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Educational Options Newsletter
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 | Book Award |
| Speaking appearances |
To all our clients who have recommended Dr. Ruf to their
friends and neighbors for assessments, we thank you.
The core of our business is based on referrals, and we appreciate your
confidence.
www.gocitykids.com Here’s a great resource when you’re looking for an activity for your kids. “Go City Kids” lists places of interest for about 19 cities in the U.S., including the Twin Cities. You can enter variables such as the age of your kids, whether you’re looking for indoor or outdoor activities, or the particular part of the city.
This is a reminder to young home schoolers to submit articles for the Mensa Research Journal’s TAG Progeny section. The deadline is Thursday, November 30, 2006.
The selected theme for the November 2007 issue of the MRJ is “Home Schooling TAG Children.” Dr. Ruf is putting out a call for articles from children in her newsletter audience who at one time have been or who are presently being home schooled. Tell us about the experience, what you liked or didn’t like about it, or any thoughts about home schooling in general. The article can be up to 2,500 words. Submit your article to Dr. Ruf by email at inquiry@educationaloptions.com by November 30. A panel comprised of Dr. Ruf and a few colleagues will read all papers submitted, and they will choose one to be included in this issue of MRJ. Some articles not chosen may be posted on the Educational Options website and announced in a future newsletter.
You do not have to be a member of Mensa to submit an article. Questions, expressions of intent to submit an article, and offers from colleagues to volunteer as reviewers are welcome at any time by email, too.
The Next Level of Open Source This article describes how some of the elite colleges and universities are putting their course materials on-line for free and easy access.
Fermi Math League Program Information The Fermi Off-the-Wall Math
League is offered on-line by Minnesota’s District 287, but is open to anyone.
This is an internet-based math competition that poses such questions as “how
many water balloons would it take to fill the school gymnasium?” It’s great for
kids looking for a creative challenge, either for themselves or with a team. The
six-week fall session starts October 17, so check it out now! And while you’re
on the District 287 website, check out the other gifted and talented programs
they sponsor. If you live in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, you might also
want to look at District 287’s Northern Star Online, a public school partnership
providing on-line learning experiences for their students.
Gt-Cybersource Topic Search: Online High Schools Ever thought about
getting a diploma from high school on-line? There is a growing number of
accredited on-line high schools across the nation, which are listed on the
Davidson Institute’s GT-CyberSource.
Hoagies' Gifted Education Page: Distance Learning Programs Many colleges have on-line college level courses and anyone can take them. A lot of schools also offer correspondence courses. This list posted by Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page is a good place to start.
Looking for some engaging magazines for your kids in the 8 to 14 age range? Here are two sources recommended by one of our newsletter readers:
 | Cricket
Magazine Group Our reader recommended Cricket Magazine, aimed at
children ages 9 to 14. Stories include works of fiction, fantasy, folk
tales, adventures, poems, history, and biography. This company, Carus
Publications, also puts out magazines focused on American history, science
world history or world cultures, as well as magazines aimed at different age
groups. |
| Stone Soup Stone Soup magazine is made up of stories, poems, book reviews and art work contributed by young people from all over the world. The magazine is published six times a year. |
The 54th annual convention of the National Association for Gifted Children will be in Minneapolis at the Convention Center November 7 to 11, 2007. The local planner is Shari Colvin, with MCGT.
Dr. Ruf, who is American Mensa’s National Gifted Children Program Coordinator, and Teresa Manzella, Minnesota Mensa’s Gifted Children Coordinator, are in charge of events for Parents Day on Saturday during the convention. To make Parents Day a success, they will need three things: (1) parents to attend and take advantage of this opportunity to network, meet luminaries from the field of gifted, and learn more about high intelligence and education; (2) parents to submit speaking proposals and make presentations on that day; and (3) people to help with planning for the event, including advertising, program decisions, and much more.
This is a truly remarkable event that will attract thousands of people involved in and interested in the field of gifted children. To get an idea of what sorts of activities will be offered, look at the events planned for the upcoming 2006 convention at Doing Gifted the "Wright Way" in North Carolina.
Dr. Ruf’s book, “Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind,” was just given the Texas Association of Gifted and Talented Legacy Book Award in the Parent/Family category.
The national TAGT Legacy Book Awards honor outstanding books published in the United States that have long-term potential for positively influencing the lives of gifted children and/or youth and contribute to the understanding, well-being, education, and success of students with gifts and/or talents.
NAGC Convention (National Association for Gifted Children), Charlotte, North Carolina, November 2-5, 2006
| Session Presenter (with Keri Guilbault): "How Personality Affects Individual Attitudes Toward Global Caring." |
| Poster Session: "Early Childhood Behaviors as Predictors of Unusually High Intelligence." |
| Poster Session (with Keri Guilbault and Catherine Barney): "American Mensa's Gifted Children's Program: Supporting Gifted Children and Their Families." |
East Metro Chapter, Minnesota Council of Gifted
and Talented (MCGT), Thursday, November 9, at 7:00 p.m., site to be
determined.
Presentation on Levels and Profiles of Giftedness.
Littleton Public Schools,
Littleton, Colorado, Monday, November 27.
| Presentation to GT educators on Levels and Profiles of Giftedness: How to Meet Different Needs. |
| Presentation to parents on Levels and Profiles of Gifted Children. |
Dr. Ruf at Lahti, Finland, Town Hall, the town where the recent ECHA conference was held.
Deborah Ruf’s book, “Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind,”
is available through Great Potential Press or Amazon.com.
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