Top Banana is a unique program that teaches mathematics to young children by aligning the instructions in mathematics with the

knowledge of how human memory works. Instead of memorizing facts, we place the emphasis on the logic behind the mathematical operations. Our one of a kind curriculum focuses on mental math, the almost forgotten art of performing calculations without the use of pencil and paper. While this approach turns studying numbers into playing with numbers, it makes learning fun and engaging. It encourages students to embrace critical thinking and develop troubleshooting skills that are crucial for academic and life success.

Class Schedule
2011-2012
Classroom 1 Classroom 2

Monday
4:00 - 6:00 Grade 7 4:00 - 4:45 Kindergarten

the most mathematical and fun way to learn

mathematics

Tuesday
4:00 - 5:15 Grade 4 5:30 - 7:15 Grade 6 4:00 - 5:00 Grade 2 5:15 - 6:15 Grade 3

Wednesday
4:00 - 5:00 Grade 3 5:15 - 6:45 Grade 5 4:00 - 5:00 Grade 1 5:15 - 6:15 Grade 2

Thursday
4:00 - 5:30 Grade 5 5:45 - 7:00 Grade 4

Saturday
9:00 - 10:15 Grade 4 9:00 - 10:00 Grade 1 10:15 - 11:15 Grade 2 11:30 - 12:30 Grade 3

Classes are once a week. A pre-enrollment assessment is recommended to ensure the most appropriate placement.

Enroll Today
call

617.795.1557

Top Banana Education Foundation 56 Winchester Street Newton, MA 02461 (888) 411-KIDS / 5437 www.TopBananaEducation.org

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Education Foundation

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Confidence
My older daughter just loves to get up to the board and show what she knows. Lauren, daughters in 1st and 4th grades

Achievement
At Top Banana we recognize that while achievement gives birth to motivation, motivated students make greater strides and achieve more. It is extremely important for children to learn the feeling of accomplishment and pride and to get on a path to success early in life. One of the greatest mathematicians of all times Isaac Newton said If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. While presenting math concepts at a pace that the students can comfortably sustain, our curriculum is designed to show the students how the dots are connected and how to progressively build knowledge around the traditional core math framework. With our fun, engaging and yet rigorous approach students are set up for success every step of the way.

Understanding
Young children think in concrete terms and learn best when they are able to connect the math principals taught in class with what is familiar to them from everyday life. To think mathematically is to engage in a dramatic play where numbers represent people, things and places, and manipulating the numbers reflects how the characters interact with each other. This is a program that is based really upon learning about the practical side of mathematics, the core part of mathematics. Sheldon, daughter in 1st grade Our carefully orchestrated curriculum leads children on a journey of connecting the dots allowing them to discover the universal nature of mathematics. When students realize the rhyme and reason behind the principals they are taught, they begin to appreciate how math makes very complicated things much easier. As their perception of different phenomena evolves, children get accustomed to selfvalidating the outcome of their work and become more independent. My daughter is completely comfortable with the concepts and I think her confidence really comes from knowing that she can understand these ideas, that theyre not abstract, that theyre tangible. Nicole, daughter in 5th grade

Confidence is the quality that most of todays students lack. The notion of What do I do when I dont know what to do? makes many children throw in the towel. While students may be well versed in different concepts and principals separately, putting them in an unusual or unfamiliar combination makes the problem look impossible to solve.

Its an esteem builder, and I think an esteem builder the right way. David, sons in 2nd and 4th grades Our approach prepares kids to meet these challenges head on and is threefold. 1. The complexity of the material increases incrementally over time such that peeling unfamiliar cover off the problem is challenging but age appropriate. This puts the goal within the reach and makes success possible for each student. 2. Students learn different methods and strategies for solving similar problems. This eliminates single points of failure and equips students with the answer validating tools. 3. Our program encourages students to gradually build an intuitive number sense through practice backed by logic and reasoning.

Thanks to Top Banana special curriculum, our daughters math scores are among the top in her class. Michael, daughter in 4th grade

The program cultivates critical thinking in our students which instills the can-do attitude. Empowered by the techniques they learned and having honed their math skills, children who believe in themselves and take pride in their new abilities perform better in all school subjects across the board. They become more observant, more accurate, more organized, more logical, more analytical and more agile. In short, they get to be smarter learners and independent thinkers.

Pride

Independence

Appreciation