Programs that nurture creativity (vs acceleration)
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Anonymous
| I am aware of all the programs out there that accelerate kids in math/writing (AoPS, Kumon, Curie, CTY—the list is long). Are there any well regarded programs that nurture creativity in children? I’m not interested in acceleration. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Sure, any art, theater, etc camp. There are tons of options, just depends what your kid likes. |
pettifogger
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For math, try looking at material from mathematical circles. They focus much more on the 'why' instead of the 'how', and try to develop beautiful ideas via problems that are accessible to kids. There is still a lot of thinking, exploration, and problem solving, but its in a more collaborative environment as compared to something like math competitions. At a math circle students generally work together and the problems might feel a bit more puzzly than average. While math competitions also tend to have troves of really nice problems which require a lot ingenuity/creativity to solve, some math contest problems tend to be overly technical, which can end up turning off some kids who are new to problem solving. The only issue is that in this area there are very few math circles around. American University has an online only circle that will open again in the spring, and I believe the Fairfax Math Circle (FMC) will also have a spring program. Personally, I would just buy books: The Mathematical Circles Library series of books are wonderful (they're all published by AMS, the American Mathematics Society with the specific purpose of teaching problem solving by exploring beautiful mathematical ideas). For middle schoolers (and perhaps some late elementary kids), the Mathematical Circle Diaries by Anna Burago (both volumes) are absolutely fantastic. I've been blown away by the quality of the interesting problems presented, as well as the insightful explanations, which are even better than many of the math contest questions out there. The one caveat is that the material is challenging and you need to work on it together with your child and give them guidance/encouragement as they will not be able to do it fully solo. https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Circle-Diaries-Year-Curriculum/dp/0821887459 |
Anonymous
NP Thanks for this! I have a kid who would love this. |
Anonymous
FWIW, AoPS does not really accelerate kids. The focus is extra depth and really stretching the kid's understanding of the material. The standard AoPS "track" has kids doing Algebra in 7th or later. |
Anonymous
Agree AoPS had more of an emphasis on problem-solving, which is literally in their name. Once my kids had a basic understanding of decimals and fractions, I eased them into this program. It is possible to begin earlier, but I felt this worked best. I'd be interested in hearing other opinions though. |
Anonymous
I was going to add this--AoPS is focused on depth and I find it demands a lot of creativity. |
Anonymous
What is a good age to begin AoPS? |
Anonymous
Beast Academy (on line and in person if you're nearby) is for elementary and my kids really liked it. They just did on-line. They were advanced in math but had to start a grade below just because the depth and way of problem-solving was different than they were used to. There are on-line assessments that help them to figure where to start. Some of the 2nd and 3rd grade problems made me think--and I was a STEM major who took a lot of math in college! It's just I hadn't thought about some of the arithmetic concepts in the way they presented them. |
Anonymous
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My kids are creative enough - what they need is learning how to be rigorous and resilient, because without those tools, they cannot use their creativity. So they went to an accelerated school program, did Beast Academy/AoPS, started an instrument very early, and read tons of books. Now when my middle schooler wants to write a story, or draw, or play a piece of music, she has the mental stamina to tackle ambitious goals and to (mostly) see them through, even though writing thousands of words or playing an entire concerto is not fun all the time. |
Anonymous
Folks want to clear se creative places down. |
Anonymous
Algebra in 7th -- the typical target for kids who aren't super advanced, and granted there are a lot more of the latter in AoPS than practically anywhere else -- is accelerated by two years, so I wouldn't call it non-accelerated. Beast Academy is the elementary school version of AoPS, and 1st grade Beast Academy was completed relatively recently; 2nd through 5th have been around for a while. It's an interesting curricula, in part because on the surface it *looks* lightweight -- the textbook is, in fact, a comic book that details the adventures of the titular beasts. But those adventures are mathematical, and it's a very advanced curriculum, designed for kids in the 95th percentile on up. Practice is relatively limited; the typical BA child is supposed to grasp the concepts very quickly indeed, and start applying them to more and more difficult problems. |
Anonymous
| Free play |
Anonymous
| the nature of creativity is that adults cannot “nurture” it by enrolling kids in a “program” |
Anonymous
+1 |