Help! My Kids Are Smarter than Me.

I think you're in Chicago right? If so, Northwestern University has the "Center for Talent Development". Its a program for gifted kids pre-k to 9th grade. The Saturday Enrichment Program runs every Saturday for 8 weeks each seession at various locations and has stimulating theme-centered classes for each grade level. For example they have geology for kindergarteners to robotics for the older kids. You need to be tested and score in the 95th percentile or higher in either math and/or reading. Its a great program for gifted kids because it engages them with interesting topics and they are around same-like minded kids. My son loves going. They also have great seminars for parents. It's a time commitment on our side as parents but hey...we always want good things for our kids right? The courses are a bit pricey and there are other places that offer similar programs like Concordia University in River Forest and Northern University. But the one for Northwestern has been around for over 20yrs and have great teachers. The next season starts soon so if you get your children tested soon maybe they can start this fall. Google Center for Talent Development by Northwestern and look at the program. Good luck!

Get acquainted with your local public library - IMO still the best place around to bring inquisitive kids with a thirst for knowledge. If there are local interactive museums, consider getting a membership to one (here in the SF Bay Area we have ones like the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Chabot Space Science Center in Oakland, and a bunch across the bay in San Francisco that we don't go to as often b/c driving there stresses me out LOL) - I've been pleasantly amazed at how these museums present science and nature concepts I didn't learn about until High School in a format that is relevant and engaging to early elementary school kids as well as having hands-on areas appropriate for preschoolers as well. Even "regular" museums are including more interactive features to nurture kids' interest in the arts - check the museum web sites to see what kinds of activities are available. Some museums even have some cool online interactives that are similar to what they have in the museum itself - check out this awesome one from the SF museum of modern art: http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/multimedia/interactive_feat...

One of my twin 9YO DD's has Asperger's (btw the community at http://childrenwithasd.proboards.com/index.cgi? has been a wonderful resource and moral support for this aspect of our life), the other is neurotypical but relentlessly curious (she literally reads anything with writing on it and I'm constantly having to stretch my brain to respond to her inexhaustible list of questions - one day when I was cooking, she was reading a can of non-stick cooking spray and asked "why does it say 'deliberate concentration and inhalation of vapors may be harmful or fatal'"?).

I try to maintain the perspective that it's OK if mom doesn't know more than them because we can all learn something together. This also takes off the pressure to feel that I always have to be able to answer their questions because I'm mom. And whenever a question stumps me, I say "put that on the list of things we can look up at the library" (yes, I know we could just google it, but I think it's worthwhile for them to learn to look things up in books - besides, this way the questioning doesn't derail whatever we were already doing because the question is postponed to the next library trip ...which happens at least once a week, has been that way since before they could walk).

So I guess my main advice is - be aware of what your children's interests are (sounds like you've already done that :-)) and start off at your local library and museums for resources to nurture those interests. BTW some children's video and DVD series that my kids loved when they were around your kids' age are the Little Mammoth "Big Adventure" series (the Big Airplane Trip, the Big Space Shuttle, etc.) where kids are the tour guides to a variety of cool places http://www.littlemammoth.com/ , and the DK "Eyewitness" series http://us.dk.com/nf/Search/AdvSearchProc/1,,S330,00.html (their nonfiction kids books are also great factoid-o-ramas for inquisitive kids, my 9YOs still enjoy them)

National and regional parks also often have awesome programs for kids to learn more about nature and history.

Who says you are not brilliant? You are probably lot smarter than you think.

Get used to it.. Follow their lead and never underestimate them.. We read any and all books we could get our hands on..

We also talked a lot about things from different pints of view..

We made up stories. When we ended a new book, we would ask, did you like that ending? Did you think it was going to end that way? How would you have ended it differently? Who was the main character, how did you now that? Is you made this other character the main character, what would their story have been about?

We looked up in the sky at the clouds to look at shapes. We noticed what we liked and why. What we did not like and why. How to improve things. How to make them funny/ What makes most people do the things they do?

When we put together a puzzle, sometimes then we did 2 puzzles or 3 puzzles at the same time. Sometimes we put the puzzle together on the "blank" side.

We also took our daughter to all sorts of events. Concerts, plays, art museums, exhibitions.. even car and boat shows.. Petting zoos, picked berries in big fields. Took hikes.

That being said, their emotional age is still close to their true ages, so just because they are so brilliant, do not be surprised that they still act like children. It can be difficult to remember this.

Finding resources like the school in Chicago that someone mentioned is a wonderful thing to do, but there are other easy things that you can do on your own as well.

I teach AP English, and I'm gifted/talented certified. My oldest son is 13, and is clearly smarter than I am, and my 7 year old may be as well. One thing that I've learned through teaching gifted kids is that they respond best to humble teachers. They appreciate it when you admit your own shortcomings or mistakes, so the fact that you admit that your children may be smarter than you is a step in the right direction. They'll appreciate it later.

My 13 year old has passed me in almost all areas, but we continue learning . . . together. He has an insatiable desire to learn about everything, so he teaches me what he learns, or we seek knowledge together. He constantly amazes me by how quickly he learns, figures things out on his own, creates original innovations, and never forgets anything. It's a wonderful way to explore the world.

Enjoy your bright children! :)

Just give them fun things to learn. My daughter has a placemat (Walmart) that is a map of the US. When we hear something on TV, I just say out loud I wonder where that is on the map. Even if she doesn't look, she knows where to go if she wonders where Kalamazoo is. I treat math the same way. If I need to sew 3 buttons on a sweater, I will say the problem out load. I can buy one pack of 4 or two packs of 2, then count them out loud. It shows them problem solving without a sit down, pencil to the paper approach. My daughter is much smarter than I was at a preK level!

Just seek out fun, educational activities--lego labs, book clubs at the library, etc.