Mathnasium

[Anonymous]

Has anyone used this for a child who is advanced in math?

[Anonymous]

Maybe ask Mathnasium?

[Anonymous]

I have already spoken with them, an curious to hear from families who have used it. That is what these forums are for.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Yes, both my kids are advanced and we use them and they like going. We don’t push them ahead and I spoke to the director about just letting them go at their own pace, so they can go as slow or fast as they want. Our center director is great and really responsive. She usually puts in additional “thinking” problems for my kids in addition to the regular curriculum. If you want really in depth math problem solving, I would also recommend AOPS and Russian school of mathematics. These are for kids who really love math and love working on challenging problems. The point of these classes is for the kids to get depth and not necessarily get ahead. My kids love math and they do Mathnasium and AOPS.

[Anonymous]

While there are probably a few families who use it for math enrichment for advanced students, it is more common for advanced students to:
Use AOPS/Beast Academy
Russian School
Kumon
The first two are great for enriching conceptual understanding of math. Kumon is great for learning to be extremely quick and accurate with calculation skills for multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, order of operations, algebra to calculus. There is work assigned every day. So when these topics are taught at school conceptually it makes it a lot easier for kids who already know the calculation skills.

Mathnasium is only 2 times a week. That isn't enough time to really get ahead. And it is probably twice as expensive as Kumon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone used this for a child who is advanced in math?

Have not, wondering the same thing. Would particularly be interested in comparisons to such alternatives/competitors as AoPS, RSM, AlphaStem, or Sunshine Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While there are probably a few families who use it for math enrichment for advanced students, it is more common for advanced students to:
Use AOPS/Beast Academy
Russian School
Kumon
The first two are great for enriching conceptual understanding of math. Kumon is great for learning to be extremely quick and accurate with calculation skills for multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, order of operations, algebra to calculus. There is work assigned every day. So when these topics are taught at school conceptually it makes it a lot easier for kids who already know the calculation skills.

Mathnasium is only 2 times a week. That isn't enough time to really get ahead. And it is probably twice as expensive as Kumon.

Our Mathnasium is not limited to two times a week and honestly, how much more time do you want to have an already advanced student sitting in a room doing problems? Have them spend their down time doing something they don’t already do well and maybe has them interacting with other kids.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP whose advanced kids go to Mathnasium. The 2x a week I does not apply to all centers. Since they are franchises they can have different operating procedures. Our center allows kids to go as often as they want for a set monthly fee and that is the only option they offer. So to make it more cost effective we go as often as we can fit it into our schedule. Also what appealed to me about Mathnasium over Kumon is there is no homework. All work is done at the center and there is no additional work outside of the center time. In addition, if my kids ever do need help with math homework you can bring in your school work and the teachers will help. We’ve never had to do this but it is a nice option. Also Mathnasium is not drill and kill which is the impression I have always had of Kumon. Each kid is different so they may get different value out of each of the centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP whose advanced kids go to Mathnasium. The 2x a week I does not apply to all centers. Since they are franchises they can have different operating procedures. Our center allows kids to go as often as they want for a set monthly fee and that is the only option they offer. So to make it more cost effective we go as often as we can fit it into our schedule. Also what appealed to me about Mathnasium over Kumon is there is no homework. All work is done at the center and there is no additional work outside of the center time. In addition, if my kids ever do need help with math homework you can bring in your school work and the teachers will help. We’ve never had to do this but it is a nice option. Also Mathnasium is not drill and kill which is the impression I have always had of Kumon. Each kid is different so they may get different value out of each of the centers.

The last sentence here is so important. It really depends on the kid. I have two kids- oldest one really has an aptitude for math. I put him in Kumon because that is all I was knew about. He quickly advanced and was starting level H -algebra in 4th grade. He wanted to know more about math do Kumon was t a good fit. I took him out of Kumon and had him do AOPS-pre-algebra with some Beast academy for fun in 5th then Algebra in 6th. (It goes far beyond algebra taught in school). School math is exceedingly easy for him and he craved a challenge. He is stating to study for amc8 because he loves it this summer and do is taking a summer class online through aops. I can picture him studying higher level math.

