It鈥檚 hard to believe it鈥檚 already July! With the summer flying by, it鈥檚 never too early to start thinking about fall activities. Whether your child is looking to expand their resume, find a hobby or make new friends, the extracurricular activities listed below can serve as great opportunities for all.

• Arts:  recommends gifted children partake in musical or artistic activities for a few different reasons. Artistic and creative pursuits can build problem-solving skills, provide a safe environment for socializing and relieve stress.

• Sports: Exercise is known to have a multitude of physical and emotional benefits. For a gifted child, physical activity can provide a break from rigorous academics and aid in social development. However, it鈥檚 important when choosing a sport to consider the physical, emotional and social challenges that might apply to your child. To read more about some of these challenges and how to choose a sport for your gifted child, check out this .

• Service activities: Volunteer and service opportunities are a fantastic way to teach your child how to give back to the community. Additionally, according to , clubs and colleges often look for volunteer experience when reviewing a student鈥檚 application for admission.

• 优蜜视频 Academy: provides exceptionally creative learning opportunities that encourage in-depth exploration of topics outside of the typical school curriculum. Classes cover a wide variety of STEM, arts and humanities topics, often taught through an interdisciplinary lens.

• Yunasa: Geared toward the unique needs of gifted children, while offering all the enjoyment of a traditional summer sleep-away camp, provides a combination of traditional camp activities and special workshops designed specifically to help gifted children learn more about themselves as they develop greater awareness and self-acceptance. While this isn鈥檛 a fall activity, it鈥檚 never too early to start thinking about registering your child for Yunasa 2020. Be sure to not miss the opening of Yunasa 2020 application by .

• Academic competitions: Academic competitions like spelling bees and quiz bowls can serve as an opportunity for your child to expand their knowledge in a subject of interest. also suggests that competitive activities can prepare children for the inevitable wins and losses that occur throughout life while also helping them develop self-esteem and tenacity.

• I[d]EA Day: 优蜜视频 is hosting an exciting new event this Fall in Pasadena! is built to inspire our next generation of innovators. Over light bites and drinks, become a part of the 优蜜视频 network while gaining exclusive access to local STEAM professionals and experts in gifted education.  about I[d]EA day! 

For more extracurricular activity suggestions, check out the on our website!

It鈥檚 common knowledge that kids can benefit from participation in sports: weekly exercise, the opportunity to make new friends, development of leadership skills, and much more.聽 However, what may not be so well-known is that participating in sports can have an even greater benefit for gifted students.

From violin and painting to robotics and debate, gifted children have many interests and often very little free time, but here is why you should consider signing them up for a sport as well:

Having a Safe Place to Fail

Most gifted kids are used to excelling and don鈥檛 know how to handle not being at the top of the pack. Chances are gifted children will not be the best soccer players on the team, but that is ok. Missing a goal is not going to affect their chances of getting into the school of their dreams. What it will do, however, is , and that is just fine.

Opportunities to Broaden Friendships

Playing on a sports team or taking classes such as tennis or fencing allows gifted children to connect with kids outside their regular peer group. They will meet students with varying interests and intellect and learn to communicate better with them. Surprisingly, they may find they have more in common with their new teammates or classmates than they would have thought.

Occasions to Let off Steam and Play

Gifted students can often feel overwhelmed with responsibilities and the pressure to be perfect. Participating in a sport allows them an opportunity to get outside, exercise, clear their heads, and focus on something completely different. In fact, at Yunasa and Yunasa West, 优蜜视频鈥檚 summer camps, one of the most popular activities is GaGa Ball, a variation of dodgeball. And, in 优蜜视频鈥檚 post-camp surveys, the kids always mention that they just love to get outside and play.

Improving Academics

Studies have shown that the physical activity of a sport helps to engage the brain in forward thinking. Many gifted students find that participating in a sport calms their active minds and .

Learning to Work as Part of a Team

Many gifted students tend to prefer working independently. By participating in a team sport, gifted students must learn to work with their teammates in order to achieve success. This is such an important skill since teamwork is required for just about all aspects of life鈥� school, business, and personal relationships.

In sum, gifted kids can benefit greatly from participating in sports. And, while it can be quite a time commitment for the whole family (hours of after-school practice and weekend games), gifted children should try a sport鈥� at least once. It will give them a better understanding of themselves as well as other children, provide a sense of balance in their lives, and make them more well-rounded individuals.

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Lauren is a 2012 Caroline D. Bradley Scholar and a rising high school sophomore attending a boarding school in Connecticut. She recently shared with us what she thinks incoming freshmen should know to help them prepare to enter high school. Here are her tips.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous and excited for anything in my life than I was for starting high school. But let me emphasize “nervous,” as I’m sure all of you rising freshmen are or will be.

Therefore, I’ve compiled a very brief list of how to get prepared over the summer – in other words, a list of all of the things I wish that I’d done before my own freshman year!

