Pi Day at Mathnasium

Posted by Mathin Catherine

Pi is a very important number that is used throughout all math classes as well as throughout one’s life. This is why it is very important for Mathnasium to celebrate Pi Day. Last year, Pi Day at Mathnasium involved learning about pi, doing pi related math problems, eating pie, and throwing pie’s at instructor’s faces! This year, we will be following last year’s tradition! We have a great day of fun activities planned out for the children. Here is a sneak peak of problems similar to the one’s were going to be solving on pi day.

Pi Day Math Problems

Pi day

You ordered pizza from your favorite pizza restaurant. The pizza has a radius of 6 inches. What is the circumference of the pizza? What is the area of the pizza?
Your ice cream cone has a radius of 2 inches and a height of 5 inches. What is the volume of your ice cream cone? (Volume = 1/3 * π * r²)
An apple pi(e) has a radius of 4 inches. What is the circumference of the pizza? If 8 people what a slice of pie, what is the circumference of each person’s piece (only including the outer edge).

We have an endless list of problems to do on pi day, so make sure to take your child to Mathnasium so that they can learn about Pi Day as well as celebrate at Mathnasium!

We hope to see your at Mathnasium on Pi Day! We will be having fun pi related activities. We also hope to see your child this summer. For more information about Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park and other unique word problems, visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Pi Day at Mathnasium

Posted by Mathin Catherine

Pi Day is a very important math holiday. It happens every year on March 14 because the first 3 digits of pi are 3.14!

For those of you who don’t know, pi is a VERY important number.

Facts About Pi

Pi is a constant, which means it is a number that never changes.
It’s symbol is ‘π.’
Π is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to a circles diameter. The circumference of a circle is the length of a circle; it is calculated using this equation: C = 2 * π * radius. The diameter of a circle is the longest line that can fit inside of a circle. Half of that length is called the radius.
It is an irrational number, which means it can’t be perfectly expressed as a fraction
Pi’s decimal representation goes on forever
A fraction used to approximate pi is 22/7
A decimal approximation is 3.14
Pi is equal to 3.14159265359……

Pi and Mathnasium

At Mathnasium, we can teach your child more detail about pi as well as how to use pi. (Be sure to stop by at Mathnasium on Pi Day for some fun pi related math activities!) Pi is a concept in math that all children need to be accustomed to because it will appear throughout your child’s math classes. Thus, enrolling your child at Mathnasium now, or even at Mathnasium’s summer math camp is a perfect way to get your child to learn more about math and more about pi! Here are some pi related math problems we can teach your child how to solve:

You walk around a circle which has a diameter of 50 ft. How far have you walked?
Julie measured the diameter (d) and circumference (C) of a circle to the nearest mm. The diameter of the circle was 113 mm and the circumference was 355 mm. She then used her measurements to calculate a value for π correct to 8 decimal places. What value did Julie get?
A circle has a diameter of 20 ft. What is the area of the circle?

American Girl Doll Goes to Summer Math Camp

Posted by Mathin Catherine

Palo Alto – Menlo Park’s Mathnasium has a great summer planned out for your child. We want to stop “brain drain” from happening to your child by reviewing with them their old math skills as well as teaching them new skills. Mathnasium is approximately one block away from Stanford Shopping Center which means that the American Girl Doll store is nearby! Be sure to take your child after Mathnasium’s summer math camp to visit the American Girl Doll store to learn about history, check out some of the dolls, and maybe even get a bite to eat at their cafe.

If your child has a doll, your child can bring them to Mathnasium’s summer math camp! This way, both your child and their favorite American Girl Doll can learn some math! We can even give your child problems that involve American Girl Dolls!

Rebecca Rubin Doll from 1914

Example Problems:

Measure the height of your doll and then measure your height. How much taller are you?
Measure the circumference of your American Girl Doll. Now set the circumference equal to the circumference equation (C = 2 * pi * r) and solve for the radius of your American Girl Doll’s head.
If your doll costs approximately $110. What is the cost of 3 American Girl Dolls?
Your doll costs $340 including all of her outfits and accessories. How many cookies can you buy with that amount of money if each cookie costs $2.50?
Your doll costs $110 without tax. How much does she cost with tax (tax =7.50%)

Clearly, your child (and maybe even the American Girl Doll) will have a blast at Mathnasium’s summer math camp this summer! Be sure to check out the American Girl Store website at http://www.americangirl.com/index.php.

