An activity on William Caxton, inventor of the printing press, which illustrates teaching and questioning methods that work for gifted children. Includes a downloadable version of the activity!

May 6! Or May 7, 8, 9 or 10! Right now some 60 small children in New Zealand are waiting eagerly for one of these days to arrive. When it does, it will be their first-ever day in One Day School – and they can’t wait! Rosemary Cathcart has taken a holistic approach to this, spending two years trialling various strategies, observing and recording children’s responses, and eventually developing a specific “Model of Needs” as a guide for program development.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Arboretum takes readers to many habitats and explorations of at least 150 of the world’s trees in the seven biomes where they flourish. Gifted readers will be delighted to have an accessible “museum” in their own homes or classrooms. Arboretum is the newest volume in a series of giant-sized nonfiction books that simulate the experience of visiting museums devoted to erudite fields of knowledge such as archaeology, history, oceanography, geography, botany, zoology, paleontology, and astronomy.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Cosmic Wonder is an excellent fusion of several sciences (astronomy, biology, botany, geology, zoology) and history (anthropology and archaeology). Author-Illustrator Ashley Behnam-Yazdani reveals the astronomical history and point of view of the most famous comet in our solar system while she also forges a stunning visual timeline of the evolution of early Earthlings and the growth of humanity, the dominant species on our planet.

This month I thought I would write about something more local than my last article so, I decided to write about the proposed Sun Bear solar farm on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation, near Towaoc, CO and how tribes may benefit from projects like this.

The Climate Crisis is getting nothing but worse and although as a world we are seeing some progress, many countries are still not doing enough. This month, I want to tell you about one country that is taking serious measures to reduce global warming and doing unbelievably well. The country is: Iceland. It is possible to slow change, we just need the will.

“Maybe you’re called to influence the one who will influence the thousands.”

For those of us who work with gifted learners, those words of author Mark Batterson likely resonate. We see the power and potential of our students every single day, but we also see their struggles. Our children are often told by the world that they are “too much,” but our world needs their “too much.” Read more about the power of Micro Schools.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | There Was a Party for Langston is not so much a juvenile biography of

Langston Hughes as it is a celebration of his profound legacy as a word maker and his influence on generations of African-American authors and poets such as James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, and Alex Haley.

Dyslexia can disguise giftedness. The term “stealth dyslexia” was first coined by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide in 2005 to refer to students (often gifted) who could fly under the radar for detection because of compensatory strengths. Some may be able to compensate for poor decoding by strong listening comprehension and the ability to “fill-in” what is not completely decoded by reading.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The most recent Book of the Month column in the Gifted Development Center publication (December, 2023) was titled “Two Bad Boys.” As promised, the Book of the Month column begins the new year, 2024, with a tribute to “Two Good Girls.”

Madeline and Eloise are two of the most gifted and assertive girls in the history of 20th century picture books.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | In a new secular Christmas book, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen encourage questioning and brainstorming about the countless ways Santa Claus may make his annual Christmas Eve visit to all good girls and boys. No children are left out even if their homes are tropical residences made of grass, pueblos made of mud bricks, or urban high-rises made entirely of steel and glass.

The holidays are an excellent time to make lasting memories with your kids. However, the excitement of the festive season and schedule changes can sometimes be challenging for children and their caregivers to manage. To make the most of this special time of the year, I’ve put together some tips on scheduling, travel and social gatherings, to help you best support your gifted or twice-exceptional child during this holiday season.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Ladda Tammy Duckworth is one of the most heroic persons to ever sit in the Congress of the United States. She is an incredible role model for women, persons with severe disabilities, critically wounded soldiers and veterans, gifted children and adults, and citizens of bi-racial ancestry. A Life of Service is a book to be read by all readers who admire courage and extraordinary giftedness realized.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Aaron Reynolds’s moral is simple. Growing up can be scary, but every act of courage is rewarded. Never be afraid of the dark. Peter Brown again uses graphite-shaded illustrations with the singular exception of ghoulish green underclothing that glows even in the dark.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | A Is for Australian Reefs is a wonderful example of the alphabet book genre. It is filled with revealing information, cogent and insightful writing, and brilliantly colorful illustrations.

We are creators. Every day we design our lives. We choose to survive major illnesses, to overcome obstacles, to do our own part in making this a better world. We seek meaningful lives, and we desire that our children do the same. Most of our GDC parents want their child to be happy—now and in the future. They don’t say, “Tell us how to make our child successful.” I believe happiness comes from following our drive to create.

Acceleration is allowing a student the opportunity to move through an educational program at a younger age or at a faster pace than typical. It is the most research-supported intervention in gifted education. Is this the right course of action? Read more about our expert recommendatioons.

CAPD occurs when an individual has excellent hearing but has difficulty understanding speech and concentrating in the presence of background noise. CAPD occurs independently of other strengths, including strong intellectual abilities. Regardless of where intellectual abilities fall, if CAPD is present, one can benefit from solutions that help manage their CAPD.

The gift of excellent vision is one gift all children deserve.

For nearly 44 years, Gifted Development Center has been a beacon of child-centered assessment. We are seeking gifted poet/examiners to continue our work who can “attend in a more perceptive, intimate, even holistic way.” We need assessors who excel at listening, who can tell a story of who this child is, what are this child’s needs, and why we should care.