The swelling sun and a swelling brain

Amelia announced recently that when she grows up she would like to be a scientist who studies why the sun is expected to swell up. This came from a cool science book she found and devoured, after which she's been sharing interesting things with us. She's never been a 'facts' kid so it is very disarming to have her discussing the periodic table of the elements or DNA with me. Let's just say there may be a gap or two in my knowledge base.

Meanwhile, she's reading just as much as ever, and luckily has access to the full school library. I think they have her reading mostly 4th grade level books, which work perfectly as she finishes them off in a day or two and does comprehension questions which I note in her reading log. Her teacher reads/discusses with her every single day AND writes a personalized note to us. I still can't believe the one on one attention and consistent differentiation in reading.

Yesterday for a change of pace she sent home both a higher level reading book (something really intense about the military and a mission but somehow child-friendly) plus something new. A simpler book, more like 2nd grade level, but with a thick 'comprehension pack' that they usually use in the Year 3 class. There were 10 pages of questions, crosswords, fill-in-the-blanks, etc for her to do based on a single read of the book. Although writing isn't her favorite I was shocked by how perfectly she recollected everything, even when the comprehension packet tried to fool her like "True or false, there was not paint in the cans." She did 4 pages at night and then I sent her off to bed, only to find her coming out of her room at 6:30am begging to do more before getting dressed! Who is this? She polished it off, the packet her teacher had intended her to use for the week.

So that's all going on and meanwhile she started asking if she could do math games. I got a recommendation from a friend and signed her up for an online math club/site thing where she gets two math quizzes a week. She's just doing one year above her age but she loves it. There are only two a week so then I signed her up for yet another free program and she wants to do that one all the time too. It's not like she's blowing me away with her mathematical genius - but it's just really really weird how much she's wanting to do at one time. She's always been in the category of "gets the concepts really fast but doesn't seem to want to do math stuff." Now she's manipulating all sorts of concepts and numbers in her head and loving it. Insert shocked motherly face.

I call it the swelling brain. I think her brain is in the right place to go in any direction right now because she's very happy at school, loves where we live, and is really feeling confident and sure of herself in general. I drop her off at school and see her chatting with her friends, telling jokes, and that makes me happiest of all. Except of course for all of the British potty/toilet humor she has now added on to her already impressive American repertoire. And I quote:

Happy birthday to you!
You live in a loo!
You look like a pooooooo...
And you smell like one too!

She's as proud of that as any academic accomplishment as you can imagine.