In many ways, I’m old school. So, when it comes to math facts, that means drills, drills, and more drills, followed by timed tests. I can’t even tell you how many different sets of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division flashcards I’ve made and bought over the years.
New school is MathRider and my kids think it is boss! (adj. very good, excellent, cool)
“MathRider combines fun game play with a highly sophisticated question engine that adapts to your child. The game propels your child to mastery of all four math operations using numbers 0 to 12.”
This is an instant download, for multiple users – now $37 US (reg. $49.95) for one year. It also has a 30 day, risk-free guarantee.
It is my opinion that the story, graphics and game play are simple, especially if your child plays many PC games, Wii or PS3, etc. As stated previously, it is the question engine and the way it adapts to a child’s skill, that is more complex. For this reason, even though it was designed for ages 6 – 12, I think it can be used for a wider range of ages.
Several of my children used MathRider recently, when it was supplied for this review, and it is our intention to purchase it. One of my older children whizzed through the multiplication and division quests, but found that she wasn’t as quick with her subtraction facts. So, she used this game for several days to refresh her memory and actually become a master of subtraction.
I have seen improvement [which is exactly what this game recognizes and rewards] in the basic math operations, in knowledge and application, with more confidence and less hesitation, in each child that has used MathRider.
We did use this program a little differently than the authors intended, though. Even though the storyline involves “great and noble causes” it also involves magic gem stones, a wise wizard, mystical flowers and the like. It wasn’t a surprise, because MathRider clearly states that it is a “ride through magical lands.” The fact is: we don’t do magic and we do our best to “avoid the appearance of evil”; so… after the first child read the story and we realized exactly what the content was, we didn’t read it again. The other thing we noticed is that the same story is repeated for the mastery of each of the math functions. Meaning, once they mastered addition and moved to subtraction, the story and the quest was exactly the same, just with different math facts to conquer. So it is with the multiplication and division, too. This was a tad boring for mine; so, it wasn’t hard to skip the story for this reason, as well. Their goal of each quest was to get as many correct answers in the quickest possible time – and they loved it! They were constantly checking their statistics page.
For us, the story was unnecessary to gain the learning and the fun. We are hopeful, though, that more stories, with a variety of themes will be added in the future.
Contact info:
Office address –
Sharper Edge Pty Ltd
31 Hannah Street
Beecroft NSW 2119
Australia
Telephone –
+61 2 9980 2437
or
their Facebook page.
My crew mates have shared there personal reviews and varied opinions on the Homeschool Crew blog – check it out.
Blessings,
This product was given to me, free of charge, in exchange, for my honest review, as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I receive no other compensation for my reviews on this blog. The opinions expressed are my own.
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