Math Blaster Review & Giveaway

I just might have mentioned a time or two on my blog that math is not my strongest subject. It was the one subject in school that I feared. I’m trying my hardest not to pass down my math phobia to my kids, so I am always open to finding ways to sneak math into our day. Knowledge Adventure asked me to check out Math Blaster. Since I have at least one kid who is highly motivated by doing work on the computer, I agreed.

What Is It?

Math Blaster is an futuristic space-themed online game which incorporates various math topics and levels. It is geared toward 6yr.- 12yr. olds. In addition, membership also allows you to access Jump Start, a virtual world for kids ages 3-10.

What We Thought:

I had my 9yr. old daughter test this game out with me. The first day she played, she spent most of the time changing her avatar’s clothes and hairstyles—lol. The next day she explored the various games available.

Here is a list of some of the games and the concepts presented:

• Math Facts (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division)
  • Zapper Turret Training
  • HyperBlast Training
  • Alien Wrangler
• Fractions, Decimals and Percents
  • Bolt Cruncher
• Money
  • Oozami
• Place Values
  • Ooozami
• 3D Figures
  • Bolt Cruncher

My daughter really enjoyed this game---especially the HyperBlast Training. I on the other hand, am uncoordinated. Most of the games required the use of the arrow keys to move. It took all my daughter’s self-control not to grab the keyboard from me while playing. Yes, I was that pitiful. I’m starting to get the hang of it now. :)

There are many areas of the game that I would consider time-wasters (ie changing your avatars clothes) but they appeal to kids. Obviously this is a supplemental math tool, so I can overlook those sections. I did however, need to redirect my daughter on a couple of occasions to go to the games that were math-oriented. If you are looking for a way to combine gaming entertainment with some learning, then Math Blaster and Jump Start are perfect options to consider.

Math Blaster Membership Information
Math Blaster Blog

Giveaway: CLOSED

Math Blaster is giving away a 3-month free membership! This is for the online program—no physical product will be sent.

The Details:
Mandatory Entry: Was math your favorite subject? Why, or why not?
Optional entry: Share on Twitter

*Giveaway runs from Aug. 16th – August 27th. 
*Winner will be drawn by random.org and will be emailed.
*Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*Please leave your email address in a comment or visible on your profile.

Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for Math Blaster and Knowledge Adventure at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Daily Word Problems

When I was in 4th grade, I remember my teacher giving us a word problem booklet that had to be completed each week. I would break out in a sweat just looking at the book. It caused me a lot of stress. I don’t want my kids to feel that way about word problems. More importantly, I want my kids to see how word problems relate to every day life and have the confidence to solve them (without sweating). So I happily agreed to look over Daily Word Problems Grade 3 by Evan Moor.

 
I used this book with my 9yr. old and also did some problems each week with the 11yr. old for review.

The book is made up of printable daily word problems that span 36 weeks. Each week is organized around a theme (you can see we were working on the cat theme page below.)

At the beginning of the week, most of the problems require one or two steps. On Friday, the challenge problem often has multiple steps or requires other math skills such as reading a graph or discovering patterns.

Math skills practiced include:

• addition and subtraction facts
• multiplication and division facts
• multidigit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping
• multiplication with and without regrouping
• division with and without remainders
• telling time
• money
• fractions
• reading and interpreting graphs and charts
• geometry logic problems

A preview of the book is available to help you get a better idea of what this book contains.

What We Thought:

This fit in perfectly with our math needs this year. Having just a problem a day to do did not overwhelm my 9yr. old. Many times I would read the problem  and my daughter would work it on the dry-erase board. She was free to draw or use math manipulatives to help figure out the problem.  Sometimes my 11yr. old would join us and it was interesting to see the different ways both kids worked the problem. This gave me the opportunity to show how there are different ways to approach a problem and still get the same answer. We will continue using this book alongside our current math program.

If you are looking for this math series or other homeschool curriculum ideas, check out the free catalog from Timberdoodle.

 

Disclosure:  As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received the products listed above for free in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

Learning Math facts with Math Rider

My kids love horses, so when asked to review Math Rider, I was hopeful that this program would help motivate my three older kids to master their math facts.

