After 36 seasons, Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) will close its doors for good, after the end of its 2020 summer online programs. The inability to operate our 2020 campus programs within COVID-19 precautions created a consequential pandemic impact on our organization.  We are extremely sad to say goodbye to our students, as well as our staff, our campuses, our families, and everyone else who has supported SIG since…

Looking for hands-on STEAM activities to keep children engaged at home? Engineering activities are a great way to encourage problem-solving and creative thinking skills while having fun! We’ve compiled a list of fun engineering activities for children that are easy to do at home. Top 7 At-Home Engineering Activities for Children: 1. Pasta Engineering Experiment with building structures with pasta (in various shapes) and playdough. Older children can gain inspiration…

Do you have a gifted child stuck at home who is itching to travel to fascinating places? We’ve compiled several of the most enriching and educational virtual field trips for gifted students! Here are the top ten free virtual field trips for gifted children: 1. Luray Caverns – Luray, Virginia Explore Luray Caverns in Virginia while learning more about stalactites and stalagmites! This 360° virtual reality tour is educational and…

At the Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG), we are pleased to offer online programs for gifted and talented students ages 5-17. Both our 6-week Spring Online Program and our three 3-week Summer Intensive Online sessions offer highly capable youth innovative STEAM courses from the comfort of their home. Online learning programs provide many benefits to gifted students, especially during this time of social distancing. 7 Benefits of Online Programs for Gifted Students: 1. Engaging…

Are you curious about the differences between the SIG Spring Online Program and the SIG Summer Online Program? Explore the details of the SIG Online Programs in our guide below! For a quick and easy comparison of the two terms, check out the chart at the bottom of this post! Spring SIG Online Program The SIG online program uses the Moodle learning platform and follows a STEAM + independent study…

In this current unexpected zeitgeist of ubiquitous news of quarantine and its related issues as we seek to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, I can’t help but think about how the concepts of separation and social distancing suggest aspects of the creative process. The idea of isolation–shutting off certain areas of your life and removing familiar structures — in my mind– parallels the concept of incubation in the stages…