I am just embarking on this journey and need input.

What are you using, and are you satisfied with it? I have a very quick child. Not bragging, he just picks up things so quickly I'm not sure how to choose material for him. He's been to pysch eval and rated on a "very superior" level IQ, so I know he's going to be a challenge for me.

Can you friendly people throw in two cents' worth?

Welcome to Homeschooling! I also have a gifted son. He just finished and is preparing to leave for college this Fall. You can do it! Just develope his love of learning and encourage his natural curiosity and then point him in the right direction.

I pulled my ds  mid 2nd grade year and if I could have started out, I think I would have used Five in a Row. It's a unit study approach. I did use Learning Adventures for younger grades http://www.learning-adventures.org/ and the Tapestry of Grace for older grade http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/index.php

Rosey Posey on here used Ambleside http://www.amblesideonline.org/ so maybe she wil drop in a comment on it. As you can see, I am not a textbook person! LOL!

Take care and ask any questions and we'll try to answer.

Nina

Yep, I used Ambleside this past year. It's a challenging curriculum in the reading department. We're switching, though, because there is not nearly enough hands-on things to DO, see, touch, taste, hear...

The stories are interesting, but my kids need more sensory input than Ambleside can provide, and adding things is out of the question, because it's already an abundant load.

Think first about what your child enjoys. If it's reading, being read to, or listening to a book on tape, Ambleside will be quite a good fit.

Remember that you are not obligated to do things at grade level. You can mold a curriculum around your child.

He'll be a mix of k and 1st to start, I think. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with explaining things as he asks. We've done that until now, and that was fine, but I think it's time for a little more.

I like the unit idea. I think I'll be comfortable as long as I have a stick to measure. Ex. By the end of this year he shoud know: numbers to 30, all letters, basic single number addition, etc etc -- That's just out of the air while I'm typing.

Thanks for the links, I'm checking them out.

we use calvert  www.calvertschool.org

and we love it.

Here's the website for Five in a Row http://www.fiveinarow.com/

I also recommend lots of educational games, real and computer. Alsouzzles, visits to museums, parks, zoos etc. At this age I would limit actual "desk work".  Maybe grandparents can read stories into a tape player for your child. Have him dictate storied to you and then illustrate them.

There are tons of sites on the web that have free worksheets, so if there are some things you want him to work on, you could just print them out.

Alsouzzles?? LOL - never heard that word and not sure how to pronounce! I just have to check that out - curiosity killed the cat.

Thanks for the suggestions to all of you.

My son is profoundly gifted and we started HS'ing just after he turned five.  We've used K12 since that time b/c it's such a great fit for him - lots of depth and breadth and jumping off spots (rabbit trails).  Also, since you can mix and match grade levels and go at various speeds within courses, it makes it very customizable.  Plus, the planning and progress tools are sooooo wonderful!

K12 has activities for all learning styles and since my son is a global learner, he sometimes needs to mix it up a bit.  K12 is engaging and fun (for child AND parent!)

www.k12.com

We've always used K12 as independent HS'ers, not as virtual public school users.  I have many K12 books on my book shelf right now.

Also, I *highly* recommend the Hoagies Gifted site.  There's a lot of HS'ing info there.

www.hoagiesgifted.org

There are many 'net boards for HS'ing gifted kids, too.  There are lists at Hoagies.

I'd be happy to answer other questions!  We're moving into a more eclectic method this year due to DS using up most of the K12 K-8 courses.

JC

Janis,

That's what happens when the cat decides to post, YKWIM? If your child is gifted, homeschooling is the greatest gift you can give him. I pulled my gifted but special needs son part way through 2nd grade. Oh, the stories I could tell.

I know exactly - I had a cat for years that would lay across the keyboard and cuddle with the mouse. (have pics) I just figured that was a series of silly books I hadn't heard of yet. :)

The same cat would lay across the lid of my fish tank because it'd get nice and warm. Until ka-plop. She bathed regularly in fish water. lol

I've found two semi-local groups (we live in the boonies) and one online company's group that seem to be the support I'll need.  (plus hopefully you all won't get fed up with questions like this.)

I had a subscription to Enchanted Learning for a year because he started reading so young and I thought having pirntable books, etc would be good. I think it's limited, though.

One more question: Is there any book that are cut/paste activities. I had one (pockets) and he went through that like water. He loves that activity, but I don't exactly know what it's called, or how to look....anyone have one posted? :)

we used five in a row for K and it was a great fit.  You can make each lesson as simple as complicated as you and you child want.  Some topics we got into a lot of detail on, others we just touched depending on interest. 

We spent the rest of the day playing, exploring our community, reading other books, and playing (i can't stress playing enough -- even 'gifted' kids need unstruced play.

"One more question: Is there any book that are cut/paste activities. I had one (pockets) and he went through that like water. He loves that activity, but I don't exactly know what it's called, or how to look....anyone have one posted? :)"

Try some of the Kumon workbooks, my Kindergartener loves those.  There are some of those that are cut/paste.

We're big fans of the Well Trained Mind and classical education. For first grade we used Horizons Math 2 and some SIngapore Math 1B-2A.  We used Spelling workout B (he's a natural reader and speller).  We used SOTW for history. We used First Language LEssons for grammar and memorization. We were lax with science by choice but liked Evan Moore's Read and understand Science for Grades 1-2.  We concentrated on dh's writing using Daily paragraph editing from Evan Moore, How to Write a Super Sentence, various writing books (still fiddling with what method to use for writing.. IEW possible???)    Lots of advice on the forums at welltrainedmind.com. 

HTH!

Thanks!

I used most of Bob Jones University curriculum and I am very happy with it. It is christian curriculum . Science and Heritage Studies have lots of games and out of textbooks activities, for mathI used beka Arithmetic 1 this year, because id does goes little bit faster, than Bob Jones.