鈥淏yrdseed is all about better understanding our gifted learners. Stick around and you鈥檒l learn how to differentiate lessons, teach across the content areas, and appreciate gifted kids鈥� unique social and emotional needs.鈥�

鈥淚 am Vi Hart! I am a real person, and I make videos and virtual reality and other things. Sorry about the bright yellow. It amuses me. This is my personal website, not some 鈥榁i Hart brand Websperience鈥� created for your enjoyment or education or whatever.鈥�

鈥淏ASIC-256 is an easy to use version of BASIC designed to teach anybody (especially middle and high-school students) the basics of computer programming. It uses traditional control structures like gosub, for/next, and goto, which helps kids easily see how program flow-control works. It has a built-in graphics mode which lets them draw pictures on screen in minutes, and a set of detailed, easy-to-follow tutorials that introduce programming concepts through fun exercises.鈥�

鈥淭he Kid Should See This is a growing library of smart & super-cool, 鈥榥ot-made-for-kids, but perfect for them鈥� videos that can be watched in the classroom or together at home. Enjoy 8-12 new vids each week, and search 3,000+ videos in the archives, curated by me, Rion Nakaya, with help from my 6 & 9 year olds.鈥�

鈥淭ED-Ed is TED鈥檚 youth and education initiative. TED-Ed鈥檚 mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world.鈥�

The series was specifically recommended.

鈥淚n an age where everything seems to have been explored and there is nothing new to be found, we celebrate a different way of looking at the world. If you’re searching for miniature cities, glass flowers, books bound in human skin, gigantic flaming holes in the ground, bone churches, balancing pagodas, or homes built entirely out of paper, the Atlas Obscura is where you’ll find them.鈥�

鈥淐overing the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.鈥�

鈥淭he School of Life is a place that tries to answer the great questions of life. We believe in developing emotional intelligence. We are based online and in 12 physical hubs around the world, including London, Melbourne, Istanbul and Seoul.鈥�

鈥淢ensa for Kids offers a variety of online resources for exceptionally bright youth.鈥�

鈥淕iftedness: Everything parents, educators, administrators, counselors, psychologists, and gifted children & teens need to know, including articles and research.鈥�

What would you add to the list?

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鈥淚sn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive鈥︹�� L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

There are many ways to explore and learn new things. One wonderful medium is the podcast. A podcast is an episodic audio program available via the internet. There are many incredible podcasts out there with themes ranging from science, to current events. Some notable programs you are likely to have heard of are This American Life, Radio Lab, and Serial. This week, I would like to share a few podcasts that I think are great for the gifted learner. Please note that, while I have provided a link to each show鈥檚 website, you should also be able to find each podcast for free on iTunes.

Get your daily dose of podcast with these tiny scientific expositions that manage to squeeze anecdotes, interviews, and a satisfying amount of information into two minute episodes. Episodes focus largely on biological topics about plants and animals, with occasional episodes rooted in other sciences such as 鈥淚s Mars Missing a Moon?鈥� 2-3 min

Aaron鈥檚 World is a very cute 鈥渁dventure鈥� podcast from the imagination of a little boy. Although the narrative structure does not really take off until episode six, each episode features a different dinosaur and some context about its聽environment. To get context for the whole story it is best to start from the beginning. 2-3 min

A science show for kids, Brains On strives to be engaging and educational. The show is very kid-centric, which is great; however, I do feel that it at times lacks substantial content. Nonetheless, for a younger gifted learner, it may provide them with a space where curiosity is encouraged and celebrated. 30 min

There are 18 episodes of Kids Who Code. Knowing little about the world of coding, some of the concepts went over my head, making it more difficult to evaluate. However, I was so happy to come across a podcast for kids with this topic that I had to include it. 25 min

Physics Central is rich in content and well produced.聽 The structure of the show follows a typical radio-story-telling format in that there is a narrator providing context for comments from scientists and researchers in the physics world on a given topic. This is an excellent podcast for kids who have a big appetite for science. 25 min

I like this show because it鈥檚 unique. Short and Curly is a podcast about ethics. The two Australian hosts ask questions like: 鈥淐an you trust a robot?鈥� 鈥淪hould you eat your pet?鈥澛� 鈥淚s Dumbledore as great as he seems?鈥� At times the level of reasoning may feel simple to a gifted child, but they do a good job of asking questions that do not have straight answers and therefore are capable of engaging a broad audience of listeners. Kids are encouraged to call in or e-mail, which I like. 20-25 min

Below are a few podcasts that would be well-suited to family listening, or teens due to mature content.

99% Invisible is a podcast about architecture and design. The show explores the power of architecture and the way spaces influence our lives. It is beautifully done and brings new meaning to the environments we spend our lives within. This podcast is produced by Roman Mars, whose Ted Talk on design has over 3 million views.聽 25 min

FW: Thinking looks into the future of 鈥渢echnology, humanity, and the future.鈥� This podcast covers a wonderful variety of topics and entertains possible outcomes to the way the world is changing. In addition, its聽website hosts a large library of videos I did not look into myself, but appear very interesting. 45 min

Invisibilia weaves together scientific concepts, input from experts, and the stories of everyday people to explore 鈥渢he invisible forces that control human behavior.鈥� This show has a tendency to explore some intense human experiences, and thus can be heavy listening for the more empathetic and sensitive among us. 60-70 min

Radio Lab is a downright amazing podcast. Not only is it a wonderful sensory experience but the content is rich, complex, surprising, humorous, and moving. Its聽“About” page says it best:聽 鈥淩adiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.鈥� 40 min

The Memory Palace is a historical story telling podcast wherein the narrator explores a place, person, or event and tells a story you probably have not heard before. For such a short show, it leaves a strong impression. 10 min

Other Suggestions: , ,

Please note that I have not listened through every episode of each program. I would recommend that parents look into each podcast before permitting children to listen alone.

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Morgan received a B.F.A in Studio Art from Biola University. She is an interdisciplinary artist committed to cultivating a rich awareness and engagement with the world around her. Morgan is passionate about education and deeply admires 优蜜视频鈥檚 commitment to developing the whole person. Over the past five years, Morgan has worked in a number of different educational and administrative roles. Prior to coming to 优蜜视频 she served as a school group docent for The Getty Center and a nanny to a family with a gifted child. She is exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such lovely people and to further 优蜜视频鈥檚 meaningful mission.