The Quarter Mile Math, developed and published by Barnum Software, has been a huge hit in my house! Not only for Butterbean, my "official" school-ager, but for Babyman and Middleman too! Even Mama got in on the action. You see, when I was in school, many moons ago, math was not my strongest subject. Okay, who am I fooling here, I could not stand math. I didn't like going to math class, didn't like doing math homework, would nearly cry if I was called upon to answer a question or (gasp!) answer a problem at the board; and I still remember my math teachers from highschool with great disdain. But I tell you what, if Quarter Mile Math had been around back then, I might have a different opinion.
I received the Deluxe edition in the mail to review. It covers levels 1,2 and 3 starting at Kindergarten level and ending at 9th grade. Given oodles of Subjects (like Fractions, Percents and Equations) and Topics (for example, Regrouping, Multiplication, Base 10) to choose from, a student races against his own best time. He is given a math problem and the quicker he answers it correctly, the faster his horse runs, or his race car drives! The deluxe version covers 323 topics and over 70,000 math problems! You can see them here.
Now, even though I'm originally from Indiana, I think it's pretty cool that I live in the horse capital of the world, my father-in-law used to be a jockey, and I get to practice my math skills using horse racing!
Oh, I almost forgot the children! I suppose it was created for them, after all! Butterbean (7) really enjoys this math software, which is popularly used in Sylvan Learning Centers. The game is very encouraging to him, whether he gets the answer correct or incorrect. I love that, because I don't want him to despise math like I did! He thinks it's cool that he can choose his own topics, and he feels successful when that horse (his favorite) beats all the others! It has been awesome for practicing his mental addition, and multiplication!
Of course, this wouldn't be a proper review without Middleman (4), who is my official review assistant! He likes the game too, switching back and forth from cars to riderless horses every single race! He loves the sound effects! (Who wouldn't love the thundering of horses' hooves and the revving of race car engines!) Although he hasn't formally begun a math program yet (other than using manipulatives with Mommy, and math questions, incognito), this game is a fun introduction to math. Even Babyman (20 months) got into the racing. He stands on his little wooden stool next to whomever is playing the game. When the race is over he signs and says "More, more!" He is mesmerized by the excitement he watches on the computer screen!
The motivation a child (or parent/teacher!) receives is terrific. As a homeschooler, this has been an outstanding way for our whole family to practice our math skills. As a mommy, I love playing the game; relearning things I have long ago forgotten! It really is great for my guys to see Mommy enjoying math! We hope you'll like this program if you choose to purchase it. We enjoy it so much, we plan to use it as a regular part of our daily math time this year!
If you're interested in purchasing The Quarter Mile Math, check out the website here. You can see a demo of the game, and the different ordering options. If you want to read more reviews, check them out here.
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