Navigating Summer Learning With Gifted And Twice Exceptional Kids

Summer is just around the corner. Navigating the summer months with your gifted and twice exceptional child can bring on a new level of challenges. These ideas can help.

 

Are you a family who sticks with a more traditional homeschool schedule where you start in the fall, go all the way through spring, and then take a couple months off in the summer? Or are you a family who schools year round? Maybe every day you do something small to keep yourselves going. You toss in projects, field trips, and excursions throughout the year, or maybe you keep a more strict schedule. 

There are so many different ways to homeschool our kids. It’s one of the most beautiful things about homeschooling. We get to design what works best for our family. I want to encourage you to think about the rhythm that fits your family best. Do you like to travel in the fall? Well, then take the fall off. Do you like to take smaller excursions throughout the year, then work year round so that you can just take off a weekend or four or five days here and there?

 

 

Summer Learning With Gifted And Twice Exceptional Kids

When we have quirky kids, the reality is that we need to think about things in a different light. It’s appropriate to consider your child’s individual needs and abilities as you’re setting up your summer plans and schedule. 

My background is in full-time teaching. Before I started homeschooling, I was a gifted specialist in the school system.  I left teaching originally not to homeschool, but to freelance, full-time.  A year and a half later we pulled him from school to homeschool.

All I knew at the time was a traditional school schedule. I had just come out of teaching in the public school system. My husband to this day is a full-time teacher. We would start our school year when my husband went back to school and we would end our school year when he was done. Eventually, I realized it was not working. We were not only adjusting to my husband being home for the summer, we also changed our daily routine with a long break.  It felt like we were constantly adjusting and readjusting our schedules. 

It’s why we made the change to year round learning. We started with just doing math every day and it worked well. Our kids knew that they needed to do a little bit of math before they could get on their screens, or go outside and play, or jump in the pool . Over time, we distilled our homeschool down to our must-do things that have to be done in order for us to feel like we got school in for the day. 

In summary, when you are homeschooling a gifted and twice exceptional child, you have to do what works best for you. Summer is no exception!

 

 

Summer In The Learners Lab

The Learner’s Lab is a community for quirky, creative, outside the box, differently wired kids who may or may not be gifted, who may or may not have twice exceptionalities, but who need something more. All summer long, we are offering the chance for kids to meet others just like them!

I used to dream of a place where my kids could go and talk to other people about their interests.
Part of it was that I was so tired of the incessant chatter. (Being real here – sometimes, all the kids talking about all the things is just too much.) Most of it though, was seeing how their eyes lit up when sharing a particular interest.
If your child is gifted or twice exceptional, my guess is you understand this perfectly. Quirky kids use interests and passions as a way to connect with others. Interests are a foundational part of their social and emotional development, and even the most socially insecure child will engage when something they love is the topic of conversation.

Last week, as I scrolled through the kids’ posts in The Learners Lab, I saw conversations about Pokémon, a favorite book series, Star Wars villains, and tons of pictures of dogs, lizards, cats, and rabbits.
I am so proud to say that The Learners Lab is a place where our children share their interests and connect with others.

We’d love to have your child join us this summer! Find out all about The Learners Lab HERE.

 

Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast #157: Navigating Summer Learning With Gifted And Twice Exceptional Kids

In this episode, Colleen shares the reality of navigating the summer months with a gifted and twice exceptional child. She shares what her family does and resources to help you plan to best summer yet for your family. 

 

Links And Resources From Today’s Show:

• SPONSOR: The Learners Lab
• Supporting The Social and Emotional Needs Of Gifted And Twice-Exceptional Kids
• RLL #101: Project-Based Learning with Cindy West
• No Sweat Nature Study
• The Best Advice I Can Give You: Become A Student Of Your Child
• RLL #89: Helping Our Gifted Kids With Social and Emotional Struggles
• Finding Homeschool Community (for our children and ourselves)
• Homeschool Curriculum for Your Asynchronous Gifted Learner
• The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Gifted Children

 

 

    

 

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