posted on January 28, 2001 06:04:42 PM new
Well I am out of my comfort zone and so going to blather on about my situation in an effort to resolve what is giving me grief.
I have about a week to get myself square.
This is the situation.
My daughter is 5 YO ( will be 6 in June) and a 1st grader at a very small public school for gifted/talented children. She is in a class with 1st and 2nd graders and she is very Very happy.
She is self taught, we do not work with her at all, but do provide materials - (books!) on subjects she is interested in like when I posted awhile back on this board looking for a Spanish dictionary.
Anyway.. my daughter is doing very well in school and we have been called to a parent teacher conference .
We are 95% sure that they want to put her in 3rd grade next year and this makes me heave.
They have classes 1-2 grade and another 2-3 grade and in my mind, I had seen her spending 2nd grade in a 2-3 class instead of 1-2 class - kind of 2nd grade "plus" but it seems this is not going to cut it because she is too far ahead.
Well my knee-jerk reaction to this (my husband agrees) is NO WAY will we let them skip her because of the social aspect, but as we continue to mull it around, we are now thinking that we are possibility a bit in denial regarding her ability.
What I mean is -- if she is meant to be one of those 12 yr old University students - how are we going to stop it, and should we be trying?
Here are the facts.
Socially in spite of being 5 while the children around her are turning 7 and 8, she is doing marvelous. She is well liked and in fact she started 2 clubs on the playground deeming herself "President" and children are lining up to join. I don't get it, but it is.
On the downside, she is intermittently upset that she has all her baby teeth when the average kid in her class has lost 5 or more. She says she does not want to be "odd".
This is not consistent for her though. Just as often she is very proud of herself to be keeping up when she is younger, so
it is fair to say that she is ambivalent.
She is ambitions.
Wildly ambitious actually.
I first noted this when she was 3 and I put her in daycare 1/2 day to socialize.
She was already beginning to read at this time and deplored the "honeybee" section she was in and so I watched her operate.
She would wait until playground time when she could access the "Teachers" (to her this was SCHOOL) of the sections of this place with the older children and then she would work em.. She wanted out of "honeybees" and into "doodlebugs" and when she managed that - she upgraded - eye on Kindergartners. Anyway, she would cultivate them (the teachers)
- charm and dazzle trying to get herself promoted and eventually she managed.
Okay, so she is repeating this now.
As I said she is in a 1 - 2 grade class and they are teaching 1st graders "human body" and 2nd graders "solar system" and so what she has done is on her own/ her own time studied the solar system to such a degree that it is jaw-dropping.
She has read AT LEAST 50 books and can rattle off facts about each of Jupiter's Moon as well as information about damned mythical entity they are named for. She has total recall of facts - it makes me gasp, what she knows.
So.
I have to wonder what she is doing is teaching herself 2nd grade gifted curriculum - if she does not want to go to third grade.
Me: "what do you want to do today?"
Her "go to that site that has the talking Spanish dictionary"
When she gets there, what does she type in?
"Dog?"
No. She wants to know how to say "German" in Spanish.
I brought home "Chile Verde Doritos" and said "Ver-dee"
"There is no E sound in Spanish Mom Dom"
Okay - so a few people on the Full Moon thread have told me I have some good will in this community and so what I want to know is what do people think?
Here is what I am thinking.
Well first I was thinking NO WAY, but now I am thinking I do not want to say NO and then realize next year that is HAS to be done.
Here is why.
If they want to put her in 3rd next year, they can move her to 2nd grade NOW and she would still be in the same class - very seamless and then she would move on with the rest of the 2nd graders who she already knows (they moved her to a table with all 2nd graders already - I know what they are up to).
Also - I did ask her about this.
"What would you think if they put you in 3rd grade next year?
"GREAT! I would be the only one who could do that."
"But you would be in a class with kids as old and as big as "XXXX" (a 3rd grader in the car pool with her - who is twice her size +)
"Not great.'
"So you would rather be with kids more your age? I don't blame you."
"I would rather be with kids like "XXXXXX"" (a 2nd grader in her class)
"Is he a 2nd grader?"
"Yes"
"Well next year he will be in 3rd.."
???????
To be candid - we are beginning to think she is going to 3rd and I am probably here writing just trying to come to terms with it.
See, I wish it were not so, but I don't think it is right to stop her because I am out of my comfort zone.
The other thing is that I started school at 5 and skipped 2nd, hit 3rd grade at 6 myself. I have BAGGAGE.