Want more? Make sure to check out our other posts about summer camps around the bay area. In addition to registering for cool camps, don’t forget to leave time for relieving summer “brain drain” at Mathnasium this summer! Visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Mathin’ With American Girl Dolls at Summer Math Camp in Redwood City

Posted by Mathin Catherine

Redwood City is not only close to Palo Alto – Menlo Park Mathnasium, but it is also very close to Stanford Shopping Center. This summer, after your child’s session at Mathnasium’s summer math camp, take them to Stanford Shopping Center for a treat – to see the American Girl Doll Store. At the American Girl store you get to choose a among more than 20 different doll characters. Getting an American Girl doll is a perfect way for your child to learn about history because each doll comes from a different time in history (the dolls come with a book about the time period they are from).

Caroline Abbott Doll from 1812

There are also five different types of dolls:

Bitty Baby- these are baby dolls that are perfect for children older than 3 years old
Bitty Twins – very similar to Bitty Babies, but you get two twin Bitty Baby twin dolls
Historical Characters – Dolls for children 8 years old or older; these dolls come with amazing and inspirational stories from their time period
Girl of the Year – Isabelle is the Girl of the Year (2014)
My American Girl – this doll is perfect if your child wants to create their own American Girl Doll. They get to design how she looks and what her story is too. This is an online option.

Taking your child to the American Girl Store in Palo Alto creates the perfect opportunity for your child to practice some math skills they will learn at Mathnasium’s summer math camp. While at the store, you can ask your child problems like these

An American Girl Doll (historical characters) and her corresponding book costs $110. If her book costs $6.95, how much does the doll cost alone?
Your child wants to get the historical character American Girl Doll. Along with the doll and book, your child wants to get the doll her Birthday Party ($28), a Nightgown ($24), and accessories ($24). How much does this cost in total? How much does this cost with tax (7.50%)?

Clearly, the American Girl Doll store in Palo Alto is a perfect place for your child to have fun, get a beautiful doll, and brush up on their math skills.

Burger Time in Redwood City

Posted by Mathin Catherine

A popular burger joint across the west coast is In-N-Out. Luckily, there is one close by in Redwood City. In-N-Out first opened in 1948. It was a drive-thru burger place at the time. Now, in 2014, there are 290 locations. Clearly, it is a very successful burger place.

In-N-Out in Redwood City

Now, what makes it so special?

First of all, In-N-Out uses uses good quality ingredients. Their burgers are 100% pure beef, their lettuce is hand leafed, they use real cheese and vegetables, and their french fries are made from potatoes on the spot. You can even watch the cook cut up the potatoes into slices and fry them there. Although In-N-Out is a fast food chain, it is a healthier alternative to other fast food places.

In-N-Out not only has burgers and fries, but also grilled cheeses and milkshakes. They have a large secret menu as well. Check out their website for more information: In-N-Out

Math and In-N-Out

Lets say you take your child to the In-N-Out in Redwood City. Both you and your mom order a cheeseburger and french fries. Your child also orders a chocolate milkshake. Make sure your child does not see the receipt. As you wait for your order at the popular Redwood City location ask your child the following questions.

Each burger costs $2.20 and fries cost $1.50. A milkshake costs $1.99. How much did the order cost?
Tax in Redwood City is 9.00%. How much was the tax?
How much did the order cost with the tax?
If I paid with a 20 dollar bill, how much money did I get back?

As you can see, In-N-Out is a perfect place to get a tasty burger as well as brush up on your child’s money math skills.

For more information about Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park and other unique word problems, visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Summer Camp Fun in Menlo Park

Posted by Mathin Catherine

There is nothing better than the thought that summer is only 4 months away. It is almost time to relax, have fun, and enjoy the summer sun. Summer vacation is usual about 75 days, which means that summer camp is a must to add to your child’s to do list this summer. By enrolling your child in a summer camp, your child will be able to do the things he or she loves as well as relax.