What Is Math Rider?:

Math Rider is a downloadable computer game that allows elementary students to practice (and hopefully master) their basic math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The players ride on a horse named Shadow, and must complete various quests through a fantasy kingdom. Each quest contains 30 math problems and students gain various points depending on how well they did. (You can find even more details regarding how to play this game on the Math Rider website)

What We Thought:

I thought that Math Rider is a creative way to practice math-facts. This is not just a one-size-fits-all computer game, but the program adjusts to each child’s skill level. If a child gets a problem wrong, that particular problem will show up multiple times in the game. Also, if they start having difficulty answering or typing the problem, the program will slow down. Another bonus is that you can have multiple riders each do their own quests. This was a big plus in our household since I have 3 children at various levels and each was able to use this game on their own level.

I had my 12yr. old daughter, 9yr. old daughter and my 11 yr. old son use this program. My older two didn’t mind using the program, but weren’t especially motivated by the program.  My 9yr. old daughter enjoyed the program the most and preferred to practice her math facts via this game. I’ve seen some improvement with my 9yr. old and am hoping that with continued use, she will gain more confidence in math.

Math Rider: Downloadable program $37

 

For More Math Rider Reviews See: Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Learning Multiplication Facts

I remember as a kid having a difficult time memorizing my multiplication facts. I've seen that  my older children have struggled too. We've tried many things so far, but the facts haven't stuck--especially for my oldest daughter. I was very optimistic and hopeful after reading about Times Alive! I couldn't wait to try it with my kids to see what type of results we would get.

What is it?

Times Alive, by City Creek Press, is an interactive game that uses stories, songs, and quizzes to help teach children multiplication facts from the zero's through the nine's times tables.

Click here to see more Times Alive videos.

What We Thought:

My oldest daughter (12yr.old) used this program the most. Though it was a little childish for her (the songs and stories), she was desperate to get these facts down pat. Having the stories plus the facts put to song helped my daughter get over her mental memorization block. She completed the whole program and now feels much more confident with her math skills.

My 11yr. old son also used this program. He endured the stories and singing, but told me that the songs helped him learn his facts.

I plan to start this with my 8yr. old daughter soon as I think the different ways the material is presented will be beneficial for her. She is a more auditory learner, so I think the songs and stories will help her learn her multiplication facts. I think City Creek has done a great job of coming up with ways to help children learn their facts. They also have an addition curriculum that looks like something I might have to add to our homeschool!

Times Alive! CD-ROM/: $48.95  Download: $44.95
Sign up for City Creek Press' Mailing list for more information and online promotions.

For More Times Alive! Reviews See:

Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Learning Basic Math Facts

One of our math goals for this year was for my older three children to become proficient with their basic math facts. We've tried math flashcards (fail), math drill (fail), and learning by osmosis (fail). Then I was sent Math Facts Now to review:

"Math Facts NOW!" is a simple yet very effective program that will identify weak areas in your child's knowledge of the times tables and basic facts of math, and drill in those specific areas, automatically giving increased drills in those areas."

How We Used It:
Math Facts Now is a program that is downloaded to the computer—so no need getting on the internet for using.

• Compatibility with the Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.
• Enhanced support for multiple children.
• Enhanced lesson results reports with greater detail.
• A cleaner user interface and new lesson creation wizard.
• The ability to create, save and reuse lessons.
• The ability to test multiple problem tables in the same lesson.
• The ability to review past performance and print progress reports.
• The ability to scale to any screen size.

I required my kids to use this program 3 days a week. They would log on and find problems similar to the one pictured above. In order to complete the set, they need to have 50 correct math problems.

What We Thought:
My son hated it (at first)! This is one of the first drill programs that we have used that he could not find an easy way to “fool” the system and be done.  He quickly found out that typing nonsense answers would not finish the program sooner—because he had to have 50 correct answers to end. If  a problem is missed, the student has to type the WHOLE problem a minimum of two times before moving on (the teacher can change this to more). When this first happened, he complained about it  because typing it was just torture for him.  I loved being able to say, “Well a homeschool dad made this program and knew that boys like you might try to find an easy way out. He wanted to make sure you learned your facts.” I could make the program be the bad guy and not me! :)  Now that he knows he has to complete the problems, he does try. The program also allows the teacher to include a reward for certain levels, so once I added those in, he was more than willing to play Math Facts Now.

