Originally Posted by
Wondergirl
Teach her to rely on herself, to entertain herself and not have to depend on anyone else to keep her from getting bored.
I loved this line, and I couldn't agree more. Intelligence and natural curiosity go hand in hand. Some of the best things you can do as her mother would be to encourage that curiosity, to provide her with the resources that allow her to keep challenging herself, to instill in her a healthy amount of confidence and self-belief, and to supply her with as much balance as you can in all aspects of her life.
What's more important than the exact books she chooses is that she has a large resource of books available for her to choose from. She will probably dabble in different kinds of books and find herself naturally attracted to certain categories. This can help to show you where her interests lie and what her strengths are, which will also give you the possibility to foster those things within her. Regularly scheduled trips to a good public library would be a great idea.
As far as specific books go, I wouldn't dream of raising a child without having them read every single book ever published by Roald Dahl. The BFG is my favorite of the bunch, but they're all wonderful. Granted, they fall into the category of children's books, but I find them to be so special that I will still go back to reread them again as an adult. Other great and classic reads appropriate for her now or in the near future are Ann of Green Gables, books by Madeleine L'Engle (like A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels, the Nancy Drew series, The Chronicles of Narnia, books by Shel Silverstein, and various books of poetry.
I can understand some of your frustrations when watching your daughter get bored despite the efforts that have gone into ameliorating her previous boredom. Although I was given all of the opportunities available to me when I was in school, from gifted programs to being placed in advanced classes up to three grades higher than my own, I also had times when I still ran into real boredom. I think it had much more to do with the structure of the classes and the methods of teaching than with the materials themselves. It's true that most schools don't know how to deal with the needs of highly gifted children in the best way possible, but they usually just don't have the financial resources or enough time to dedicate to a single child with very special or very different needs. Moreover, I don't believe that most teachers get enough training to supply them with all of the necessary tools that could help them to better handle then needs of all gifted children. I do believe that this simply means that parents need to be as proactive and involved as possible in their children's education.
I can understand your consideration of homeschooling over classical schooling, but you're also going to have to weigh the social implications of that kind of a decision. Perhaps you could find a happy medium between the two. If this were my child, I would be looking into any available private schools or magnet schools that might be a better fit long term. I happen to love the Rudolf Steiner school system; there are Rudolf Steiner schools all over the world, so you might very well be able to find one in your area. As I see it, when I do have my own children, that's exactly where I will want to send them.
Great after school activities can also be a wonderful addition to your child's life. I loved reading that your daughters are involved in chess lessons. It's an ideal example of a fun, constructive and learning-based activity in which people of above average intelligence really have a chance to thrive. Of course, you don't have to stick with purely intellectual activities to encourage your daughter's overall growth. Girl Scouts, horseback riding lessons, dance, art lessons, music lessons, acting, language classes, team sports, and storytelling workshops are also wonderful options. Creativity in general is a phenomenal foil for personal growth, intellectual growth, social interaction, confidence building, and discovery.
Have you had your daughter's IQ tested? If not, it might be something to consider. However, if you do go this route, I would suggest that you not reveal her score to her. You might not even want her to know that she's being tested for her IQ. No matter what the result, you do not want her to get caught on the meaning of that number. Mensa has some great resources for gifted children and their parents. They also do testing. I would suggest contacting them for more information.
I would absolutely love to hear an update as this story unfolds. Please let us know how everything goes! Best wishes.