May 2012
 Educational Options
& TalentIgniter Newsletter |
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Keeping Up With Dr. Ruf
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 Besides her years of expertise as an educational consultant, Dr. Ruf also is well established as a national and international speaker on all issues of giftedness. Dr. Ruf will speak to parents and other interested families at Cyprus Classical Academy in Burnsville, MN on Wednesday, May 23, at 7:00 p.m. She will talk about personalities and how that affects school behavior and needs.
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Greetings!
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There are so many interesting articles being written about giftedness and the brain, and so many wonderful websites on the Internet that have interest for the gifted, that sometimes it's difficult to choose which items to leave out of my newsletter. But I encourage everyone to "friend" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, and I will do my best to pass along all the information I find that doesn't make it into print here. In the meantime, have a wonderful spring. Best wishes, Kathy Hara, Editor  |
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| Mindset |
"Growth Mindset" is the understanding of intelligence and abilities as qualities we can develop. The effect of this simple idea on achievement and success was researched for many years by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, Ph.D., and it was found to strongly influence student learning.
Dr. Dweck's research has resulted in Mindset Works, with its core program being Brainology. This online program, which Dr. Dweck developed with her colleague Lisa Sorich Blackwell, Ph.D., is aimed at middle school and high school students, with the goal to motivate them to full participation in their own academic success. It is available to students, educators, administrators, parents and anyone interested in learning how to improve their intelligence through teaching brain science and study skills.
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| Share Your Story of Giftedness |  Sonia Dabboussi founded the website Gifted for Life to help gifted adults maximize their own unique abilities, sensitivities, experiences and insights. Her goal is to help those who don't fully recognize their own giftedness in order to empower them to make the most of their lives. Sonia is now inviting gifted adults to share their individual stories - their knowledge and experience - in order to spark that insight for those who are struggling to define their own abilities. Accepted stories will be published. To read more about Sonia's project, visit her website. |
| Enewsletter for Kids | 
Mensa for Kids' Bright is an enewsletter for kids ages 6-10 sponsored by Mensa for Kids and the Mensa Foundation.
Every issue is full of fun games, puzzles, activities and factoids specially selected to encourage children to learn, explore and think in new ways. Regular features include games of logic, math, spatial relations and word usage; science features; activity ideas and "edutainment" programs; and feature stories courtesy of the Mensa for Kids Web site and the Mensa Foundation. For example, March's issue includes brain bending trivia from American Mensa's annual CultureQuest® event, tips on how to become a mad scientist, comics and word games.
It's easy to subscribe. Current Mensa members can subscribe at www.us.mensa.org/enewsletters, and nonmembers can visit www.mensaforkids.org/bright and follow the links under "Bright Newsletter" (scroll down). Parental permission for nonmembers under 13 is required. The most current 90 days of issues are available on both sites, and PDFs also are available for download and printing within each email issue.
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| Gifted in Wisconsin | 
If you live in southeast Wisconsin and have gifted kids, you should check out giftedinwisconsin.com. The site is a volunteer service project that was founded by a gifted student working with a few adults interested in gifted education. They offer local family meet-ups and a listing of events and opportunities which may be of interest, along with a compilation of web resources. There are many links to articles about giftedness and about the special concerns of the gifted. There is also a list of schools in the area that could provide a good educational fit for gifted children. In addition, there is a discussion forum that parents can sign in to (a Yahoo group).
So if you want to find other families in the gifted community in the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin, check out this site.
By the way, others have started gifted family meet-up groups around the country. For instance, two mothers of gifted children started www.giftedinmichigan.com. So parents anywhere can be proactive in forming groups where they and their children can feel they fit in!
