Update from Thusrday, Feburary 4th, 2010

Information from the Summer Camp Fair

A variety of day and overnight camps from near and far sent representatives and information to our annual GECO Summer Activities Fair on February 4. Click here to view detailed information and find website and contact information for all of these organizations.

Thursday, February 11, 2010:  7:00 to 8:30 at Avery Coonley School, Downers Grove

Evening Speaker:  Linda Silverman, licensed psychologist, and noted author, presents Help! My Child is Gifted!  This program is open to the public, but registration is required and there is a fee to attend.  See: www.averycoonley.org/events for more information and to register.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010:  7:00 to 9:00 at a member's home

Evening GECO Parenting Book Club meeting to discussLiving With Intensityby Michael Piechowski and Susan Daniels.  Please come join us and be prepared for our March speaker! Contact GECOParentingBookClub@ArvaMont.com for more information.

Friday, February 19, 2010 9:15 to 11 am, downstairs at the Hinsdale Public Library

GECO Coffee/Discussion: Join other parents in a discussion about raising and educating bright children. Learn from parents who have older children and share your insights. Anyone with an interest in the education of gifted and talented children is welcome to attend, membership not needed! Bring your favorite brew and joins us for the discussion. Click here for more details.

Thursday, February 25, 2010:  12:30 to 2:30 at a member's home

GECO Planning Meeting:  All members are encouraged to attend monthly planning meetings.  Please email GECO@ArvaMont.com for location. 

A Saturday in March at Fermilab

GECO Kids Event:  Learn what they do at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.  This event is still in the planning stages, watch the GECO web site or your email for more details. 

Tuesday, March 2, 2010: 7:00 to 8:30, Hinsdale Middle School Commons     

GECO Evening Speaker:  Michael Piechowski, co-editor with Susan Daniels of Living with Intensity, shares his insights on intensities and sensitivities in gifted children.  This presentation is free and open to the public.  Contact GECOParentingBookClub@ArvaMont.com for more info. 

Thursday, March 4, 2010:  12:30 at a member's home

GECO Literary Book Club – Come to discussNurture Shockby Po Bronson and A. Merryman.  Contact GECOLiteraryBookClub@ArvaMont.com for location and to RSVP. Flyer.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010:  12:30 to 2:30 at a member's home

GECO Parenting Book Club:  Book still to be determined.  Nominate your choice!  Contact GECOParentingBookClub@ArvaMont.com for information and with nominations.

Thursday, March 25, 2010:  12:30 to 2:30 at a member's home

GECO Planning Meeting:  All members are encouraged to attend monthly planning meetings.  Please email GECO@ArvaMont.com for location. 

Thursday, April 8, 2010:  12:30 at a member's home

GECO Literary Book Club – Come to discussLook Me in the Eyeby John Elder Robinson.  Contact GECOLiteraryBookClub@ArvaMont.com for location and to RSVP. Flyer.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010:  12:30 to 2:30 at a member's home

GECO Parenting Book Club:  Book still to be determined.  Nominate your choice!  Contact GECOParentingBookClub@ArvaMont.com for information and with nominations.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010, in Springfield, Illinois

SPRINGFIELD DAY 2010 A day for gifted and talented children, their families, and their teachers to gatherin Springfield, Illinois- Sponsored by the Illinois Assoc. for Gifted Children

Mark your calendars and plan to join hundreds of gifted and talented children, their parents, and their teachers from CPS and across the state on a visit to our state capital. Last year over 1,000 parents, students, and teachers participated, and for the first time in five years, the state provided some funding for Gifted Education. Our collective voices were heard! With your participation this year, it is our goal that the level of funding will be increased. Contact Kathy Marinko atkathyjamz@aol.comfor moreinformation.   

Thursday, April 29, 2010:  12:30 to 2:30 at a member's home

GECO Planning Meeting:  All members are welcome and encouraged to attend monthly planning meetings.  Please email GECO@ArvaMont.com for location.

This is a list of interesting opportunities for children, for families and for parents. Click on the Parents link to go to that part of the page.

Interesting and Educational Opportunities for Students or Families

Fermilab Science Adventures

http://ed.fnal.gov/sciadv

Science Adventures are informal classes for students in grades PreK-10 held on Saturdays throughout the school year and during the summer. See the link to view a listing of current classes. 

Fermilab Tours

http://ed.fnal.gov/programs/tours/

Ask-a-Scientist held on the first Sunday of the month. Fermilab offers a short talk followed by a behind-the-scenes tour. Ask a scientist questions about Fermilab or about physics in general. Registration required.