1) Make a detailed list of what you’re going to need in the fall!

It turns out that just writing “clothes,” “shoes,” and “school supplies” leaves a lot of room for forgetting important things. Instead, make it specific: “six multicolored binders,” “rain boots,” “soccer cleats.” For boarders, this is twice as important, because there are things for your room that you’re really going need to remember: dryer sheets, duct tape, staplers, snack food, etc.

2) With #1 in mind, try your best to go shopping as early in the summer as possible!

Buy as many school supplies as you can before they go to full price in August, and boarders, make sure you get to the dormitory section of Target before the college students do! Trust me – everything is sold out if you wait until late summer.

3) Try to prepare for sports and classes a little bit during the summer as well.

A little nervous to take freshman physics? Then try to get your hands on a textbook and read through it a little. Not sure what to do to make JV soccer? Run drills throughout the summer. It’ll be worth it in the fall when you feel confident and prepared to take on high school!

4) Speaking of sports, don’t shy away from them!

A lot of schools have athletic requirements. Trust me, and don’t be stressed about this! Just start thinking about your fall activity early, and–if it’s competitive–make sure you prepare a little. But also, don’t become too obsessed with making a certain team, because your plans can always change. I went into this past fall absolutely determined to play field hockey but ended up doing soccer. In the winter, I was sure I was going to do basketball, but found myself in hockey instead. So, don’t stress too much because plans can and often do change, but remember to stay fit if you’re looking to try out for a competitive sport. And if you want to try out for something but you’re nervous to do so, try out anyway! I promise you, it’s really not that bad.

5) Relax!

With how busy my own summer schedule is, I probably have no right to say this, but I’ll say it anyway: try to just have a slow, relaxing, fun summer, because–trust me–the fall holds plenty of excitement and stress to make up for it. So, read good books, watch good movies, get killer tans, hit the beach, and spend time with your friends and family. Boarders, try to spend time a lot of time with your family; homesickness can be pretty rough at first, and you’ll miss them a lot. All in all, just try to take it easy in between athletic conditioning and school supply shopping.

I hope these tips are helpful as you prepare for school this summer.

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The 优蜜视频 staff is a passionate group with many different interests and hobbies, which often lead to very interesting collections. Here are some of the things 优蜜视频 staff members like to collect:

Zadra: I LOVE notebooks, journals and fountain pens. Lately, I鈥檝e also really gotten into Nail Art. People鈥檚 imaginations are so boundless! Pinterest is my favorite place to get new ideas on how to decorate my nails, but YouTube has great tutorials, too. I also enjoy Tarot cards 鈥� the decks are the perfect combination of beauty and math!

Jennifer: Sticky notes abound in my life because I get ideas all the time in so many places and can鈥檛 stand not being able to jot them down as they come. A friend in one of my college literature classes actually bought me speech bubble sticky notes because I used them so much for my thoughts and commentary in my books! My desk at 优蜜视频 is also covered in sticky notes 鈥� in my organizer, as a to-do list, on the edges of my computer, and on all of my projects. I can never have too many books, either. I love reading and will read almost anything. Classic literature, business, popular fiction, personal growth, sports, poetry collections, how-tos, education鈥he list goes on, and I am continually looking for more space to keep all of them. I don鈥檛 go anywhere without a book, a pen, and a pad of sticky notes.

Louise: Collections often define our interests and our minds as we change and develop through life, but my collection defines the life of others near and dear to me, my children. I cannot seem to throw anything away, from the little note left by my bedside, scrawled and interestingly spelled in blunted pencil, to those daily reports from nursery school, certificates of swimming achievement and numerous birthday, Valentine’s Day, Christmas and Mother鈥檚 Day cards. Each precious item jolts a memory to mind. Unlike most collections, they are not housed systematically, but in wicker baskets ready to be explored, with smiles, whenever the moment arises.

Tiffany: One of my favorite things to collect are pressed coins. I鈥檝e been collecting them for years and probably have over a hundred of them. The bulk of my coins are pennies from Disneyland, which is a mecca for the most avid pressed penny collector. Disneyland even has a few pressed quarter machines! But I especially love the ones that I鈥檝e collected while traveling. It鈥檚 a great way to remember an event or time in your life and I love that every pressed coin in my collection has a story behind it. I have ones from Hawaii, San Diego, Sequoia National Park, Seattle, Alaska, and Spain. When I was in Barcelona, I pressed a coin at the Tibidabo amusement park and on it was an impression of their famous ferris wheel. More recently, I collected a pressed penny with a scenic image of Washington鈥檚 Snoqualmie Falls, which I got minutes after my husband proposed to me. Not every place or landmark has a pressed coin machine; but when I do find one, I鈥檓 there ready to press the shiniest penny or quarter in my wallet.