My younger son is not naturally intuitive in math. If he didn't study extra he would not be far ahead in math. I just want him to be solid in math. No way he will study higher level math in college. However, his teachers think he is really good in math because he is quick and accurate. I explain some math concepts through beast academy but he isn't so interested in solving the really hard double starred problems. Kumon is a good fit for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP whose advanced kids go to Mathnasium. The 2x a week I does not apply to all centers. Since they are franchises they can have different operating procedures. Our center allows kids to go as often as they want for a set monthly fee and that is the only option they offer. So to make it more cost effective we go as often as we can fit it into our schedule. Also what appealed to me about Mathnasium over Kumon is there is no homework. All work is done at the center and there is no additional work outside of the center time. In addition, if my kids ever do need help with math homework you can bring in your school work and the teachers will help. We’ve never had to do this but it is a nice option. Also Mathnasium is not drill and kill which is the impression I have always had of Kumon. Each kid is different so they may get different value out of each of the centers.

This is OP. Thank you very much this post is very helpful! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP whose advanced kids go to Mathnasium. The 2x a week I does not apply to all centers. Since they are franchises they can have different operating procedures. Our center allows kids to go as often as they want for a set monthly fee and that is the only option they offer. So to make it more cost effective we go as often as we can fit it into our schedule. Also what appealed to me about Mathnasium over Kumon is there is no homework. All work is done at the center and there is no additional work outside of the center time. In addition, if my kids ever do need help with math homework you can bring in your school work and the teachers will help. We’ve never had to do this but it is a nice option. Also Mathnasium is not drill and kill which is the impression I have always had of Kumon. Each kid is different so they may get different value out of each of the centers.

The last sentence here is so important. It really depends on the kid. I have two kids- oldest one really has an aptitude for math. I put him in Kumon because that is all I was knew about. He quickly advanced and was starting level H -algebra in 4th grade. He wanted to know more about math do Kumon was t a good fit. I took him out of Kumon and had him do AOPS-pre-algebra with some Beast academy for fun in 5th then Algebra in 6th. (It goes far beyond algebra taught in school). School math is exceedingly easy for him and he craved a challenge. He is stating to study for amc8 because he loves it this summer and do is taking a summer class online through aops. I can picture him studying higher level math.

My younger son is not naturally intuitive in math. If he didn't study extra he would not be far ahead in math. I just want him to be solid in math. No way he will study higher level math in college. However, his teachers think he is really good in math because he is quick and accurate. I explain some math concepts through beast academy but he isn't so interested in solving the really hard double starred problems. Kumon is a good fit for him.

Thank you, this is also very helpful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone used this for a child who is advanced in math?

Have not, wondering the same thing. Would particularly be interested in comparisons to such alternatives/competitors as AoPS, RSM, AlphaStem, or Sunshine Academy.

OP here. I am also interested to hear about these other options, but mathnasium seems convenient for us as a start. Particularly interested in the Russian school. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have already spoken with them, an curious to hear from families who have used it. That is what these forums are for.

Thank you.

Yeah man.

[Anonymous]

We used Mathnasium for enrichment in upper elementary. DS loved it being able to do things he wasn't doing at school. They let him work at higher levels and there just wasn't a ceiling for what they were teaching him. He continued to attend in middle school but by that time, the center's focus shifted to keeping up with homework. Couldn't really blame them for it since my kid had to keep up with his homework too but there was just no more time for "fun stuff."

DS who is now a rising Freshman and was just talking about how he really enjoyed mathnasium. He said they taught him to see patterns in problems. At school, they give you the formula and you plug the numbers in. At Mathnasium, they give you the problem, you figure out the best "formula" or technique to use based all the other things you learned.

DS isn't a drill and kill kind of kid. He loves going in depth with topics. Doesn't enjoy too much repetition. He isn't fast at math but has a deep understanding. He's very strong with logic.

[Anonymous]

Great, thank you PP! I think we will give it a try.