My circumstances were very different that hers but no doubt my experience colors my feelings about this and so I am looking for other peoples ideas so that I can form my own and be comfortable with them.
Whatever the decision I want it to be clear and clean and strong.
Is she destined to be one of those whiz kids who just blow through whatever is put in front of them? This is how she is acting.
When she started at this school, reading was her bag. She did not know what 1 + 3 was. This Friday she brought home a timed math test (subtraction). She told me she was the only one in the class who did all the problems in the 6 minutes. She got 34/36 correct.
I don't even know when she learned to subtract.
posted on January 28, 2001 06:26:07 PM new
It *is* a difficult decision. But, let me give you a personal perspective. I myself was advanced from Kindergarten to 2nd grade due to similar circumstances as your daughter. I was reading when I was 2 years old. Menatlly more mature than the average Kindergartner. Self-motivated. Competitive academically. etc. etc. etc. I did *very* well, and I was happy. This was at a private school.
But then we moved and in the new town I was placed in a public school. The school's PTB felt I was "too young" to go on to 3rd grade, so they had me repeat 2nd grade. And my problems started. I was bored. For the next few years I went into a downward spiral, academically. I read on my own, voraciously, but school became a total bore. I couldn't understand why teachers repeated things over & over & over & over (I remember feeling that they treated us like idiots ). I tuned out & often got incredibly poor grades in classes because I just didn't care. Thankfully the high school instituted a program called "individual advancement" for kids like me (otherwise I might not have stayed long enough to graduate)--we could work at our own speed, with lessons tailored to our needs I blossomed in school once more. I zoomed through texts. I made honor roll for the remaining 3 years of high school (and straight A's).
From my own experience, I would say let your daughter do it. At least let her try. Our country is so caught up with the ideas of "socialization" and "everybody should be the same." When did being exceptionally smart become a bad thing--something to be stunted? I'd say, search out the best education your daughter can get--offer her every opportunity to shine.
posted on January 28, 2001 06:29:44 PM new
VM: I have some experience with this subject (as well as a few opinions, go figure). I sat in on several meetings when I was teaching with parents (and the whole barrel of 'experts') as well as got my hand slapped for REFUSING to allow a student to be 'skipped' to the next grade.
In my opinion AND my experience children like your daughter (with BOTH the ability AND the desire to learn) will do just fine 'knowledge wise' no matter where (or what grade) the end up in.
The most important aspect is the social one (no, I'm not saying the most important aspect of education is the social aspect....I'm saying the most important aspect for a child in this situation is social). On one hand I think it is much easier for a kid to 'skip' the lower grades, on the other hand the 'fall out' of skipping doesn't usually show up until about 5th grade.
I also find it very helpful for a 'skipper' to have outside activities......GROUP activities.
Here is what I would want to know about your kid: how is she with meeting new KIDS (gifted kids usually do just fine with teachers and older peers...mostly because the kid impresses them).....but if dumped in with a new group of kids, how does she act? Does it take her awhile to 'blend in'? Does she adapt to the group or does she do her own thing and let the group come to her?
There is no good or bad answer to those questions.....but the answers do help evaluate if the kid will sink or swim with new kids.
I think it is wonderful that you have talked this over with your daughter! However, remember the decision is YOURS....not hers, not the teachers, not the experts. While I know you feel out of your pond on this one, remember no one moves until YOU decide what YOU want to do.
posted on January 28, 2001 06:30:31 PM new
Let her advance--if she is unhappy it can always be changed. But if you don't try--you and she will never know
posted on January 28, 2001 06:37:50 PM new
Thanks bunnicula - that is very helpful, thanks for responding.
I do not want her to be bored, that is for sure, and she already doesn't fit in!
The part that concerns me is the worship of Britney Spears or NSynce whoever the 8 and 9 yr olds have.
This type thing. It is not appropriate for such a young child and I don't especially know how that it should or could be dealt with.
My daughter at this point is PURE intellectual. The love of her life is education and the older kids really don't project this. They are trying so hard at 9 to be 15 and this SCARES me! It is like her only hope is to be PURE geek and motor right by them. Is this it?
What am I missing?
I put her in this school and before this K at 4 and had no qualms.
I want to make a qualm free decision!
posted on January 28, 2001 06:44:47 PM new
I would definately let her advance. Special kids like your daughter can really thrive in a system that allows them to move ahead at their own pace.