Lauren: One of my favorite things to collect is salt and pepper shakers. I have always enjoyed adding a little spice to my life and salt and pepper seem to be readily available at meal times. During my life, I noticed that salt and pepper shakers came in all shapes and sizes and in some cases were works of art. I began to purchase salt and pepper shakers during my travels as a way to remember a place I visited. My collection has grown to more than 30 sets of salt and pepper shakers. I recently inherited a collection of salt and pepper shakers from my aunt, as well as from my mother from when she was a child. They are treasure that I hope to pass on to my daughter, 7 years old, who loves organizing them in a variety of ways.

Brianna: While I tend not to be a collector of 鈥渟tuff,鈥� one thing I am always looking to gain more of is trivia facts. Jeopardy! has been a long time favorite of mine. You know that feeling you get at the library when you realize how many books exist compared to how many you鈥檝e actually read compared to how many you will actually read in your lifetime? I call that despair. The world is so fascinating and vast, and it can be overwhelming to recognize how little we truly know. Collecting sizable statistics and information about a variety of subjects helps me feel more connected to what is happening in the world and all around us. One thing I love is the website . It has quizzes about everything! For anyone who loves trivia and timed challenges, I give my stamp of approval to this site. It鈥檚 how I learned all the countries and capitals (and flags!) of the world.

What do you or your kids like to collect? Please share with us in the comment section below!

Kate Duey is a private college counselor serving gifted students. She has worked with students on traditional schooling paths, home schooled students, community college students, and students seeking accelerated or early college entrance. Kate is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. She has a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA.

What happens if a student graduates from high school exhausted? AP classes, standardized testing, extracurricular activities, sports, music, community service, research projects…and all of those college essays! What if they worked so hard they can鈥檛 remember what they like? Are they ready for four or five or six more years?

Among gifted high school students, it is especially important to remember that giftedness is innate to a person, and we should embrace the whole student by supporting their intellectual, social, spiritual, emotional and physical growth. When a gifted student鈥檚 high school years disproportionately emphasize intellectual development, the whole person is neglected. Refreshing all parts of a gifted student鈥檚 self helps to focus his or her intensities in ways that work with and for the student.

For graduating high school students who find themselves exhausted, an intentional pause to decompress and plan their next steps 鈥� a 鈥済ap year鈥� between high school and college 鈥揷ould be a viable option. They often enter college with better perspective, more maturity, chronological alignment with his or her class, and enthusiasm for an old or new interest elevates the student鈥檚 whole experience.

Taking a gap year does not mean the student does not apply to college as a high school senior; they absolutely should. As a high school student, he or she has access to the teachers and counselors who will write letters of recommendation, grades and test scores are in hand, and good reference materials to search for college are easier to access. Definitely apply! Then, defer.

As a college counselor working with gifted high school students, I鈥檝e twice seriously advised a gap year. One student considered extreme mountaineering, the other living in Europe with extended family. (Admittedly, neither did it.) I鈥檝e talked about it with every student who has an interest in studying foreign languages. Among our tabloid friends, Prince William and Kate Middleton took gap years. Kate spent much of hers studying Italian. Every year, fifty to seventy students defer entrance into Harvard College for a gap year. In 2006, Harvard reported some of the focuses of those gap years:

• Backpacking
• Caring for grandparents
• Writing the Next Great American Novel
• e-commerce startup
• Figure skating
• Kibbutz life
• Language study
• Military service
• Mineralogy
• 听惭耻蝉颈肠
• Political campaigns
• Reading
• Special needs education
• Sports
• Steel drumming
• Storytelling
• Swing dancing
• Working to save money for college

Parents often worry that, by detaching from a year-to-year academic progression, their child will fall behind. Colleges seldom see it that way, and many letters of admission come with the option of deferring for a year. Once in college, students are often encouraged to take a year off, and college student counseling centers freely offer advice about opportunities. Splitting the difference, some colleges offer mid-year entrance, allowing the student a 鈥済ap semester.鈥� American University and Brandeis University have formal off-campus programs for first-year fall semester.

A year off can center around any endeavor. Now that average student indebtedness at graduation is $25,200, saving for a year before college can create more flexibility after college. Another opportunity is more family time, especially with grandparents, which may have been sacrificed for academic achievement.

Some parents and students prefer a structured year. There are many services which will match a student with a gap year program, and a quick internet search will yield many. Also, think outside of the box; my personal favorite was a year at Austin Community College studying blacksmithing.

A gap year can make for a more interesting student, capable of adding more to the academic community. Best of all, students can discover their passions and capture their zeitgeist before they begin college.

Has your child considered taking a gap year? Please share your experience in the comment section below.

Kate will be discussing college admissions at our next . The talk will take place at 6:30 pm on February 13, 2013, at the 优蜜视频 Learning Center, located at 625 Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 288, South Pasadena, CA 91030 (across the hall from the 优蜜视频 main office). Please RSVP to reception@educationaladvancement.org. We hope to see you there!

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