Space: A Gifted Frontier

Curiosity killed the cat. It also successfully landed on the Mars surface yesterday, continuing the great mission of American space exploration. In fact, it was 53 years ago today that we reached one of our first milestones on that quest: the launch of the Explorer VI satellite, which provided us with the first picture of Earth as taken from space.

For many adolescents, outer space is a captivating concept. It’s so vast, it’s inescapable, yet utterly alien to anything we can experience on Earth. It’s no wonder it’s such a popular subject of study, for children and adults alike. 

If your child is anything like I was (i.e., watching Star Wars on repeat and building giant spaceships out of Legos), then he or she has probably got space fever. Fortunately, there are ways to foster a child's curiosity beyond simple movies and toys. As Carol Bainbridge points out, Space Camp is "an ideal program for gifted children who love outer space." But even if you can’t afford to send your child to Huntsville, AL, there are other ways to keep him or her learning and engaged. You can buy a telescope and scour the night skies together, searching for constellations. You can take a trip to the local planetarium, or you can simply turn to some of the countless books available to help satisfy your child’s intrigue. 

Teaching Philosophy to Children

Although most students do not encounter philosophy in school until college at the earliest, a growing number of experts believe that children can benefit from early exposure to philosophical ideas. As a subject without “right answers,” philosophy encourages young people to value critical thinking for its own sake. Children as well as adults can develop confidence and find enjoyment in the process of arriving at meaningful ideas independently. Gifted children, in particular, often thrive on the challenge of open-ended inquiry. 

Philosophy for Kids: 40 Fun Questions That Help You Wonder About Everything! and Philosophy for Teens: Questioning Life's Big Ideas are helpful guides for educators hoping to launch philosophical discussion in their classrooms.    

There are also a number of web resources dedicated to promoting the study of philosophy at the precollege level.  

• Hoagies' Gifted lists both books and websites to aid in teaching philosophy to gifted children.
• KidsThinkAboutIt! is a great source for iPad apps, books, sample lesson plans, and teacher packs.
• Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children has podcasts and radio shows directed toward children, in addition to many resources for teachers.

The Math Dictionary for Kids App Is Now $2.99!

For a limited time, Prufrock is offering its popular Math Dictionary for Kids iPad app—based on the best-selling book, Math Dictionary for Kids—for a special back-to-school price of only $2.99!

To view sample screen shots of the app and to learn more about its content, visit the Mobile Apps page of the Prufrock website. To download the app, visit its page on the Apple store by clicking here.

Since its release last fall, the Math Dictionary for Kids app has received great reviews and ratings, including a review boasting that “Math Dictionary for Kids Is a Homework Hero.” One school even notes that it’s become a valuable resource for its students as it integrates 21st century learning!

Creativity Revisited

by Carol Fertig

What is creativity and how should it be measured? Is it an important trait to possess?

 

For many years, the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking have been used to measure individuals’ divergent thinking. The tests are sometimes used to gain entrance to gifted programs. But is it enough to be deemed creative, or is creativity only a valuable trait if one can put that ability to use to make and produce new and practical products and ideas?

 

A Box? Or a Spaceship? What Makes Kids Creative appeared in The Wall Street Journal in December of 2010. In the article, parents are given suggestions about how to help their children be creative. Some of the suggestions include

• Tolerate “wrong” answers as children explore and fantasize.
• Sign children up for programs that foster creativity, such as Destination ImagiNation, Odyssey of the Mind, and Future Problem-Solving Program International.
• Invite children to come up with possible solutions for everyday problems, and listen to their ideas with respect.
• Ask open-ended questions and show interest in answers.
• Refrain from judging kids' ideas, even if they seem crazy or naive.
• Avoid paying too much attention to the outcome of kids' creative efforts. (You want them to be creative for the pure pleasure of it, not because they will receive praise.) 

For numerous ideas about helping kids be creative, click on the Search Entries button in the upper right corner of this blog. Enter the Keyword “creativity,” and click on Search. This will bring up all previous blog posts on creativity.

This blog post initially appeared on the Gifted Child Info Blog on January 21, 2011.

More Ways to Use Twitter in Gifted Education

In May, we featured a blog about how advocates for gifted education can use Twitter to find support and information. Since that blog, two new resources for using Twitter with gifted education have popped up.

First, The Complete Parent’s List of Education Hashtags on Twitter provides a helpful list of the more than 30 different hashtags parents and educators can search for to help them stay up to date on educational topics. Divided into specific topic areas, these hashtags are sure to be a boost to your Twitter experience.

Second, the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented began sponsoring the popular GTChat this spring. One of the additions to the chat the organization has added is the opportunity to vote on the topics to be discussed each week on its homepage. For example, this week’s choices include “How Gifted Programs Have Changed in a Generation” and “Dealing With Feelings of Isolation.” There’s no better way to make sure your thoughts are heard on Twitter than to help select the overarching topic of discussion.

If you’ve discovered any other great ways to use Twitter with gifted education, please let us know—we’re always on the lookout for good ideas to help our customers connect!