You could look into Homeschooling...one of the positive sides of Homeschooling is the ability of advanced kids to work at their pace in each subject. Depending on where you live, there could be a good support system for homeschooled kids, one that would help you, and give opportunity to your daughter for the "socialization" that some feel is so necessary.
You could also look into Private schools in your area, sometimes they have other resources for the really bright kids. Some use systems such as ACE, that are tailormade for a student to work at their own pace.
She'll be worse off if she gets bored, especially in the long run.
I guess I would just sit down and tell her the facts. The facts are that she will not truly connect with children her own age who will be daunted, and she will not truly connect with children older than her who will allow themselves to be daunted I would tell her, knowing this painful aspect of her gift, to be true to herself. Her mind MUST be occupied with wonderous ideas and facts and experiments and that she has to feed it. Don't try to stop it and don't try to conform. Because frankly there is no place and no grade and no school she will be able to conform to.
Let her fly. It will hurt her in some ways but if she can't keep going the way her mind wants her to go she will be bored, worse still she will try to dumb it down so that she can belong.
She is too young for this kind of pain and this kind of game. As years go by she will find the ones who share this gift with her and she might be happy she didnt deny herself every mental challenge.
posted on January 28, 2001 06:53:11 PM new
Does the school offer a gifted program? In such a program, she would be interacting with kids her own age, but who match her mental abilities.
Another alternative, if you decide to not "skip" her, would be a half-and-half academic schedule which would allow her to take advanced classes for part of the day.
As to your fears of her being influenced by older girls to "worship" the latest pop idol or grow up too soon...while that can't be avoided altogether, you have the strongest influence on her life. Talk with her about what is & is not appropriate if she gets sucked up in all that. But...don't go looking for trouble. The way you describe her, she just isn't interested in all that yet (& believe me, you'll know when she is ) and the likelihood is high that for the next couple of years at least, that will just go over her head unnoticed. A geek? Why is that automatically a bad thing? Not all of us march to the same drummer, right?
posted on January 28, 2001 06:58:39 PM new
lotsafuzz - thanks
She is shy with new kids but they pursue her. It has always been this way and to my surprise her teacher reported this at the last conference which is one of the reason I was generous at Christmas for her! I knew she was watching my kid.
My daughter is aloof with new kids as a protective measure. Other times it seem she is just plain uh... eccentric. They will be waving at her enthusiastically and she acts like she doesn't see them. Sometimes it seems she is scared out of her mind, but most times it seems that she sees them and does not want anything to do with them, but lacks sophistication around how to handle it.
Anyway - she has never been lacking for potential friends. She draws a crowd and then picks one or two, forms like an inner circle, and keeps everyone else at arms length. Come to think of it, I do the same thing.
Yikes!
What does this tell you lotsafuzz?
Thanks Zazzie, Meya, I appreciate the input, I really do.
posted on January 28, 2001 07:06:34 PM new
bunnicula - she is in a small school comprised of nothing but gifted children. She is ahead of the kids who are ahead.
kitsch1 - thanks for posting - quite well put. I do know she will not fit in anywhere.
On the upside - she is not in pain. At least not yet. This is probably part of what is giving me grief. She has been able to sail quite smoothly and now either way - prices will have to be paid.
posted on January 28, 2001 07:11:01 PM new
oh - and I a sorry if it sounded like I meant "geek" negative bunnicula. I didn't. I think what I meant was the idea of it all going over her head. Right now that is what happens.
Other than wanting a tooth to fall out - she is not hell bent on being older .. well except for when she gets upset because she wants to be a "6 YO 1st grader" like everyone else but it passes.
No one teases her. I gotta think this is very lucky.
posted on January 28, 2001 07:13:02 PM new
VM: It tells me (and to be sure this isn't a full evaluation) that the kid could handle the older kids.....the new situation....the new social demands. It will be a culture shock.
Now the question would be, and this is one of those 'gut' questions: Yes, she could handle it, but should she? Will 'handling it' end up pushing her to far. With the very little I know about your daughter she sounds like what I call a 'duck kid'.....looks graceful and together on top, kicking like hell below the surface. THIS IS NOT A BAD NOR GOOD THING. It's just they way (I think) she is. Given that, I'd wonder if the kicking will strenghten her legs or tired her out (sink or swim).
posted on January 28, 2001 07:15:23 PM new
There are all kinds of happiness. While your daughter may not grow up to be "prom queen" or lead a "typical" life, it seems certain that with the proper encouragement she is destined for a rich, interesting life. It would be so sad to see her intellect stunted in the name of "normalcy." As people are so fond of saying "what is 'normal'? " We are so afraid in this country of being different--like a herd of sheep all desperately herding close together.
posted on January 28, 2001 07:15:32 PM new
I don't know if this means anything, but I had to go the opposite way with my first child. He was too young going into school with the other kids. He couldn't keep up.