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| Exquisite Minds: Gifted and Creative Children |  Here's a website that looks at problems in a little different way: the attitude at Exquisite Minds is that creativity can solve almost any problem. And they believe in the importance of cultivating creativity in bright and gifted children. From this point of view, Exquisite Minds offers support to parents and educators who want to challenge children to find new and constructive ways to look at the world. Some of the website features include Idea of the Week, Best Links for Educators, Best Links for Parents, and Best Online Brainy Games. Exquisite Minds also offers many other resources. |
| Infants and Social Intelligence |  Dr. Elizabeth Spelke is a researcher/professor with the Center for Brain Science at Harvard University, and she has been studying babies to find out what, if anything, humans are born already knowing. Most recently, she, along with her colleagues, have been working to identify the extent of an infant's social intelligence. Natalie Angier has written an article for the New York Times about Dr. Spelke's work in an article titled Insights in Human Knowledge, From the Minds of Babies. |
| Everyday Geniuses | |
Barbara Esham's mission is to expose the broader definitions of learning, creativity, and intelligence in a child friendly format. To that end, she has written a series of children's books, The Adventures of Everyday Geniuses (illustrated by Mike and Carl Gorden). In each book Esham introduces a character with a different learning style or difference.
The titles alone make these books irresistible: If You're So Smart, How Come You Can't Spell Mississippi?; Stacey Coolidge's Fancy-Smancy Cursive Handwriting; Last to Finish - A Story About the Smartest Boy in Math Class; and, my favorite, Mrs. Gorski, I Think I Have the Wiggle Fidgets.
"I set (the books) up in a way that there's a message for the child, a message for the parent and the peripheral visual humor will keep the child engaged," says Esham.
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| Right Side of the Curve |  Here's a new website that looks like a great opportunity for gifted families and individuals to share their experiences. More than that, Right Side of the Curve asks questions of professionals in the field, posts learning resources, and offers reviews about gifted learning tools and educational sites. Right Side of the Curve was conceived, developed and built by and for parents of academically gifted children. It is designed to appeal to and be useful for parents, educators, advocacy groups and experts. Right Side of the Curve is a safe place for you to ask questions and get answers from the people who can most relate - other parents. Sign up for a free membership and to receive information about the status of the site and hear about articles and events. |
| Summer Activities for Kids | 
Once again, Hand in Hand Homeschool has put out a list of summer activities you can do with your kids that are free or almost free. The items on the list are sponsored by national chains. Most of the links posted lead to a page where you may enter your zip code so you can find out what is offered locally.
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Educational Options
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Visit www.EducationalOptions.com to learn about how Dr. Ruf's 4-Step Process will empower you to get your bright child's needs met. The website also includes many articles written by Dr. Ruf and others about gifted issues; categorized lists of books recommended for those seeking more information about their gifted children and themselves; Dr. Ruf's speaking schedule; an archive of this monthly newsletter, beginning in 2006; and more.
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TalentIgniter
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TalentIgniter invites you to browse the many features offered on its website, including the following: |
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5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options
|  Formerly titled Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind), 5 Levels of Gifted, published in 2005 by Great Potential Press, combines four years of data gathering from 50 families
78 children with nearly 30 years of research and experience in the field of giftedness, individual differences, and high intelligence. The book is aimed primarily at parents and vividly describes the upper 10 to 15 percent of the intellectual continuum in human beings from birth to adulthood as manifested in their behaviors, thoughts, accomplishments, and test scores. She introduces the concept of Levels of Giftedness and makes it very clear how many factors contribute to a person's intellectual levels and achievement. |
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Keys to Successfully Raising the Gifted Child
|  You know your child is gifted. But how does that impact day-to-day life and your role as a parent? Written by Deborah L. Ruf, Ph.D., and Larry A. Kuusisto, Ph.D., Keys to Successfully Raising the Gifted Child is for parents who are new to the idea that their children might be intellectually advanced or gifted. This ebook addresses important parenting issues, including what to actually tell your child about his or her giftedness, how schools approach learning differences, best ways to provide emotional support, sibling rivalry, and more. The book delivers lots of provocative information that will lead to hours of good discussion, debate, and further investigation and research by group or class participants studying the gifted and talented. |
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