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5 blogs you need to read about intellectual giftedness

5 blogs you need to read about intellectual giftedness

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5 Blogs on intellectual giftednessHello there,

Just a quick post  today, but one that this blog can’t do without *grin* As bloggers, we all have different perspectives on our topics. I’m a mom blogger, and as much as I read up on giftedness and education, I can’t cover all the topics a teacher or a child psychologist can. I don’t want to do that, either – I much rather deal with my personal struggles on my blog. But I sure love reading different points of view! Some of these blogs are fun to read, some are more serious – but they all have their unique point of view.

Crushing tall poppies

Celi is an author, has several degrees in education and her blog is super interesting. If I don’t find time for anything else, I still keep up with this one. Yes, even if I am super busy. This is one of my favourite blogs.

Gifts for learning

This one is a massive site! I have not waded through all of the articles, but I am currently doing my best! To mix it up, you can find some fun stuff in between the more serious posts.

Gifted Unschooling

Sadly, this is not current. I still include it because it has a bunch of information about twice exceptional kids and unschooling.

Gifted Challenges

By a psychologist – highly informative! I just read about things you should never say to you gifted kids –  I’m guilty of saying a couple of the phrases she mentions…

Mensa for Kids

OK, so that is technically not a blog, but it has soooo much information and resources. I had to include it. The lesson plans are great!

What is on your feed? Let me know if I forgot anything – I love finding new resources, friends and fun things to read! I’d love to be part of a big network.

 

The Insider’s Guide to Science Kits Part I
Science-y Stuff with the Fighting Princess: Growing Crystals

The Insider’s Guide to Science Kits Part I
Science-y Stuff with the Fighting Princess: Growing Crystals

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This is a review of the Kosmos crystal growing kit. It’s not a sponsored post, just our honest opinion. We got no compensation. Some pictures are affiliate links, though – if you buy through them, we’ll get a small compensation for it.

The Fighting Princess is a total science nut. She always wants to figure out how things work, So her Oma gave her a crystal growing kit for her birthday. While I couldn’t find the one she got – well I did, but it doesn’t ship to the US – this one seems to be exactly like the one we have.

So, what’s inside?

What we first noticed when opening the box was the full color manual. The fighting princess started reading the safety rules while I checked out the rest of the box. For all their insisting on proper lab rules, the chemicals inside are not particularly dangerous. My daughter is really strict when it comes to the rules 🙂

There are three different chemicals for making crystals, but the one used in almost all experiments is Potassium Alum Sulfate.

I thought the experiments would be too short, but it turns out they are  perfect. There is a short period of activity, followed by waiting. The crystals take from 24h to a couple of days to grow, so you can start the experiment when you have about half an hour. If you want to do more than one experiment you can – the crystals might take time and the experiments are serial, but there are a few that will work parallel, too.

The result is gorgeous. The Fighting Princess is now obsessed with the pretty Alum gems. She keeps them in a see through treasure chest that comes with the kit.

Once we run out of Alum, we’ll simply get a pound of the stuff from Amazon. She is currently planning to make crystals for all her friends as holiday presents next year, so we’ll get some in September. I will experiment with colors too. I let you know how that goes.

What age is it for?

It is marketed as 10+, but Fighting Princess had no problems at all. She understands what is happening and why the crystals grow and the tasks are pretty easy. So for gifted kids interested in science I’d say 7 and up – but with the help of an adult you could start earlier, if they like the topic.

Is it worth getting?

Absolutely. While we are extremely happy with the kit we have, crystal growing kits are pretty popular. As long as you grow alum crystals, they should work similarly.
If you don’t want to buy a kit, some alum and a mason jar will do. There are a lot of wonderful tutorials online. Here is one on wikihow – very easy to understand.

What is next?

This is the first part – I plan to add more, if that is something you want to read. Coming next is a short one on excavation kits, but I’m open to suggestions. Let me know in the comments section!
Did you grow crystals as a kid?