 
There are many options of this program that the teacher can customize. Lessons can be customized, the time, content, rewards and how many answers must be answered correctly before ending. When we first downloaded the program, the minimum default of the program was 50 correct answers to end the program. Several TOS parents had younger children who were overwhelmed by that goal (my 8yr. daughter was one). The programmer was very understanding and reprogrammed it so that we could adjust that feature. What great customer service! Because of that feature change, I was able to have my 8yr. old use the program tear-free.

I am very pleased with Math Facts Now. I have seen improvement in all three of my kids using this program. I really like that I can tell my kids to go practice and they can do it independently. Then I can check the results and print them out if needed. We will continue to use Math Facts Now as a component of our homeschool math program.

Math Facts Now! Download $15.95 CD: $15.95 plus s/h
System Requirements: Runs on Windows 2000, ME, XP, Vista and Windows 7.
4.5 Mb of free hard drive space required.
FREE TRIAL! Click here for details.

For More Math Facts Now Reviews: Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Math with ALEKS

Out of all the subjects, math is my least favorite. It also is the one subject I don't feel as confident teaching my children. When I was asked to review ALEKS math, the timing couldn't have been better. With a newborn in the house, I needed a little break from teaching math but I didn't want my kids to get behind. I was hoping ALEKS would be a good solution.

What is ALEKS?

Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system that uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ~ALEKS website

When a new student starts this program, ALEKS has them complete an assessment. Based on this assessment, a custom math plan is created for that student. This allows for individualization of the curriculum.

This customize math plan is shown as the student's "pie". The pie graph shows lessons completed in each of the different math content areas. The student can also click on a portion of the graph and the lessons needed to be completed for that content area show up.

Another component of ALEKS (at least for the elementary/middle school ages) are QuickTables. QuickTables is an application that allows students to practice and master their basic math facts. Whenever a student reaches a star, it opens a special game to be played. These games provide additional review practice.

What We Thought:

Since ALEKS is for students 3rd grade - 12th, I had my three older kids open accounts.

My 3rd grader: I found the QuickTables portion to be very beneficial for my daughter. I noticed that she really needs to master her facts and this helped me to remember to have her practice each day. She felt a sense of accomplishment whenever she would move up a star. She struggled a bit with the lessons, partly because it was a little above her math level (she needs to get those math facts mastered) and also because it required reading---which is also a task that doesn't come easy for her. So the combination of those two wore her out on some days. She did much better if I sat by her and walked through some of the first problems in each new lesson. Though it wasn't something that came easy for her, I liked the accountability and she liked to see how her "pie" was getting darker (lessons completed).

My 5th grader:  He enjoyed being online and basically being in charge of his own learning. He tends to be the one who tries to find the easiest way to finish things, and I liked that ALEKS won't let him move on unless he masters an area. If I thought that he was rushing through and not really understanding a concept, I would assign him a quiz (more practice) or print out a worksheet.

My 7th grader: Now this program was made for this child! She loved it. She liked that she could move at her own pace and switch between content areas (geometry, measuring, whole numbers etc.) If she didn't understand something, the written explanations were usually enough for her to grasp the concept. I occasionally had to explain things, but really she was able to move through the lessons on her own.

What I thought: This program is perfect for my family's needs at this moment in time. I can have my students work on math on their own and know that they are practicing and learning what they need to know based on the assessment. I especially like that as a parent I can see how long each student worked that day, what they accomplished, and what they need to accomplish. I also have the ability to assign quizzes or print out worksheets if additional practice is needed. This program however, does not teach new concepts well. For this reason I would not consider it a stand-alone curriculum. You will have to supplement with hands-on opportunities and further explanations if a concept is not understood.  Knowing that, I still find that it is an excellent way to fill in the gaps and reinforce concepts previously learned. I plan on extending our membership for several more months.

ALEKS Homepage
$19.95 per month per student-- there is a family discount option
You can try a free 1-month trial by clicking the button below:

TOS:
For More ALEKS Reviews See;

Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Time 4 Learning (Review)

We recently finished our 1 month free trial of the Time 4 Learning website. When I first saw this online curriculum I knew that this might be just what two of my kids needed. I was curious to see what it was all about, and the timing to try it out was perfect since I just had a baby and we were a little off our normal school schedule anyway.

What is Time 4 Learning?

