Agreed.

Aside from the maturity issue, I would really think about how much your DS would LOVE an intense math experience. If your DS isn't passionate about math, then the days will be long. I have heard of kids who attend and don't want to go back because they weren't that passionate about doing math so intensely for 2 weeks. The counselors and instructors are fabulous and are great at helping kids stay on task, and encouraging kids who may feel overwhelmed. FWIW, my DD had never attended a summer camp is generally a fun loving, not as motivated as my older DC - kiddo, and she loved the experience. It was literally life changing for her. I also have to disagree and say that aptitude is important - especially if a kid is introverted, timid or shy and therefore afraid to ask for help. Gifted kids can be so hard on themselves! Has your DS completed the entrance exam and the exploration questions? Completing the required problems is one great way to judge suitability. The exploration questions show the team how the kid thinks mathematically and will be a good indicator for you. Is the child excited about solving the problems? Does the child want to discuss the problems further after working on them? Do you have to prodd the kid to complete the work, or is the child intrinsically driven to finish? If you are thinking of applying this year, I encourage you to get your DS started asap as there are only a few spots left. Also the staff is great with answering questions - I would encourage you reach to the admission staff. Lastly, I'm not familiar with KTEA, but was there a section on concepts and application? I wouldn't worry about fluency as this lag is pretty common and Epsilon understands this. I only see calculation and fluency subsets and would want to see problem-solving capability, but again, I'm not familiar with this test at all.

Thank you, both. I have considered the stretch class but was under the impression it may not be available (I didn't see on for spring and perhaps even fall last year?). I worry about the 2 hour class, but if this is offered, it may be a better pace for her. Yes, will most likely do NT and CP when the time comes. I am surprised that she likes the text based AOPS class! I have a feeling that she may find WTM too slow, as she often doodles while waiting for the teacher to post the class answers. I will check out the sample video though - thanks for the suggestion!

Hello, I would really appreciate feedback regarding next steps for my DD9 with AOPS. She started AOPS pre-algebra last year when she was 8.5. I initially had no intentions of enrolling her in the online class due to worries of pace and maturity, but after speaking to some parents at Epsilon, I decided to give it a trial. She loves the online class, and despite the written problems being challenging/frustrating for her, she has persistently worked diligently each week on them and has improved drastically with her proofs. The problem is that she wants to continue with the online class for Algebra A. I am really torn about this because whilst she loves AOPS pretty passionately, I can't imagine how she will handle the Algebra online class at the pace they offer. Also, she works to "blue" on Alcumus and because she often gets level 25 problems, she can spend an hour at times with the these. However, she will not put in an incorrect answer to proceed forward, even when she is getting frustrated, so this sometimes causes her math for the day to take 2 hours (on a couple occasions, 3). Note that this is something that she is driven to do, despite my pleading to move on and continue the next day. Her written responses can also take a few hours, due to the solving, detailed writing and LaTex, and has received "blue" for almost all written problems as well. She often works 1 week or 2 ahead of the class. The challenge set tends to be easiest for her and she often breezes through those, unlike her Alcumus questions, which can be can be difficult due to the level. Basically, she is getting blue across the board, and because she is also a fast processor, she gets posted in her class a great majority of the time. Because I want her to have a very strong foundation in Algebra rather than rush her, I'd rather she work at her own pace and work from the book and Alcumus. However, she doesn't want to give up the class or the graded written responses. For those of you who have kids that completed both, could you kindly share your experiences regarding the ramping up in pace for the Algebra class? I just can't see how a young student can read through an entire chapter and work through the problems in the book in a week, in addition to the Alcumus topic, challenge and written problems. I am not a strong math person and am nervous about next year! Thank you.

I'm sorry about the results of the testing. As mentioned upstream, easy is hard, hard is easy is a common gifted trait. My PG did used to do this quite frequently when she was 7 - 8, and has gotten much better focusing as a 9 year old. Also Epsilon no longer requires IQ or achievement testing as a prerequisite, as they don't want that to become a barrier for those who can't afford testing. They will accept the forementioned, letter of recommendation from math teacher, or results from a math competition(including Math Kangaroo). I also realized that there were some kids who were there that have never been tested, so I would use the assessment and exploration questions as an indicator of his interest and fit along with other evidence you can provide. http://epsiloncamp.org/outside-evidence-of-academic-proficiency

Thank you, that was very helpful. :)

Woodland Mist, did your DD have any exposure to WWE prior to WWS? I am wondering if it will work for my DS just turned 10 at half speed. This is the first time I'm homeschooling him and don't want to frustrate him early on. TIA.

Sorry for the delay in responding and thank you for the suggestions! Homeschool just started up again so we've been busy. I did reach out to several parents on the directory and they have been helpful, but also finding difficulty with these areas, as we are outside the bay area with no math circle close by or great summer camps. Dmmetler, what wonderful opportunities you are uncovering for you DD! Quark, great suggestion about contacting the FC, will do that next. Thanks again!

Hello, new here and excited to discover this forum! I have a DYS DD7.5 that I started homeschooling middle of 1st grade and I feel I am not providing her in opportunities in science and math. What I mean is that although I feel pretty comfortable with her curriculum choices (REAL science, Singapore math and Beast academy), I know she is craving extra hands on exposure that I haven’t been able to uncover for her in our area. For example, she is crazy about science, but the camps around our neck of the woods are basically a theme of mad science camps that get recycled over. We went to SF Exploratorium this weekend where there was a demonstration of a cow eye dissection and she was so engaged and engrossed, that most of the attendees were staring at her.She LOVED the experience! Last year she attended an Invention camp and was bored with the level of work they were given, and I think she was driving the high school helpers crazy too. How do you go about asking the camp director about age requirement exemptions? She is much more engaged with older kids but I am worried that she talks so much. For math, there are no math circles around us and she would desperately like to connect with another girl to discuss Fibonacci sequences, golden ratios with. I basically have no idea how to enrich her interest in these areas and feel like I am failing her. Also, I am tired of being judged as tiger mom due to failed advocacy efforts at her school and wary about approaching people and asking for exemptions..how awful, I should just buck up! Is she still too young for me to worry about this sort of exposure? Would appreciate words of wisdom, advice. Thank you!