Gifted Atlanta

How would your child like to spend a weekend learning about robotics, bacteriology, or arguing a case before the Supreme Court?

These are three of the courses available at February’s UGA-TIP Scholar Weekend at the University of Georgia. The program is open to students in 8th-11th grades who have taken part in a talent search through the Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP). Classes will be held on Feb. 12 and 13, with students having the option to stay on campus overnight. TIP Scholar Weekends are designed to expose gifted students to subject matter beyond the standard curriculum and provide a taste of the collegiate atmosphere.

The early registration deadline is Jan. 7, 2011. Regular registration ends Jan. 28. But if history holds, those dates are meaningless — the most popular classes will fill up well before the deadline.

High-school students (grades 9-12) are invited to submit exceptional artwork to the Atlanta High-School Art Exhibition. Winning artists will receive cash prizes and their works will be displayed at the Dogwood Festival in April 2011.

Acceptable types of work are painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media,  photography, collage, sculpture, pottery, computer graphics, architectural design, and 2D or 3D animation.

Students must have their work submitted by a teacher, and the artwork must be a school project, either done in an art class or created as part of the regular curriculum. (Governor’s Honors projects are not accepted.) Home schooled students can submit their work independently.

The entry deadline is Feb. 18, 2011.

Having family from Huntsville, Ala., I’ve long known about the U.S. Space and Rocket Center there and its prestigious Space Camp. But not until I went to the recent NAGC conference here in Atlanta did I know that Space Camp offers programs for kids as young as 7.

Youngsters can attend Parent/Child Space Camp, a 3-day program held on weekends starting in February and continuing through summer. As you can tell by the name of the program, a parent must attend with the child. The parent/child camp is open to kids as old as 12.

For kids 9 and up, there are other Space Camp programs to choose from as well, and registration for all programs is open now.

The camps aren’t cheap, and the drive isn’t a short one — about 4 hours from Atlanta — but for some kids, there’s just nothing like it.

Registration is now open for the spring session of the Ben Carson Academy at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

The program is open to students in 4th to 8th grades. Classes will meet on Saturdays mornings from Feb. 5 to March 12, 2011. Ben Carson Academy offers enrichment in math and science, with an emphasis on health science.

As I’ve written before about this program, it is not restricted to minority children, but the curriculum does place an emphasis on African-American culture and history. The program requires teacher recommendations and a decent grade average, but gifted identification is not a requirement.

By participating in Ben Carson Academy, your child can improve his or her chances of earning a spot in Morehouse’s Vivien Thomas Summer Program, a research program that allows high-school students to work as apprentices in biomedical research labs.

Registration for Ben Carson Academy is open until Dec. 31.

Saturday School for Scholars and Leaders has posted its class list for its first spring session. This program at Georgia State University is open to children in kindergarten through 8th grade, with classes in math, science, social studies and the arts.

The “Spring A” session will begin on Jan. 22 and continue each Saturday through Feb. 19. Classes are offered from 9-12 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. During the morning sessions, parents can attend seminars about raising gifted children.

The registration deadline for this session is Jan. 7.

Starting Dec. 4 and continuing just past Christmas, the Fernbank Planetarium will offer two holiday programs.

For little kids, they’ll be showing “Holiday Hunt,” the story of a search for Santa through the starry night.

For older children and adults, “’tis the Season” looks at the constellations in the winter sky and offers some scientific explanations of what the star over Bethlehem might have been.

Show times are available on weekday evenings and weekends, as well as a few extra daytime showings during the school break.

If you have a student in 4th or 5th grade, now is the time to register with the Duke T.I.P. (Talent Identification Program) 4th/5th Grade Talent Search.

To qualify, students must have tested in the 95th percentile or above on an achievement test in the past two years. (TIP does accept a few other tests. See the talent search web site for details.)

When you enroll in the talent search, your child will have access to online enrichment opportunities, and you will have access to resources to help you raise your high-achieving student. Your child also will be able to attend Academic Adventures classes, held a few times each year at the University of Georgia. (See previous post.)

Enrollment for the talent search is open until March 25.

If your 5th or 6th grader has taken part in Duke TIP’s talent search, they’re eligible for the TIP Academic Adventures session coming up in January at the University of Georgia in Athens.

The full-day program will be held on Saturday, January 22. Courses for this session include plant pathology, “mini medical school,” and aircraft and spacecraft design.

The registration deadline is January 7, but if history is any indication, the most popular classes will fill up before then.

(Editor’s note: If you want to learn more about Duke TIP’s 4th/5th Grade Talent Search, watch for a post on that topic, coming soon!)

Have a science lover in 4th-6th grade? Take a look at “Chemistry Night In,” Dec. 10 from 6-9 p.m. at the Fernbank Science Center.

Kids will do hands-on physics and chemistry activities, led by Fernbank scientists and AP science students.

Cost is $15 for the first child and $10 per sibling. Registration opened yesterday and the web site advises that spaces go fast.