It is an online PreK- 8th grade curriculum that can be used as the sole curriculum for the student, or as a supplement. It can be used in homeschools, as afterschool learning, as summer school or for tutoring.

What We Thought:

I signed 4 of my kids up on Time 4 Learning. Since we are in a transition time in our household with the addition of Lil Pumpkin, I thought that having the older kids do some school work independently would be helpful at this time.

Pre-K: My preschooler enjoyed being on Time 4 Learning, and was very adept at getting around the site on her own. Her favorite features were watching the song videos and playing games on the "Playground".

3rd Grade: My main interest in this program was for my 3rd grader. She is on the edge of being able to do things independently, and since I'm not readily available to help her with her work at the moment, I thought online learning might be a good solution. The main subjects I wanted her to cover each day were Language Arts and Math (we were doing science, geography and Bible together). She loved using Time 4 Learning. There were no tears nor did I have to remind her to stay on task. She would do the subjects I asked her to do plus more---her own choice. I was so proud to see how much she was reading each day via the lessons.

5th Grade: My son was also very motivated to do his school work on the computer. He would do what was required and then hit the "Playground"--the section where the kids can do games. He would have done more if he hadn't had to keep up with his other school work.

7th Grade: My 12yr. old wasn't really interested in doing Time 4 Learning. She liked the games, but preferred to be reading books and writing instead. That's just her learning style--not a reflection of the material on Time 4 Learning.

 Other Features:

- The Time4Learning educational software partner is CompassLearning®, which provides a standards-based online education curriculum for school districts across the U.S. This means the program correlates to state standards.

- This is a secular curriculum, so there might be some content presented that doesn't mesh with Christian beliefs (i.e. gods and goddess in history, timeline dates, some of the humor etc). The nice thing is that there is a discussion thread available on the Parent's forum that can help you decide if it is something you need to skip or talk over with your children.

- Lesson Plans are available as well as the ability to print worksheets.

Free Lesson Demos
Lesson Plans and Scope and Sequence
Parent Forum

I think Time 4 Learning worked perfectly as a supplement to our curriculum and was an excellent option for us during this transition time of adding a newborn to the family. I felt like my kids were still learning while I was working on figuring out what our new normal would be with Lil Pumpkin. I'm actually considering (if our school budget allows) keeping my 3rd grader and 5th grader enrolled with the program.

Disclosure: I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

America's Math Teacher (Review)

My forte is not teaching math. If I could outsource teaching and grading that subject, I'd do it in a heartbeat. So I'm always looking for ways to help teach my children mathematical concepts in spite of me. I was looking forward to reviewing America's Math Teacher to see how it would work with my family.

What is America's Math Teacher?
It is a website available 24/7 with the goal of helping students become proficient in math.

It can be used for:

• A stand alone curriculum with built-in homework assignment
• Intervention programs
• After-School Programs
• Adults who are returning to schools
• Struggling students who need to catch up
• Students who want to get ahead in math
• English language learners

What is available?

Course 1: Basic Math Skills aimed at 4th -5th graders
Course 2: Advanced Math Skills aimed at middle schoolers
Course 3: Pre-Algebra Concepts
Course 4: Algebra

Each one of these courses has videos of  Mr. Fisher teaching the concepts, worksheets to print that correspond to the topic, quizzes, and tests.

What we thought:
We basically started working through Course 1: Basic Math. I had my 10yr. old and 12 yr. old watch the videos and complete some of the worksheets. I really liked the videos. They were short in length, explained the concept well and got to the point. Mr. Fisher did the presentations on a digital white board and encouraged the children to figure out the problems along with him. I also liked that my children had written exercises to do too. These are available to download as PDF files. All the lessons cover a topic, not a little of this concept and that concept. So if your child is having a problem with fractions, you can go and watch and work through all the fraction lessons. This was a big plus for me.

There are also online speed drills to help practice math facts. It was a nice change of math-practice pace for my kids and they liked it.

Right now America's Math Teacher's website is still working on tweaking components on some of the lessons. I think that this site will be a wonderful resource for homeschooling families, especially if you have multiple children that fall into the age-range of this math site.

America's Math Teacher
Age Range: 4th - High School
One Year Homeschool Site Subscription: $195.00
Check it out and see what it is about for free.

For more reviews of this website visit The TOS Crew Math Essential's page.

Disclosure:

Disclosure: I was given this product for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.