Math Rider Review

Last year we had the opportunity to try Math Rider and once again we have had the opportunity to review it.  This is a math facts software program that is as effective as it is fun to play. Math Rider is recommended for ages 6-12 but really could be used by anyone (even older children) working on their math facts.  I even like playing it myself.  Facts from 1-12 are covered in this game. Up to 8 riders (users) can play....which is perfect for large families like mine.

Students (or parents) can choose which of the 4 operations to practice (or practice them mixed) and  can set which numbers are being used as well.  There are two "race modes" .  One is timed, where the other allows the student as much time as they need.

The following screen shot shows one of the courses.  The blue box in the lower right corner is where the problem appears it then starts moving across the screen toward the white box.  If the student enters the wrong answer or no answer the problem and answer will come up on the screen and there is audio as well.  I like the audio/visual reinforcement.

At the end of each ride there is a bar graph that you can mouse over.  It will tell how long it took you to answer each fact and it you are going slower than your last ride it will tell you that as well.

Statistics are available that shows which facts have been mastered and also gives a list of facts that the student is struggling with.  You can also see their progress at a quick glance on the bottom right.

Part of the fun factor of Math Rider is the quests. In Quest mode, students follow a story (finding medicine for your sick mother, save a princess etc) and work their way through The Mathlands.  They can see this map to see how they are progressing. As students complete quests they earn "rewards". There is a magical element to this program It wasn't a problem for us, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Watch this video for a good overview:

My elementary students have been using this daily as a part of their math learning.

Overall, Math Rider is a fun way for your child to learn their math facts while you easily monitor their progress.   I highly recommend it. You can also try it free for 7 days.

Purchase Math Rider for $47. The $47 purchase is for a lifetime license with free updates.  System requirements can be found here.

See what others are saying about Math Rider on the The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Touch Math for Pre-K

For the past few weeks my younger children have been using the Pre-K level of Touch Math.

Touch Math generously provided me with all 6 pre-school units and 3 different fun manipulatives; Touch Shapes,  3-D Numerals, and Texture Cards.

Touch Math Texture Cards and 3-D Numerals

Touch Math Pre-K includes:

• 90 Student Activity Sheets
• Implementation guide
• Six module guides complete with strategies and answer keys
• Pre-and Post tests for each module

Touch Math uses a multi-sensory approach.  Students see, say, hear and touch manipulatives and do paper and pencil activities.  This was very easy to prepare (just print out) and everything is laid out step by step.  There are pre-activities for each worksheet (or group of worksheets) and instructions in the teacher pages for each worksheet.  I printed out the worksheets as we went but I think in the future I am going to print out an entire module at a time and put them in a notebook since I tend to misplace things.

Sadie (3) completing a sorting activity with the Touch Shapes

Connor doing a Touch Shapes activity

This has been a wonderful curriculum not only for my 2 pre-school age children but for my son with Down syndrome who is older and hasn't really been able to grasp math yet.  He is making slow progress with this and I am THRILLED. This is the first time he seems to be grasping the idea of one to one correspondence.  YAY!

Connor...so proud of his work!

The 230 page pdf curriculum is divided into 6 modules. Each module has 15 workmats (worksheets that you print, but they refer to them as workmats.)  I really like these.  They are not only great for activities, but the kids enjoy coloring them too. They are all black and white which is nice for saving on ink.

Each workmat is aligned to a Common Core Standard if that matters to you.  (It doesn't to me.)  Answer keys are also found in the same module for each workmat.   A progress monitoring sheet is included if you like that sort of thing for record keeping.

I really like how the teacher pages (Instructional Strategies) lay out everything including scripted dialogue, pre-activities and instructions for each worksheet.

Here are a couple of clips from the Instructional Strategies:

The six modules include:
Counting and Number Sense
Comparing and Classifying
Sorting, Classifying, Graphing and Patterning
Identifying, Sorting and Classifying 2-D Shapes
Identifying, Sorting and Classifying 3-D Shapes and Coins
Representing Quantities and Numbers


Touch Math recommends you spend 2 to 2 1/2 times the learner's developmental age per day.  So a young child is only going to be spending less than 10-15 minutes each day building skills.  (love this!)

The Touch Shapes are definitely needed to start with this program.  Several of the workmats and activities require the use of the shapes.  (I guess you "could" make your own shapes with paper but if you're like me you never will.  Just go ahead and order them...that is my advice!)

The Texture Cards and 3-D Numerals are not needed early on, but would make a wonderful addition to the workmats (and are used in later modules.)  The 3-D Numeral set comes with the plastic numbers and a CD-ROM of printable worksheets to go along with them.  The worksheets also match the Texture Cards.

One last picture of Connor after completing a workmat.

I guess I've never really thought about purchasing a Pre-K math curriculum but now that we are using one I can see the value in it and I really like Touch Math and will consider continuing on with it when we finish the 6 modules of the Pre-K program.

View sample pages.

Purchase:
Touch Math Pre-K $59.95
Touch Shapes $30.00
3-D Numerals $79.00
Texture Cards $99.00




See what others are saying about Touch Math (various levels) on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

A+ Interactive Math

For the last several weeks we have been using the 4th grade version of A+ Interactive Math by A+ Tutorsoft, Inc. This is an interactive online math program that is also available on CD.

