In Hernando County (Tampa Bay, Florida), gifted programs for children identified as having high IQ's has been centralized. This means, gifted children have to go to one school - Spring Hill's Explorer to attend classes. Some parents are protesting this decision but officials say the gifted program is faring well. More details here.
I'm very excited to share with you this classic film that came out in 1955 titled "Rhythm and Blues Revue." This film features performances from notable R&B artists of that time, including:
If you have a preschooler, chances are you're getting him/her ready for Kindergarten. One of the things young children should know before entering school are the different shapes. Here are several online resources that you can use to help your child recognize and identify various shapes:
If you're looking for a book to read to your daughter before bedtime while imparting important lessons from the Bible, the "Little Girls Bible Storybook" is one that I would recommend.
The particular book we have is meant for fathers to read to their daughter/s, with easy to understand text by Carolyn Larsen and cute illustrations by Caron Turk. The book has 50 bible stories starting off with the story of Adam and Eve. After each story there are suggested activities that will foster reflection, sharing and dialogue between father and daughter. There is also a verse to remember after every story.
I've finally decided to add another blog here on Orble which will be quite different from my original blog. As you can see, this particular blog is dedicated to parenting and other family-friendly interests. My other blog however, aims to help those who are thinking of telecommuting, freelancing or working from home. I already have a few posts up, you can check it out on the Freelance for Life blog.
My aim is to post on this new blog at least 2x per week about tips & advice as well as current job leads. Of course I will still maintain my GiftedParenting blog with fresh posts during the weekdays.
It's been 7 years since the tragic incident occurred...a fateful day that shook the whole world. Everyone watched transfixed, helpless, lost for words, mixed emotions raging in our hearts. That day, thousands were lost - fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends.....heroes. As we look back on 9/11, let us say a prayer for all the victims and the grieving families they left behind. And let us make a solemn promise that each day, in our own little way, to help make this world a safer place to live in, for us, for our children and the future generation.
Here's a touching video of Kristi Nelson's song - "Mama Will Hold Me"
This classic comedy film stars Richard Arlen, Ellen Drew and Minor Watson. Watson, who plays the role of R. P. Moody, is in an emotional downhill and his son-in-law, Tim Jones, played by Arlen, tries to cheer him up by producing a musical show.
This film came out in 1944 and was directed by William Berke. Fortunately, it's now in the public domain for all of us to enjoy.
I made a new discoverey and so far I'm lovin' what I see. The KidsKnowIt Network is a website dedicated for curious, young learners interested in subjects like Chemistry, Geography, History and Spelling. The topics are arranged in separate databases for easy access, my fave so far is the Movie Database that has several short, educational films. The movies are presented in an interesting manner and ends with a short quiz. The student is required to score 80% or higher to pass the quiz.
Here's a very interesting article about Colin Carlson, a 12 year old profoundly gifted child who is taking classes at the University of Connecticut. Take note, he's already a sophomore in college majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and he plans on pursuing environmental studies as his second major. Aside from that, he wants to attain a doctorate in biology and enter law shool by age 20. Amazing!
I don't normally announce very personal details on this blog but.....hubby and I have been trying to get pregnant this year and we really need your prayers. Thing is, I'm a few years short of 40 (although I still feel like I'm in my 20s - honest ) and as we all know the older a woman gets the harder it is to get pregnant, plus the risk factors also doubles after the age of 35. So if you can, please whisper a little prayer for us today - thank you!
For those of you who also have babies in mind, here's a tool that might be of help - an Interactive Pregnancy Calendar from iVillage.Com
Gifted and Talented Education Programs vary depending on where you live and what curriculum your child's school is implementing. In my daughter's school they use what is called Direct Instruction (DI) Program. DI has its share of supporters and critics; on one hand it can be effective in identifying certain loopholes in learning, especially if the child's first language isn't English. On the other hand, DI can be boring for some students, specifically those who speak English fluently.
In our case, English is our second language and DI really helped my daughter grasp the language easily. However, there are times that she too finds this form of instruction tedious. Luckily, she has been in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program since Kindergarten. GATE provides her with extra intellectual stimulation in the form of special projects, reports, explorations and competitions. In her school they implement a pull-out program wherein gifted students leave their regular classrooms and go to their GATE resource room. These classes are held once a week for 180 minutes under the guidance of a GATE teacher.