We kept him back in the 1st grade, the hubby was terribly upset that he wasn't going to be with the guys !!!. But the boy then started learning because he was at ease with minds his age, you might say. It never bothered him that all his buddies were one year ahead of him and they stayed friends thru to graduation...
I personally don't feel that a child should be held back, because of age, or what ever.
Her whole being seems to be in learning all she can learn, and she will find a way..
As far as not being with friends, that of course can be looked at another way, what if she had to move from that school, then so much for friends. she will still see these friends at school I'm sure.
I like what one said in the thread.
we all march to a different drummer and who is to say that's wrong.
Let her FLY.....................
posted on January 28, 2001 07:21:37 PM new
If anyone wonders why I've focused on the social aspect:
As I've mentioned, kids that already have the ability to learn AND the desire (and the desire is really the more important part) will do what they like to do best (learn) no matter where they end up. Yes, I know this is not the case with bunnicula and yes, there is the chance of the kid getting 'turned off' and/or bored. However, VM's kid seems like one of those 'beyond gifted' kids (that is, well above gifted). If the kid isn't getting what she needs content wise, she will go get it on her own.
I am very much against 'social passing', but I am aware and concerned about the impact the social has on the adademic. It would be much easier to focus on test scores or content ability, but I feel the focus must be on the whole child because kids don't live in a vaccum.
posted on January 28, 2001 07:50:31 PM new
lotsafuzz - very interesting.
On the duck thing.
Why would she be kicking for her life? Who is she trying to please?
Or do you mean socially?
Socially, I think you may very well be correct and this is why I hesitate.
Academically she is soaring for pure love of it. I don't have any concern about her keeping up with the work.
This school is highly demanding. Most parents I have spoken with complain, and both the other children in the carpool are unhappy, but my daughter is not. She gets out of school, does her homework and then hits her library books. The kid is driven and this is not my preference.
See she is already too young, and it has been my perception since her first week of K when she was 4 that the social misfit thing was the price she had to pay to be in school and at that time (and up to now) she has made her choice without looking back, but it seems the price is about to go up on her and it gives me pause.
I dunno.
Arrrrrrrrgh!
If she is not kicking like mad now (socially) she surely will be if she hits 3rd grade. Is this a given? The upside here is that the kids like her. So lucky. There is a gal at her table now who I was just astounded when I saw her because she was so much bigger than my daughter. I asked about her and my daughter said that she picks her up on the playground to help her reach things.
And here is another bizarre thing.
One of the carpool kids (1st grade) is having a hellish time. Kids pick on him - trouble bonding, etc. Terribly sad.
So the kids ( a trio) take his coat and run with it and he is chasing them, heart pounding no doubt, and they give the coat to my daughter who gives it back to the kid.
Why?
I don't know.
You would think they would mow her down.
How do you read that?
posted on January 28, 2001 07:52:10 PM new
I was bored to death in school and largely educated myself. It got to the point I didn't even care if I got good grades or not because the things they wanted me to waste a tremendous amount of time on, filling in lines on paper to satisfy their idea of instruction, were a waste of time and I would not do them. I was also hindered by being moved from school to school a lot as my folks moved around. I have mentioned in another thread that the first day I went to school in North Carolina in 1959 I was taken in the hall and beaten across the backs of my legs with what looked like a cricket bat because I would not pray with the class as directed by the teacher.
By 8th grade I was making more money at my own businesses during the summer than my Uncle who was a project planner for the aerospace industry. So from that point telling me I had to toe the line to get a good job and make money did not work because I could see so many ways to make as much money as I had ant desire to use.
The last two years of high school I refused to do any homework and the teachers would simply wail when I got all A's on my tests but got D's in my final grade because I would not turn in work. I simply noted that their grading system did not reflect reality, it simply rewarded conformity.
If you allow her to become bored all is lost.
Yet I would explain to her that when she is among older children she may find that they are not as easy to get along with as the younger ones. She should know that they may not be as easy to make friends with in the same ways she is used to doing. That would be a kindness because she may eventually run into a wall socially where she is not able to form a core group and control the social dynamics around her as easily as she does now. That may come as a shock or she may raise above it.
