Exquisite Minds: Creative and Gifted Children

Exquisite Minds believes in the importance of cultivating creativity in bright and gifted children. We believe creativity can solve almost any problem; rather than why something can’t be done, it’s how it can be done. Exquisite Minds offers support to parents and educators who want to challenge children to find new and constructive ways to look at the world.

No One Thinks Like a Thirteen-Year-Old

A friend of mine has several gifted children. One afternoon her 13-year-old son called her at work and said he was going to a friend’s house for awhile. His mom reminded him to hide the key for his sister Beth, …
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Teaching Creativity

Michael F. Shaughnessy, a columnist with educationnews.org recently conducted an interview with Abby Connors who wrote the new book, Teaching Creativity. I found this to be an excellent interview and well worth reading. Below is an excerpt from the interview about approaching …
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The Issue: Sexual Harassment at School

It is distressing to find out your child is being sexually harassed by another student, it can also be equally upsetting to find out your child is the perpetrator in a sexual harassment incident. The best of parents can have a child on either side, one who behaves inappropriately or a child who is a victim. Avoiding the common mistakes parents and educators make can help prevent additional trauma to those involved.
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The Three Biggest Mistakes Made in Disciplining Children

Child Management and Disciplining Children at School and at Home As a teacher of 16 years I can attest that my greatest battles in the classroom were due to behavioral issues with students. I knew consistency was the key but …
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Standardized Testing Partially to Blame for ADHD?

This is a very interesting video by Sir Ken Robinson, told through animation. Sir Ken talks about shifting educational paradigms. He may strike a chord with parents of children with ADHD, but his points are compelling and worth hearing. For example, …
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Benefit of Gifted Education for All Teachers

Gifted education for all teachers: A study of 10,000 students indicates if you teach children as if they are gifted, more children will perform as if they are gifted. Gifted is as gifted does—or in this case—gifted is as gifted …
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Changes in Teaching

Where has the creative teacher gone and how is this loss affecting our children? Changes in teaching: When I first began my teaching career teachers were allowed to manipulate the provided curriculum, teachers could even write their own lessons and supplement with …
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Benefits of Tutoring

We all need a little extra help sometimes. At some point in the academic journey, tutoring is of value in most student’s lives. Whether it be a high school student prepping for the SAT or a child with a learning …
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Thinking Games Kids Will Love

We like our kids to have games and toys which promote thinking skills and higher level learning—while keeping them entertained for more than a few mere minutes. Below is a list of some of our favorite thinking games for kids. As adults we enjoyed playing many of these games too!
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Classroom Dynamics: What you can do

With each new year, classroom dynamics change. Offering your child a few tips for starting the year off right can make all the difference.
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