A treasure for parents and kids. Links for kids and teens about artists, books, geology, physics and mechanics, planets and stars, stocks and bonds. Internet investigations, contests and awards, speak-outs where kids can share their work with other gifted children, magazines, movies, reading lists and software favorites.

Includes a discussion of the characteristics of some gifted children:

Synesthesia -- Sometimes called enriched perception, enhanced perception or multi-sensory perception, synesthesia is a condition relevant to, but not exclusive to, many fast learners.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has several programs during the year for smart, inquisitive middle-school and high-school students.

The best of these might be SPLASH, a [surprising inexpensive] fall weekend of classes and seminars at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus.

SPLASH sessions

Straight-ahead thinkers often can't understand how these kids learn.

have ranged from the computers, math and science you'd expect at MIT to poetry, sci-fi writing and non-linear thinking. There's also a Saturday program in the spring and a summer program, HSSP, for middle-school and high-school kids.

In a session on non-linear thinking, seminar leader Josh Shaine said a majority of people process thought in a stright-ahead, 1-2-3-4 fashion. But others -- including many gifted children -- put thoughts together differently. They could be more image oriented, and/or have colors attached to words and numbers, and process thoughts like a pinball game. More 3-8-1-5-then-2.

So even if they learn faster, their way can craze stright-ahead types, like many teachers, administrators and, yes, parents. Linear thinkers -- the majority -- often can't understand what's going on with these kids, don't understand why they won't respond like the others.

The boys and girls in Shaine's seminar learned that gifted children often just think differently. They learned that they aren't strange. Far from it.

KidsBoston has the local tutor for you

Local, Boston-area tutors are available to give your child the academic guidance, understanding, help and challenges that may be lacking at school. You can check by town, zip code or areas of expertise at KidsBoston Tutors.

The Sage School. South of Boston in Foxboro, Sage offers a kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum designed for gifted and highly able children.

ERIC: Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education: discussion groups, links, the law, research connections. By the Council for Exceptional Children.

Smart, practical information for teachers and teachers of highly gifted children. Parents can look too. Rhode Island Advisory Committe on Gifted and Talented Education.

GERI at Purdue . The Gifted Education Research Institute at Indiana's Purdue University does research on the psychology of talent development, trains professionals from many nations to promote development of people with gifts and talents and provides services to talented individuals and their families.

Super Saturday courses for kids through eighth grade have been conducted for 30 years. There are also summer camps for kids in pre-kindergarten through high school.

The About.com Guide to parenting of K-6 children. Solid information and links, including advice on fostering academic creativity in gifted students.

Association of Independent Schools in New England. Some of the very best private schools are in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut.

Gifted Canada. A forum, in French and English, for Canadian researchers, educators, organizations and families to share information about gifted education, research and resources.

The Davidson Institute for Talent Development in Reno, Nevada. Founded in 1999, the Institute seeks to recognize, nurture and support profoundly gifted young people and provide opportunities for them to develop their talents in positive ways for themselves and others. Davidson's services are advertised as free. Site has an impressive archive of information on the profoundly gifted.

British Mensa One of Mensa's primary aims is to identify and foster the gift of intelligence.It provides free online puzzles to promote awareness and self-realisation via home pre tests and supervised IQ testing. Many Mensa publications are suitable for gifted children and some provide advice and guidance for parents and guardians.

G.A.T.E.S Research & Evaluation & Dr. Carole Ruth Harris. This Winchester, Massachusetts, specialist works with [sometimes reluctant] school systems to create individual education programs for gifted and talented children.

The Gifted Development Center in Denver, Colorado. Linda Silverman, Ph.D., director. A reader suggested this site, saying he has found it a good resource.

Identification,
encouragement and development.

The Gifted Child Society

The young gifted child

We credit William Corbett and Marcela Pichon for leads to many of these links.

Corbett wrote these wise words:

I'm the father of five children (ages 33 to 8) and have found that most resources are directed to slow learners and that precious few benefit the bright.

I have come to realize that the ultimate responsibility falls on Mom and Dad's shoulders. This involves providing an enriched home environment and identifying resources outside the home.

I hope that you find these sites interesting and useful. Please remember, however, that being bright isn't enough - our children should also be healthy, happy, and (hopefully) well rounded.