more? Go to the store and pay for a loaf of bread? Go for a walk alone and make mistakes with friends? Save money for a favorite toy, cherish that toy, and then get sad about breaking it (and not get a replacement)?
These are just examples of things that most kids don’t get to do. Why? Because an average U.S. middle class child has most of the things bought, brought, and spoon fed to them by their parents.
Kids bring their problems to their parents to get resolved, fixed, glued, etc. We as parents are supposed to be raising adults…
Today’s visual puzzle is a Tetris like game. Imagining and manipulating figures of different colors and shapes stimulates parts of the brain that are rarely used in everyday. Do you know the answer to this puzzle?
We took a four and a half hour drive from Davis, CA along a scenic road – with mesmerizing vineyards. Actually the drive was like driving through the Napa Valley – seeing all the vineyard fields , orange tree groves, and nut trees was a great distraction for the passengers… not so much for the driver, of course.
Sequoia National Park has caves, waterfalls, forests and lakes, and is home to bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and deer. It is easy to see why it attracts over a million visitors each year.
After passing through the main entrance, we zig-zagged our way along the winding mountain roads of the park. Every corner brought a new sight, and it felt like we stopped every mile to get out, take a look and get some photos. There are a number of specific attractions within the park, however much of its magic comes from just being out in this region’s immense natural beauty. There was wildlife, views and groves of enormous sequoia trees all competing for our attention and forcing us to pull over regularly.
Watch out for construction traffic delays. Factor in the fact that the drive from the southern entrance of the park to the northern entrance is about 2 hours. We certainly forgot about this math, and actually spent 11 hours driving that day (to, from, and passing the park).
Due to the limited time in the park, we decided to check out the main attraction. The giant sequoia grove. The hike to the largest tree in the world (by volume) was an easy loop. The short hike up to the General Sherman – a huge sequoia tree located in the Giant Forest of the national park. Even in a place full of enormous trees, this one stood out and towered over everything else.
We noticed one thing, that as you spend time hiking along the sequoia trail, you get used the the sheer size of the trees, and start feeling that they are not that tall at all. But once you take a picture, and see yourself compared to the towering sequoias, you realize how little you are.
A great mathematical problem solving activity for kids and parents to work out the weight of all three animals in the fourth image. Can you answer this question correctly?
CTY’s gifted and talented summer programs offer bright students the opportunity to engage in challenging academic work in the company of peers who share their exceptional abilities and love of learning. While the focus is on rigorous academics and learning, the social experience that results from bringing these students together is an integral part of the program.
CTY’s 25 residential and day sites in the U.S. and Hong Kong serve thousands of students each year from all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world. Qualifying students come from all walks of life and a variety of educational backgrounds to spend three weeks immersing themselves in their academic passions, meeting others like themselves, and growing intellectually and personally. Class size is 12-18 students, and each class has a highly skilled instructor and a teaching assistant. Outside of class, students participate in a full and fun social program at all locations, from sports and games to talent shows and band practice.
Check out the JHU CTY Website for admission information and SCAT Test dates.
(* Source – JHU CTY Website )
There is no standard identification method, so it is up to the school to decide how students are selected and identified for gifted programs. It is best to discuss specific criteria with your fellow educators and administrators.
Gifted and Talented Education
Gifted and talented education can occur in a number of forms. The NAGC describes some of the more common forms of gifted education:
It is important that gifted and talented students are appropriately challenged in the classroom. Without differentiation and gifted programs, students can become bored and disillusioned. When education becomes a negative experience, their abilities are stifled and they are less likely to be successful in the future. More behavioral challenges can also occur without the right environment. In order to tailor instruction appropriately, Intel recommends having students assume leadership roles and assist other students, extending the curriculum with enrichment activities and offering advanced versions of the curriculum.
It’s almost that time of year again… No. it not the holidays, it’s almost summer time… and that means finding camps to entertain and perhaps educate your child.
Did you know that there are special camps for gifted and talented children?
The Center for Talented Youth began with a seventh grade boy from Baltimore who had exhausted all the options for math courses he could take at school by the time he was thirteen. Julian Stanley, a professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of the Center for Talented Youth, worked with this boy and his family to arrange access to challenging college math courses so the boy could continue to develop his academic talents and pursue his passion.
Today, CTY is accredited by the Middle States Association of College and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, and its summer programs serve thousands of students each year. CTY students come from all fifty states and dozens of countries around the world. They come from all walks of life and a variety of educational backgrounds. While the scope of these gifted and talented programs has grown immensely, the goal remains the same: to allow highly able students to immerse themselves in their academic passions, to meet others like themselves, and to grow both intellectually and personally.
CTY’s gifted and talented summer programs offer bright students the opportunity to engage in challenging academic work in the company of peers who share their exceptional abilities and love of learning. While the focus is on rigorous academics and learning, the social experience that results from bringing these students together is an integral part of the program.
Summer 2018
Session 1:
June 24 – July 13 (all residential sites, except Santa Cruz and Seattle)
July 1 – July 20 (all domestic day sites, and the Santa Cruz and Seattle residential sites)
July 8 – July 27 (Hong Kong sites)
Session 2:
July 15 – August 3 (all residential sites except Santa Cruz and Seattle)
July 22 – August 10 (all domestic day sites, and the Santa Cruz and Seattle residential sites)
Summer 2018 Hong Kong sites
One session only:
July 8 – July 27
CTY’s 25 residential and day sites in the U.S. and Hong Kong serve thousands of students each year from all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world. Qualifying students come from all walks of life and a variety of educational backgrounds to spend three weeks immersing themselves in their academic passions, meeting others like themselves, and growing intellectually and personally. Class size is 12-18 students, and each class has a highly skilled instructor and a teaching assistant. Outside of class, students participate in a full and fun social program at all locations, from sports and games to talent shows and band practice.
How to apply?
Students who are interested in our gifted and talented summer programs must take the SCAT test to establish eligibility for the Young Students Program for students in grades 2-6.
Check the CTY website for test dates and summer camp application process:
*Source: CTY website
Lot’s of activity on our blog by parents looking for SCAT Test information and sample questions. Here’s a new ebook that just came out on Amazon – in our opinion one of the cheapest full length tests out there:
SCAT® Test Prep: School and College Ability Tests – Elementary Series
We believe that a child should have an understanding of what is expected of him or her on a test. So for all the parents out there we can’t stress enough to just get all the information that you can get about your GAT test and give your child a chance to review the test format. Usually workbooks are the best practice materials. But most tests are actually administered on the computer. So an e-book workbook might be a great option for practicing test questions.
Please see the sample questions offered on Amazon book preview.
