talkmagic.co.uk

16th April Channel 4, 9pm..."Child Genius" is on. There's a little girl called Georgia Brown who is 3 years old and the youngest member of Britains Mensa. A part from being a genius, Georgia is a really beautiful child who just shines. A real sweetie.

A child of three in mensa?

I'm sure it's a very nice boast for the parents when they entertain dinner guests.

This is a vain exploit of parental responsibility.
I don't know what's worse, the type of people who feed their toddlers on c*** (not the best) from burger bars or pretentious middle class twits like this who are probably doing just as much damage to their children.

At least the former can be excused for being ignorant.

I've always been suspicious of these kind of parents who showoff their kids.

I'm pretty sure, at the age of 2, the little girl never sat up one day and said 'I'd like to apply for Mensa, Daddy.'

Now that they have got her into Mensa, I'm sure it's a nice boasting point for them.

Apologies for sounding cynical.

little kids should be enjoying themselves playing and messing about, and eating too much chocolate and chasing stuff - rather than sitting exams and being tested..

unless its for radioactive poisoning or something...

but apart from that caveat - let kids be kids...

be great if it was some chav though eh...

I totally agree that in that situation, the parents are doing the wrong thing. However, there was another previous episode (I think they do one each year following the same kids) which showed a mother quitting her job and taking a degree in maths, because her son was advancing so quickly, and she wanted to be able to teach him what he wanted to know.

I don't know whether that is what the kid wants, but if so, it is admirable the lengths that a parent will go to to take care of their children.

A child of 3 in Mensa? We've all on getting ours to p*ss in a potty.

I guess I agree with all the comments made. Georgia may be very gifted...but she's still a baby.
Its not my child so I cant really comment. Every parent is different. Im sure in time Georgia will express her point of view.

Nice that there are parents who does not just plant their kids in front of the telly. Kids can be quite amazing. Occasionally I have been mentoring a Danish-American boy who is 5 1/2 and who is truly exceptional with numbers.

Shortly after I first time I meet him I asked him the following magic-like question:
I wrote down 12345679 (yes the 8 is missing) on a piece of paper.

I then asked him to choose a number between 1 and 9 (I cannot help being a magician). He choose 4 and told me so -I did not try to be a mentalist , I then asked him to multiply the above number by 36.
(secret: since 4 x 9=36).

Without hesitation (and done even before I wrote the 36 on the paper) he
gave the answer 444.444.444 He then explained that this is because 12345679 x 9 is 111.111.111 and 4 x 111.111.111 is 444.444.444
He then continue explaining that if one wants to divide 111.111.111 by 3 one can get the answer by calculating 12345679 x 3

I was amased. Unlike what some of you might expect, he is a charming very sweet little boy! His parents are also nice and pleasant parents. The parents helped gently to guide him to read when he was 2yr. old.

Anyway my lecture continued! I asked him what is 12345679 x 3 and without hesitation he gave the answer 37037037 and he went on to explain why the 37 table was his favorite and that he knew the table to infinity!!!
Recently he began converting names and words into numbers by viewing the number as written in base 30 and then converting (in his head) to base 10.

After I returned to UK he send me an email explaining a curious relationship he found:

1/37= 0.027027027027027....
1/27= 0.037037037037037....

Very impressive. I his case the parents are accommodating, but its already clear they have a hell of a problem with finding a suitable school for him. He went to a new school for "gifted kids" but this did not work out
since they could not cater for his non-linear learning style and soon focused on all his short comings.

In my view kids have quite amazing potentials. I do not want to brag about my daughter's achievement, but the main point is that just because one does not plant the kids in front of a television and help them develop their interests does not make you a pushy parent. I am happy, as long as the parents are warm and loving, the kids enjoy are given plenty of opportunity to play and develop their natural inborn creativity.

The sad fact of life is that very few parents have the resources (time, money and knowledge) to bring up "winners" who are more likely
to succeed. Well, there is never a guarantee: Amy Winehouse is a good example of a child prodigy gone bad.

Soren you have struck a nice balance between allowing a child to develop naturally and providing a little 'push'.
But it seems to me that most of these 'helicopter' parents do not realise the consequences of getting this wrong.

A lot of these child prodigies are nothing more than a little precocious, and will 'level out' as they get older.
I mean, the feat you mention is indeed truly remarkable for a five year old. But is run-of-the-mill for a bright school leaver.
What I mean is this; a lot of parents seem to think that the difference between their five year old and other children will still exist when they are 18, and that is often not the case. They may still have an 'edge', but it will be an advantage that has been forged over many years of hard work, during which time their friends having been playing at being young adults and practising their social skills (amongst other things).

I've taught maths at secondary and tertiary level and like in most schools and colleges there's a bit of a running joke amongst the staff: We can generally spot these kids immediately.

There are a lot more of them then you would think; it is very sad; and since their imagination is burned out of them from so young they tend not to rise above mediocrity when they become citizens.

Some people say a child is a small person and should be treated as such. To me a child is just that. You're the grown up, you cherish,look after and adore your child.

Georgia is a very sweet ,adorable little girl, but she needs to be a child and to act like a child and enjoy her life as one.

Sophie wrote:Georgia is a very sweet ,adorable little girl, but she needs to be a child and to act like a child and enjoy her life as one.

I did not watch the program, but did the program suggest that she was not also a child and that to act like a child and enjoy her life as one?

Often when you hear about such children, it turns out that the child is just a normal child with pushy parents. There are however also cases (I reported about one such case above) where the child have a very strong natural interest and exceptional ability in certain areas.

I suppose we as parents always want to give our kinds the best options.

If the time that the average child spends in front of the television instead is spend with a "gifted" mentor the child - if it has some natural talents - will be much better off. And it will still have plenty of time to act like a child and enjoy her life as one.

I have sympathy for parents who are lazy (I am unfortunately occasionally one such parent myself), but please do not make a philosophy out of it.

If no mentor is at hand, get hold of the software "Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster" (or if your child is clever some of the continuations).
This award winning software is excellent and develop a whole range of skills. If your child get through the continuation Fritz and Chester 2+3 and likes these sort of thing he/she might soon be able to play chess without even needing a board (blindfold chess).

Please, do not try to tell me a child is loosing its childhood because it miss a few television programs, but instead enjoy Fritz and Chesster instead or have some quality time with an adult.

Blindfold Chess...wow!!! Personally I find chess really boring, perhaps doing it blindfold might make it more fun.
Sophs.

Recently my niece started full time school (shes only just 6). The teachers asked to talk to my brother about her behaviour. Apparently they are worried because she likes to SHOCK HORROR ------play with dolls!!!

Apparently the teachers regard this sort of behavior as being immature My brother said well she also likes painting, reading, jigsaws and making cards. The teachers looked at him like he was mad. They informed him that at her age 'most' girls 'should' be into make up and clothes

Has the world gone mad

lozey wrote:
Has the world gone mad

At the risk of sounding like an old codger, I do think that kids grow up far too quickly these days.

When I was 12 I still thought I was a super-hero. These days at 12 kids are living in their own council flat with a kid or two in tow.

I personally blame the growth hormones pumped into beef destined for fast food burger bars. That and unscrupilous marketing of clothes and make-up.

themagicwand wrote:I personally blame the growth hormones pumped into beef destined for fast food burger bars.

Heh. That's a good point. Body builders (the real Muscle-Mary types) have been using this 'free' shot of hormones for decades and is well-known.

Lozey, you get idiots in the teaching profession just like in every other trade. Take no notice of the silly buggers.