Here is a list of 4 possible summer camps for your child this up coming summer:

Menlo Mavericks

A summer camp for those who love to swim and play water polo!

Soccer Shots

If your child loves soccer, this is the perfect summer camp for them! It is designed to help teach and improve soccer skills while still having fun and making new friends.

Mini & Menlo Madness Summer Camp

This camp is perfect for all ages. The children will get to go on field trips, learn to cook, do art, play sports, and much, much more!

Camp Galileo

Camp Galileo combines science, arts, and outdoor activities to create a fun and exciting summer for your child.

After going to one of these summer camps, you can always drop your child for an hour at the Palo Alto – Menlo Park Mathnasium. The great thing about Mathnasium is that you get to decide the times your child goes, and it does not have to be a daily thing either. For example, lets say your child joins the Menlo Mavericks summer camp. On your way home, you can drop your child off at Mathnasium. Or, you can drop your child off at Mathnasium before he or she goes to swimming/water polo practice. Enrolling in Mathnasium’s summer camp is very important because we will prepare them in math for the up coming school year.

We hope to see your child this summer. For more information about Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park and other unique word problems, visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Redwood City Summer Camp

Posted by Mathin Catherine

With summer coming up, its time to think about what summer camps your child should do. After all, summer is a time for your child to have fun! A great option is to choose Mathnasium’s summer camp. By doing this, your child will excel in math! It is a perfect way to prepare your child for the upcoming school year. What’s special about Mathnasium is that the hours your child attends is up to you. You schedule the times according to what fits your schedule as well as your child’s schedule. This means that even if your child wants to do a different camp too, they can!

Fun Things to do in Redwood City This Summer

All of the libraries have storytimes. Take your child to a library one afternoon and they’ll get to hear a story teller tell a wonderful story.
Take your child to Chuck E Cheese and they will get to explore and have fun indoors on a hot summer day.
Close by to Redwood City is Hidden Villa. Hidden Villa is a great place to take your animal loving child to.

Mathnasium’s Summer Camp

What is so great about Mathnasium’s summer camp is that we do our best to teach your child math in a fun and engaging way. We play games with them that involve math, like the game 21. We give them 4 playing cards and they somehow need to either add, subtract, multiply, divide their numbers to try to get as close as possible to 21. We have lots of other fun games for your child to do! Our math packets are also designed to perfect your child’s skills in all topics.

We hope to see your child this summer! For more information about Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park and other unique word problems, visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Valentine’s Day at Mathnasium

Posted by Mathin Catherine

A great opportunity to enjoy time with your child and brush up on their math skills is to celebrate Valentine’s Day with them.

Brief History about Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14.

There are many different stories that explain how Valentine’s Day came to be. One story is about a priest named St. Valentine who did an amazing and dangerous deed to help others. St. Valentine was a Roman priest who served under Emperor Claudius II. Claudius II outlawed marriage for every man who was serving in his army. St. Valentine was against Claudius II’s decision and decided to marry the soldier’s and their loves secretly. Now, every year, we celebrate Valentine’s Day with our loved one in honor of St. Valentine’s want to spread the love.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Palo Alto – Menlo Park Mathnasium

Math and Valentine’s Day

Here are some fun ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your child.

Bake some sort of fantastic dessert with your child.
This is a great way for your child to practice fractions. Look at the measurements of each dry item and ask them to add it. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup of flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt, ask your child to add up all of the measurements to see how many cups of total dry ingredients they need. You can do the same for the liquidy ingredients.
Along with fractions, baking can help your child with multiplication and determining areas and perimeters of shape. If you are using a rectangular pan, ask your child to calculate the area, perimeter, and volume. You can do the same with a circular pan, just ask them to calculate circumference, area, and volume as well!
Take your child to a nice brunch in order to practice their money skills. Ask them to calculate the total cost of their meal with tax and tip if applicable. If their meal is less than $20, ask them how much change they would get if they paid with a 20 dollar bill. (You can do this with other bills too :))
Make Valentine’s Day cards for your child’s friends! Buy some chocolates and make cards. In each card put two chocolates. Ask your child how many chocolates they need for the number of friends he/she is giving cards to. For example, if I am giving a Valentine’s Day card to 9 friends. I would need 18 chocolates.