I will be easier for her as a girl because there is not that constant agressive challenging that is cultivated and valued in boys and if you are smaller physically that is a trial.
I was male and large and was held in contempt because I refused to be interested in sports at all. I was constantly picked on even though I was big, and as a result I was always in trouble because I would never take the abuse. I never looked or acted angry and they had no warning when they were reaching the point I would respond to end it. Poor social skills there.
I hope things have not changed that much to where girls are now expected to be more agressive. I really would like the opposite to happen - for the boys to learn some manners.
You will also have to prepare her for when all her class mates start to get interested in sex way ahead of her and their behavior looks irrational and silly to her.
posted on January 28, 2001 07:59:37 PM new
bunnicula - for the record, I know my daughter is not normal, and I have no intention of herding her like a sheep. I just want to make a thoughtful decision and I won't feel confident about it until I have mulled it over, stirred it up and had the answer rise up and reveal itself.
Someday I may have to answer my daughter why I made this choice and I want my answer to be a good one!
lotsafuzz - on my daughter's level of giftedness - I have a very skewed perception of this and so will look to her teacher and the principal for guidance. Meantime - I just want to show up as prepared as possible. Thanks again to everyone who was written on this thread. You have already offered far more than I had hoped and I am entirely grateful.
posted on January 28, 2001 08:03:17 PM new
lotsafuzz - I also just wanted to add that I agree with you regarding kids like my daughter finding what they need on their own. I witness this on a daily basis.
posted on January 28, 2001 08:08:47 PM new
gravid - I also agree with you. Allowing her to become bored might really turn her off. I would hate to risk it.
Also - Helen, on the good teacher keeping all the kids interested, my daughter enjoyed a situation like this in Kindergarten. Bottom line, she has been very lucky so far.
posted on January 28, 2001 08:10:52 PM new
VM: I meant socially. Nothing at all unusual about that....happens to everyone at some point. Of course, not all of us learn how to glide while kicking like your daughter (it seems) already does. God knows I'm not glider.
Like I said before, not a good thing....not a bad thing....just a 'thing'. The key is to know if a new situation will make her paddle harder (could be the situation wouldn't cause a ripple at all) and if paddling harder is a good/bad thing. Some kids (and adults) thrive on faster peddling.
As for 'givens'....well, it is a given that at some point kids face social pressure (not talking about peer pressure...talking about stress caused by social situations). Heck, starting school in a new grade can stress the most well adjusted kids.......so, would the 'stress' be on the level of starting a new school year or something more? It is the ability to deal with that stress that is the issue.
Is she ready for this? Obviously she can do the work.
posted on January 28, 2001 08:13:57 PM new
I would like to add also that you noted she has the skill of forming a core group around her and using them as you do yourslf. She may be ahead of what you experienced as far as abstract intellectual things, but it looks to me as if she has learned social lessons from you and probably others around you. There are people who have these skills that are not taught except by example, and if you do not have them at an early age you may never aquire them. Our previous president had the skill no matter what you think of what he did with them. He went beyond a smooth talker.
He controlled the social space around himself.
When he started talking it was almost impossible to not find yourself liking him and finding something he said agreeable.
Groups use a person like that in ways they are not even aware of. In the case of the coat it allowed the group who had taken the coat to terminate the act after the initial fun part in a way that was agreeable to them and the boy without bringing the teachers into it with all the problems of fixing blame and reprouch.
Clinton could probably have brokered peace between the Palestinians and Isrealis leaders, but they had to go home to two mobs away from his influence and it did not matter what happened here within a week.
posted on January 28, 2001 08:20:36 PM new
Here's my take on the matter:
Our son's birthday is in January. We had the option of starting him in school when he was 5. He had already passed the entrance exam for admittance to a private school with an excellent reputation. We elected to wait until he was 6. He seemed to enjoy Pre-K and Kindergarden and was, in fact, able to read pretty well at 5. He also displayed what appeared to be a precocious ability at math. Our reason for waiting could best be summed up as, "What's the hurry?".
He is now just 8 and in the second grade. He still does well. I think he's a very bright little boy and he appears to like school. No one has suggested to us that he skip a grade. If that situation were to arise, I think we would be reluctant. If he expressed a real desire to do so, however, we'd probably relent.
In the absence of an exceptional need to accelerate a child's schooling, I can't see a valid reason to do so.
