HOME SCHOOLING GIFTED STUDENTS

Home schooling can be a wonderful alternative education for gifted children whose unique academic, social and emotional needs are not being met through traditional schooling.  This is especially true for the highly+ gifted population.  Home schooling can provide an education individualized to children’s needs, strengths, challenges, passions, learning styles and asynchronies.  Among its many advantages, home schooling allows children to develop at their own pace, in every area.  Children can be authors of their own educations and creators of their own lives, as they forge their own unique educational paths, freed from the constrictions of the ‘one size fits all’ traditional model of schooling.

Home schooling is the fastest growing educational model in America today, and families with gifted children constitute one of the fastest growing populations in home schooling.  Limitless resources exist today for home schooling families to provide an education that can far exceed what their children are currently receiving in traditional schools.  The entire world is a home schooler’s classroom. 

Many home schooling support networks exist locally and nationally, providing an endless array of academic and social opportunities for home schooled children.  Home Schooling Gifted Students is one such local support group, focused on the needs of families home schooling gifted children.  Parent support meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the last Tuesday of each month (except December and summer) at 2306 Orrington Avenue in Evanston.   For more information, contact Cindi Link, cindi@marketinganalytics.com.  All are welcome to attend!

Resources for More Information

Lisa Rivero.  The Home Schooling Option:  How to Decide When It’s Right For
                        Your Family.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.  ISBN:  0230600689

Lisa Rivero.  Creative Home Schooling:  A Resource Guide for Smart Families. 
                        Great Potential Press, 2002.  ISBN:  0910707480

Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer.  The Well Trained Mind:  A Guide to Classical
                        Education at Home.  Norton & Company, 1999.  ISB:  0393047520

John Holt and Pat Farenga.  Teach Your Own:  The John Holt Book of
                        Homeschooling.  De Capo Press, 2003.  ISBN:  0738206946 

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/home_sc.htm.  Home Schooling Gifted Children
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/  A-Z Home Schooling
http://www.illinoishouse.org/  Home Schooling in Illinois
http://www.tagfam.org/  TAGMAX:  national list for families home schooling gifted
http://www.mhla.org/information/resourcesarticles/holtorigins.htm  John Holt
http://www.homeedmag.com/  Home Education Magazine
 

IllinoisTAG online support for homeschooling gifted in Illinois                                           
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/illinoisTAG
Resources compiled by Leslie Contos soul3@sbcglobal.net

Traditional coursework is the spine but enrichment and individual interest is the meat.

Plug in your zip code to find family volunteer opportunities in your area:
http://www.volunteermatch.org/
Field trip ideas:
http://www.illinoishouse.org/fldtrip.htm
Bridge building contest for budding engineers and architects:
http://www.iit.edu/~hsbridge/database/search.cgi/:/public/chicago/index
Fermilab, resources for the physics minded:
http://ed.fnal.gov/
Illinois science fair:
http://www.niles-hs.k12.il.us/jacnau/IJAS/regional.html
Illinois history fair:
http://www.state.il.us/hpa/locate.htm
Library search
http://www.worldcat.org/
Children’s Film Festival
http://cicff2008.org/

Free online resources:   just a small sample of what’s available:

Nasa http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbygradelevel/index.html
Fitness http://www.presidentschallenge.org/
History http://www.mrdonn.org/
Language Arts http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/SCORE/welcome.html
Math http://archives.math.utk.edu/k12.html
Government http://www.youthleadership.net/

Accredited Distance classes

An option for self-directed learners, who are interested in learning subjects in a traditional format:  http://www.extension.harvard.edu/DistanceEd/
http://www.homefires.com/articles/gifted.asp

Transcripts & Diplomas

You should start keeping records when your child starts high school level classes.  This site has lots of free templates: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/olderkids/Transcripts.htm

Part-time Public School

Homeschooled students may enroll part-time in their local public school if there is space and notification is given by May 1.  Law can be read at this site: http://www.lake.k12.il.us/roe_home_sch/docs/Dualenrollforweb.doc

Dual Enrollment

Some 4 year and community colleges have dual enrollment programs for high school students.  Your best starting point is looking at the admissions guidelines on the college website.  Look for the terms “dual” or “concurrent” enrollment. Here is one school’s policy: http://www.highland.cc.il.us/admissions/homeschoolsteps.asp