Get to Know Fermilab held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Visitors meet in the Wilson Hall atrium for an introductory tour of the Lab and are welcome to enjoy lunch in the Wilson Hall Café.

Downers Grove FroG (Friends of the Gifted)

www.dgfrog.org

FroG is the Downers parents group providing programming for gifted students. Most of their events are open to the public. Here are a few things they have going:

Super Saturday Classes

FroG runs Saturday classes in the fall and winter months. There are nearly 40 exciting classes on offer, with topics like lotions and potions, bicycle maintenance, cartoon creations, Spanish, chess, airplane building, history and hula dancing. See their web site for some of their upcoming offerings and registration dates.

 

Northwestern Center for Talent Development

http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/

The Northwestern Center for Talent Development runs numerous different programs target at gifted children:

Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) (grades 3 through 9)

Northwestern University’s CTD Summer Program (PreK through grade 12)

Saturday Enrichment Program/Accelerated Weekend Experience (PreK through grade 9)

Gifted LearningLinks(K through grade 12)

Civic Education Project (grades 7 through 12)

Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder 

http://www.centerforgifted.org/

The Center for Gifted at National Louis University organizes week long summer camps and weekend classes in the fall and winter for grades Kindergarten through 11. This year they are running classes in Burr Ridge! http://www.centerforgifted.org/burrRidge_win10.htm

MIT Splash 

https://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/index.html

One weekend in November, thousands of students of all types flood to MIT just for ESP’s Splash program to learn anything they want. From fractal fun to Hungarian history to aircraft analysis, Splash participants are introduced to a huge variety of topics by over 400 classes taught by teachers from the MIT community. Want to take a class on Egyptian mythology? Origami? Chemical sensors? All are possible.

Over the course of 20 hours during Splash, you can get your feet wet with a short introduction to any number of subjects—things you always wanted to learn, or topics you never knew existed. Or you can dive head first into an in-depth seminar or intensive workshop. The whole thing happens over the course of two intense days on the MIT campus, with classes taught by MIT students and community members.

Interesting and Educational Opportunities for Parents

Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC)

http://www.iagcgifted.org/

The Illinois Association for Gifted Children is an organization of parents, educators, and others committed to the education and development of children with diverse gifts and talents. We educate, support, and influence those who touch the lives of children and focus our energies to meet the needs of children with gifts and talents in Illinois through: advocacy, standards, and networking.

IAGC Annual Convention Workshop for Parents

http://www.iagcgifted.org/conventions/2010/MicrosoftWord2.07.10ConventionParentWorkshop.pdf

IAGC Annual Convention Parent/Educator Evening Seminar

http://www.iagcgifted.org/conventions/2010/MicrosoftWord2.07.10ConventionParentWorkshop.pdf

IAGC Annual Convention

http://www.iagcgifted.org/conventions/2010/MicrosoftWord2.07.10ConventionParentWorkshop.pdf

Information Kept by Popular Demand:

 

	In her talk “Encouraging Reluctant Mathematicians”.. Dr. Edna Bazik, recommended several math websites, click here for her full list.  Dr. Bazik, a noted educator and author, is the winner of the 2009 Illinois Council of Math Teachers Max Beberman award for outstanding service in the field of mathematics education.
	Gifts for the Thinking Child.  Are you stymied for a good gift for your child?  GECO has compiled a list of parent recommendation, click here: Gifts for the Thinking Child.

        

See our new page, Opportunities, for information regarding the Davidson Institute Scholarship.

 

       

Did you miss the GECO Summer Camp Fair, but you're still searching for the right thing for your children?  See our  2009 Summer Camp Catalog .

 

Thanks to Theresa Wilkie and Dr. Edna Bazik, who have been kind enough to share their annotated bibliography of sixty-four children's literature books with a Mathematics theme. This list was created as part of an action research project for National Louis University and includes books for a wide age range.  For more information: Book List

 

Literature for gifted kids:  This article by nationally recognized speaker  and gifted consultant Dr. Bertie Kingore contains an annotated bibliography with dozens of quality examples of children's literature that meet three important criteria: the books are written by authors of merit; each book contains well-developed characters who display gifted behaviors; and the stories include thought-provoking problem situations, issues, or personal needs with which gifted students can identify.  Includes books for grades K to 8.  http://www.bertiekingore.com/gtchildreninlit.htm

 

If you have questions or comments about GECO, please email us at GECO@ArvaMont.com.   For questions specific to this web site, please email GECOweb@ArvaMont.com.