We hope you have an awesome Valentine’s Day filled with some math!

For more information about Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park and other unique word problems, visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Mathnasium’s Summer Camp in Menlo Park

Posted by Mathin Catherine

Menlo Park’s Mathnasium has a fabulous summer camp planned this year. By enrolling in Mathnasium’s summer camp, your child will be awesome at math! At Mathnasium, the curriculum is to make sure the child feels strong about their already learned material, and once that has been solidified, the child will be taught brand new math skills. Now, what’s great about Mathnasium’s summer camp is that the times your child goes doesn’t have to be set. You get to schedule when and for how long your child will be at the camp. This means that even if your child wants to do a martial arts camp, or basketball camp, or a painting camp, they can as well!

Menlo Park’s Mathnasium is also a very close to University Avenue and Stanford Shopping Center. After a great day of doing math, you can treat your child to their favorite meal or ice cream! Along the way, you can quiz them on their math skills. You can ask them questions like:

if a drive to Stanford Shopping center takes 3 minutes from Mathnasium, and you drive at constant speed, what is the car’s speed?
if your ice cream costs $4.68 and you pay with a five dollar bill, how much money will you get back? What about with a ten dollar bill? Twenty dollar bill?
if you go to a restaurant and your meal costs $8.95, tax is 9.25%, and you tip them an amount of double the tax, how much money do you need to pay? How much money will you get back if you pay with a twenty dollar bill?

As you can see, math is everywhere. There are so many questions you can ask your child just from an everyday outing!

I hope to see your child this summer! For more information about Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park and other unique word problems, visit our website at http://www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Stanford Summer Camp

Posted by Mathin Catherine

Even though it is only February, it is time to start considering which summer camps to enroll your child in. There are lots of fun and interesting summer camps in Stanford, including Mathnasium. Mathnasium is a perfect summer camp because it is in proximity to Safeway and to Stanford Shopping Center, which means, as your child strengthens his or her math skills, you can pick up some groceries or enjoy some time at Stanford Shopping Center. Every summer, children go through the classic brain drain, which is when kids forget what they learned the previous year. At Mathnasium, we will make sure this doesn’t happen! We will strengthen their current math skills and help them excel in new skills as well. Also, unlike some summer camps, you get to choose the times and dates your child comes to Mathnasium. This means, your child can go to Mathnasium as well as go to a different summer camp before or after Mathnasium.

Stanford

Here are some fun summer camps in Stanford your child can attend after coming or before coming to Mathnasium.

Stanford Sports Camps

This is a perfect camp a sports loving child. Children between age 5 – 18 can attend. Here, they will learn to master their skill in a sport as well as have fun and make new friends. Check out their website for a list of sports.

Education Unlimited Camp at Stanford

This camp is great for children between 4th and 12th grade. It is a perfect summer camp for those children interested in computer science, movie making, and other technology techniques.

iD Tech Camp

This camp is for 7 – 18 year olds. It is an overnight camp that teaches children how to make 2-D and 3-D video games as well as how to make websites, movies, and more!

This is just a small list of possible summer camps at Stanford this summer.

Math Tutoring in Palo Alto & Menlo Park

Mathin' With Catherine Blog

Author: Mathin Catherine

Pi Day at Mathnasium

Pi Day Math Problems

Pi Day at Mathnasium

Facts About Pi

Pi and Mathnasium

American Girl Doll Goes to Summer Math Camp

Mathin’ With American Girl Dolls at Summer Math Camp in Redwood City

Burger Time in Redwood City

Summer Camp Fun in Menlo Park

Redwood City Summer Camp

Fun Things to do in Redwood City This Summer

Mathnasium’s Summer Camp

Valentine’s Day at Mathnasium

Brief History about Valentine’s Day

Math and Valentine’s Day

Mathnasium’s Summer Camp in Menlo Park

Stanford Summer Camp

Follow Math Tutoring in Palo Alto & Menlo Park