Gifted at science - advice, please

[dozydrawers]

DS is nearly 7 and in Y2. He is gifted at literacy and science. On the whole, we are very happy with how his school meets his needs but I would like some advice on the science side of things.
I have a science degree but his ability to understand new concepts is way beyond mine and I am frequently unable to adequately answer his questions. We talk, read, use the internet etc but he would love 'more'. The trouble is, I don't know where to find 'it'. Do any of you have any suggestions of schemes etc that may suit him? Thanks in advance for your help.

I don't have any ideas for you dozydrawers but would love to know how you know he is gifted in science. In my children's primary school certainly not that much emphasis is given to scienece ( unfortunatly ) so would n't have a chance to know I dont think if one of my dcs was so gifted ( which they are not).

Maybe not exactly what you were asking, but if you are anywhere London I bet you would both enjoy these:
www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayContent&id=00000000848

Toffeepopple - thanks very much for that link. We are a little way from London but he would love the kind of activities mentioned so we will definitely make the effort to go sometime.

lisalisa - that's a really good question and quite a difficult one to answer properly. It's sort of 'obvious' he is gifted if you know him - not just in the being in the top 5-10% sense (which clearly he is) but he has the capacity to question, understand and explain scientific concepts way beyond his experience and years. The teacher with responsibility for science says she has never met a child like him and he comes up with questions that we really struggle to answer. It doesn't seem to matter that he hasn't learnt the basics, he can still grasp really complicated ideas. Everyone at school is aware of his ability but seems at a bit of a loss to know how to channel it. I agree with you that science is not given that much emphasis and that is partly what triggered me to start this thread. I have helped out in some science lessons recently and felt quite sad for him when I saw the level at which they were pitched.

Sorry that has turned into a bit of a ramble! Any more advice gratefully received.

Wow dozydrawers - maybe he will be a great scientist when he's older and discover some new cures/concepts/theories. What a privilige it must be to hav a child like that.

Ideas - hmmmm - I can't think of anything you probalby havnet' considered. But - if you live near to a science museum - thinking of the one in london particularly here maybe trips there would be good. They do packs of trails for kids and questions and do talks and workshop days too. You could always put your ds in one way above his age level to keep him stimulated.

Or what about a tutor if you can afford it to really stimulate him and start doing concepts with him that they 'd only do in high school . Chemistry set that you or another adult can do with him?

I would recommend the Cambridge Science Festival if it's not too far - Do go to their chemistry lecture if you can & lots of hands on stuff around the different science departments as well. Their website also has links to other science resources that may be useful.

What sort of science is he into? If it is physical science, how about starting to read the Feynman lectures together, diverting to the internet/children's science encyclopedia when you come up against a concept you don't understand.

Alternatively, perhaps you could try www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Easy-Pieces-Fundamentals-Explained/dp/0140276661/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=bo oks&qid=1260186216&sr=8-3 which looks a bit more accessible (I haven't read it myself though). If he is truly interested in science concepts, he may well not be satisfied with chemistry sets/kitchen experiments.

I would also approach a local university and see whether one of their lecturers or post-grads would be prepared to mentor your DS. I would, if he were anywhere near me (I'm a research scientist btw)!

Feynman lectures for a seven year old acebaby? . There's gifted and there's 'out there' gifted, but even for the later, that's a tall order.

I meant more the mum reading the lectures (or introductory notes) and exploring some of the concepts with the seven year old, bearing in mind she has a science degree. You're probably right though - I just didn't want to let the post go un-answered .

It's a very good idea for an older child though. I'd say bright sciency teenagers would enjoy six easy pieces (which is I think recommended pre physics degree reading). And if you have a child that way inclined it is a good idea for a parent to read too - so no need to .