Gifted Children

by Maria Corse
 
In our culture, we frequently place gifted children on a pedestal and presume that those bright and curious little people will live up to our expectations: high achieving, self-directed, read early, receive good grades, and that school is easy for them, along with many other commonly held myths.
 
Children, who are neurologically designated as gifted, actually, think and process differently than neuro-typical kids.  These children are defined as asynchronous, which essentially means that their brains, bodies, and emotions are all developing at different rates and times.  A child who wows us with their seeming ability to grasp the most abstract concept, at a very young age, is still - for all intents and purposes – a young child. 
 
Gifted children are often perfectionists, highly sensitive, and extremely intense.  They, many-times, have multiple on-going projects which are only occasionally finished.  These kids can fixate on one particular subject to a point that borders on obsession, or, they may have a thousand areas of interests, which they are exploring simultaneously.  They can also be learning disabled - which is defined as twice exceptional.
 
Providing the necessary resources and support is sometimes difficult, because they are different for each gifted child.  Experts do know that structure is important; however, flexibility is essential and one static age/grade based curriculum is not beneficial. Experiential learning is a necessary tool, including hands-on creative outlets related to art, music, and movement. They need to be constantly challenged with new concepts, themes, and games.  While reward and punishment are not great motivators, these children are often able to discuss consequences, because of their clear-cut sense of right and wrong.
 
Although not all children are gifted – I do believe that every child has specific talents and abilities that make them uniquely brilliant individuals. Within that firmly held philosophy, Deep Root Center offers an educational environment that is nimble enough to accommodate every child’s extraordinary aptitude with enough guidance to challenge them to question existing stereotypes. This methodology allows them to seek out divergent facts and opinions, as a means of enhancing personal knowledge, but, more importantly, also allows them to develop a receptive and accommodating world view. 

• Credit to: https://ihomeschoolnetwork.com/homeschooling-gifted-kids-entails/, a valuable resource that increased my understanding of giftedness exponentially.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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DRC NEWS
 
Summer Programs – Let DRC fill your child's last weeks of summer with fun, engaging activities.
 
DRC Theater Week begins Aug 14th.  If you have a little, or, big drama enthusiast, this is the summer program for them.  Theater educator, Karen Wells, uses a hands-on active approach when teaching theatric skills.  Participants will have the opportunity to choose skits and short plays to develop their own on stage persona. 
 
Music Week is coming up Aug. 21st.  Christopher Raymo, the DRC music director, brings a gentle nurturing approach to music education. Your music enthusiast can jam on our large variety of instruments, learn about various musical styles, as well as the basic notes and chords. They will also have access to recording equipment and may even create an original song or two.
 
Arts and Crafts Week is Aug. 28th – Pure imagination and creativity are the themes this week.  Kids will have access to DRC’s abundance of art, and craft materials to envision and produce fantastical works of art or to develop their very own mini-world from boxes and other recycled materials. 
 
Register on-line or contact Maria for additional info.

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