After having said all that, VM, I'm not sure that my situation is all that similar to yours. Your daughter does seem quite extraordinary. I think, however, that the question posed above is valid even in your circumstance: "What's the hurry?".
posted on January 28, 2001 08:58:23 PM new
lotsafuzz - I am glad you asked.
Her chart shows that he has a terrific time on the education side. She gets her needs met and readily and this is what she has experienced. Very frankly I expect her to get multiple advanced degrees. This shown by a strong 9th house, supported with trines from Jupiter - an excellent scenario. She has a 9th house moon - education soothes her. Moon is in Leo so she likes attention. Jupiter in Sag (ruler) trine the Moon offering support and making it large.
Bottom line, she is really "held up" and I can see the road.
This school takes her to 6th grade and there is a pilot middle school starting this year.
If the new school does not fly - the local University has a program starting 5th grade and I assume she will aspire to be part of it and if the past predicts the future and her chart holds - (it will) the door will open. I can see her in my minds eye in a Chemistry class there at about 15. I can also see her like I have written before - working at the UN at about 17, translating or something for class credit.
My job then, is to get her there with the least amount of pain suffered!
Socially - her chart reflects her behavior on this front as I have described. She is very young version of the person she will become. She is a Gemini and so somewhat sophisticated and intellectual and detached. She has a Scor rising with Pluto in Scor conjunct and this is how she draws people to her. It would also describe a calm surface but look out below. Upside, is her Moon (outlined above) is happy. Her major challenges will be in love / partner relationships and this has already manifested.
As for transits, I have not looked. This just came up Friday and I don't usually look at things until I have cause.
This is cause. I will poke around and see if I can get a bead. Thanks again for asking.
posted on January 28, 2001 09:07:03 PM new
oh.. but another question...
"what is she going to do in 2nd grade while they are teaching "solar system" which she learned this year to the nth degree?"
That is the thing.
She will not quit learning. She has barely a modicum of interest in anything else.
posted on January 28, 2001 09:30:38 PM new
VeryModern: As the mother of a child who skipped, and the wife of a man who skipped as a child, and a former teacher, I'd like to respond to your question.
There are no perfect answers! No matter which way you turn, you'll have questions. You know your daughter better than anyone else does, and it sounds as though she has a very strong drive to learn. The way for her to get into trouble, in my opinion, is to allow her to become bored. She needs to be challenged, even if it means learning in the company of older children. One of the dangers for her right now, I think, is that she may become impatient and perhaps even contemptuous of children who don't know as much as she does. Putting her in a situation where she has to work harder and feel challenged would be good for her.
And nothing is irrevocable. If you skip her and think it's a bad decision, you can work it out.
If you don't skip her, you may want to contact a local college to find a tutor for her a couple of hours a week to take her on sideways learning adventures--guiding her to learn things in science, for example, that she wouldn't be encountering at school.
I taught high-I.Q. 8th graders, and what a joy they were. I have to say I never worried about the occasional student who would hide a novel behind his textbook (as I did in school). I knew that anything that kid would be motivated to learn would be possible for him because he loved to read!
You might also encourage her to begin writing--stories, novels, whatever--as a rewarding outlet. A tutor could help her weekly with critiques and suggestions (gentle ones, of course).
And what about music? Is she studying piano? Does she have a good singing voice? Can she read music? If she can't, I'll bet that would be an area she could really sink her teeth into.
Good luck. Parents have it rough, I know--but your heart is good and you love your daughter--so probably you can't go wrong.
posted on January 28, 2001 09:31:41 PM new
Well, VM, my guess is that she'll be fascinated and that she'll impress the hell out of her teacher and classmates. My son has a thing for planets and the solar system, too. I don't think it's the same as math or spelling. He would get bored learning to spell words or do calculations that he already knew. He does not seem to get bored with facts about the planets, even if he already knows the answers.
This past Christmas I bought him one of those models of the solar system that has plastic planets and little wires to arrange them in their proper position around the sun. He expressed dismay that the Earth was the only planet that came with a moon. He also didn't like the fact that Saturns rings weren't accurate. And why were the gas giants solid like all the other planets....How big are they really under all that gas? You know, Dad, Uranus and Neptune have rings too. Some people think there might be a tenth planet and the asteroid belt should be there, too. He's now trying to adapt the model to reflect reality.
when the average kid in her class has lost 5 or more. She says she does not want to be "odd".