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"Television" Game Promotes Quickness
In this Idea Place entry, one Gifted-Children.com member explains a "TV" game her kids created that encourages mental agility and flexibility. Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

Time Management: Hurry Up and Plan!
In this Idea Place entry, a Gifted-Children.com member shares how she helps her children plan their time -- so there's time left over for fun! Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

Are Science Fairs Worth It?
In this Teacher's Bulletin Board, a master teacher explains the value of science projects and offers a classroom schedule for preparing for a science fair. Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

Wake Up Sleeping Talent in Your Youngster
In this follow-up Home and School Brief to the article on celebrities in our last edition, several well known stars reveal how their home life -- and in some cases solitude -- had an impact on their talent development. Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

Communication Begins In-House
Support for the gifted program must begin inside the school district with fellow teachers. Here are 10 tips for building communication and winning the support of your colleagues. Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

Montessori Education: Not Right for Every Child
In our last edition we explored the benefits of Montessori education. This time we hear from Gifted-Children.com members whose experiences with Montessori education were not completely satisfying. While the overwhelming majority of responses were positive, the following comments represent some concerns to keep in mind when evaluating Montessori education for your child. Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

Is Your Child Ready for Early Entrance?
This article explains what factors you should consider in deciding if early entrance to school is right for your child. This is a meta-analysis of 21 studies from which sound advice is culled. Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

How to Help Your Child Overcome Shyness
In this Ask the Experts article, a counselor gives tips and guidlines for helping parents help their shy youngsters come out of their shell. Topics include identifying strengths and weaknesses, improving communication skills, role playing, and coping with stressful situations. Shyness can be conquered! Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

_______Ask Dr. James Alvino
Thinking about Eminence
What is the difference between eminence, reknown, and fame? Which does our society value most? What implications does this have for gifted programs? These questions are addressed in this insightful editorial.
Jump to Full NewsWeb Story

In just such a fashion, however, we often expect our children, especially our intellectually gifted ones, to make moral decisions as an adult. Because they are often sensitive to values and moral issues, they may appear to be more mature than they actually are.

But just as an infant is unable to communicate in an adult fashion, our children however bright, are essentially unable to make moral decisions on an adult level.

Higher moral reasoning requires an ability to reason abstractly. As Jean Piaget, the classic child development expert, has so clearly demonstrated, even most of our very bright children do not have this capacity until late childhood.

With this understanding, you can help your son or daughter develop and refine moral reasoning skills as their capacity increases and avoid unrealistic expectations. By understanding a theory of moral development, you can improve communication in your home and enhance family relationships.

Editorial Staff
Editorial Staff

Kindle the Fire in
Your Young Artist

"I often doodle during breaks at school. I have drawn pictures ever since I can remember. I like the imagination I can put into my drawings because there is no limit to the possibilities." -- Eighth Grade Student Indiana University Summer Arts Institute

How can you determine whether your child's love for doodling truly represents artistic talent and, if so, what measures you should take to support his or her interest in the arts?

Over the years we have sought answers to these questions by working closely with students, their parents and teachers, administrators, and others who are interested in developing special abilities in the visual arts. As a result we have formulated some ideas about identification, teacher characteristics, curriculum content, educational settings, administrative arrangements, and educational resources that best serve the needs of children gifted in the visual arts.

How Do You Identify Them?

Editorial Staff
Editorial Staff