Math Program At Firecracker Academy

My second grader has been taking weekly classes at Firecracker for a year. She is eager to attend class and is energized about the lessons. She has always enjoyed math and I happy that she is learning mathematical concepts versus the arithmetic that she gets at school. I love that when I pick her up, the group of students are always standing –either at the whiteboard or around an activity. As she gets older, I want her to continue to find math fun and I believe that her continued participation with Firecracker will ensure that.

Firecracker Academy teaches advanced math concepts that my child would never get in school. His brain is well-​challenged at Firecracker and I often find him ruminating over concepts he learns in class and applying those concepts to other problems he sees around him in the world. The instructors are great and know how to motivate and interact with children, which is an issue that we ran into in another math circle we attended for a while. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to support their kid who loves math.

We tried several math programs for my mathematically talented but math-​bored son before we found Firecracker, and I am forever grateful to them for reviving my son’s love and enthusiasm for math. Now he looks forward to class, and thinks about what he learns all week, pushing the ideas further on his own. The classes explore concepts that he would never cover in school; for example, for 6^th grade, exploring binary numbers and unique uses for them, or solving Martin Gardner-​like puzzles, or discovering complex patterns in geometry. Classes are small– 3 and 8 kids in his classes the last 2 years– and the teachers are geniuses at creating a collaborative atmosphere and curriculum that lends itself to group problem solving. They’re also very good at making sure each kid is challenged– there are always side problems and extensions and extra questions for those who understand quickly– and the math and the process are exciting, with constant discovery and exploration. The teachers are also very good at making math very interesting but low-​pressure and fun, which I think is a rare combination. I can’t say enough good things about Firecracker, and I recommend them very highly.

This program was recommended to me by two high-​level, professional mathematicians who are also parents of school-​aged children. My son started at Firecracker Academy in the spring of 2013 and has been very enthusiastic about it ever since. There is a good mix of genders in the classes, and the classes are organized by level, not by age — within a certain age range. The classes are small and personalized. The teaching method is fun and challenging.

The Math Program at Firecracker Academy has saved our lives. We are so happy and I am so relieved to have found them. Math is my 13 year old son’s favorite subject but he had run out of challenges in his small underfunded school program and has been essentially assigned to teach himself by his overburdened school teachers. His love of math was beginning to falter. With the teachers at the Academy he is discovering a new level of love for math because the teachers are exemplary. They love math at all levels, they love kids of all ages/​abilities and they are passionate about making math fun for students. The classes at Firecracker Academy are my son’s runaway favorite times of his school week now. I could not recommend them enough.

This program is the best math program I found for my daughter, and we looked a lot
and tried a couple! The teacher understands how to approach and educate children,
and she is enthusiastic and passionate about her subject. She goes out of her way
to find some extra time for each child, so my daughter always feels included and
engaged. Math is now her favorite subject!