A+ Interactive Math is a comprehensive math program with audio and visual teaching but also has a printable textbook option. (I love options.)  We tried out both. Emma logs on and watches a video lesson which is then followed by an Interactive Question and Answer session.   If she enters her answers on the computer there is an automatic grading system which I can check at any time by logging into the parent section of the account.  If done on paper, I can correct it and add the scores manually.  The automatic scores and manual scores are found on separate pages.  I would prefer for them to be integrated, but it is easy enough to keep track of scores using what is available.

This is a screen shot of a lesson in action.
The chapters and lessons are found on the left and can be opened with a click of the mouse.
The audio/visual lesson can be played, paused, stopped etc. at the bottom of the screen.
Students can click on the Interactive Q & A button at any time to practice what they are learning.

As mentioned in the caption above, there is an interactive question and answer button that can be clicked during the lesson (preferably after they have actually watched the lesson) that contains multiple choice questions.  Students are required to see/hear ALL of the choices before being allowed to select one. This can be frustrating to the student if they know the answer and they have to wait for all of the other answers to be read.   If the student chooses the wrong answer they will see a sad face with a thumbs down and be told the answer is incorrect. Immediately after that they are shown the correct answer and given a full explanation.   Correct answers get a thumbs up, a verbal affirmation and smiley face. (Explanations are also available for correct answers.)  I like the immediate feedback.


Once the lesson has been completed the student can move on to doing a worksheet.  Multiple choice worksheets can be printed or completed right on the computer.

The 4th grade program has 16 chapters:

1. Number Sense Review

2. Addition

3. Subtraction

4. Multiplication

5. Division

6. Decimals

7. Fractions and Fraction Operations

8. Number Conversions and Mixed Fractions Operations

9. The Number Line and Number Comparisons

10. Algebra

11. Geometry

12. Time and Money

13. Measurements and Conversions

14. Probability

15. Displaying Data Using Graphs

16. Word Problems and Problem Solving

In the parent section of the program, there is a 32 week lesson plan available.  As you can see below, each week there is a suggested list of lessons, worksheets, tests etc. to cover.  There is a white box at the end of each section but no way to check it off.  It can be printed, but with the dark background I didn't want to use all that ink.  We chose not to use the suggested outline.  I let Emma work at her own pace. The lessons take a little longer than we are used to but, I think this is probably more appropriate for her age level (even if she doesn't think so!) The suggested outline would be handy for those that want to follow a prescribed schedule.

clip of the lesson plans

Through my parent account, I am able to view the scores for the worksheets and exams Emma has completed. 

clip of worksheet report

A nice summary is also available for viewing.  All of these reports can be printed for your records.

I would love to see e-mail reports that could be sent to me on a weekly basis.

A+ Interactive Math also offers a 9-page color reference sheet to be printed for the student.  (very handy), a printable curriculum book, and printable answer keys for tests and worksheets. Parents also can control whether or not their student can access the answers to the problems.

As I said earlier, I like options.  Emma has used both the printable tests and worksheets and the online version.  I like being able to let her just go on the computer to do her math without my help, but I also like being able to print work for her so we can take it with us when we are on the go which we have done.  One of my favorite parts of this program is that we can choose the way we want to do this and it can be some of both. We don't have to choose just one way.

Here is a clip of a worksheet from an addition lesson:

One thing I would like to see is a larger font and more room for doing work on the printable worksheets.  I don't think it should be necessary to copy each problem in order to work it which really is necessary for younger children that don't write this small.

Here is an overview video.  The narrator of this video is the same teacher in the program.

Overall, I am very happy with this program for Emma.We plan to continue using A+ Interactive Math in place of what we were using prior to receiving this.

I would recommend trying A+ Interactive Math with their free one month trial subscription that you can sign up for at the A+ Tutorsoft website (top right corner...try the online version or download the CD version).

A+ Tutorsoft offers interactive math for Grades 1-6 as well as Pre-Algebra and Algebra.

The regular price for a subscription to A+ Interactive Math is $19.95 (monthly), $49.99 (quarterly), or a full year for $124.99  However, until the end of MARCH you can use coupon code: SPOFFER50 for 50% OFF!

 See what others are saying about A+ Interactive Math on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. (Online and CD versions are both being reviewed.)

Math and Reading Games in a Bag

Have you heard of Activity Bags? I was introduced to them several years ago when I purchased Preschool Activities in a Bag.  For this review, I received Math Games in a Bag and Reading Games in a Bag.  All of the Activity Bag books come as e-books in a pdf format. The bags are a wonderful way to add some educational fun to your homeschool.

The activity bag e-book gives you all of the information you need to create multiple games.  A unique feature of these books is that they are designed so you can do a swap with others and not have to make every game yourself.  Only one person needs to purchase the book and download the free Coordinator Handbook (some of the books come with the handbook).  Each game comes with a chart like the one pictured below that tells you how many of each of the supplies you will need for 1, 10, 15 or 20 of each game.  In this way, it is easy to organize a swap for different sized groups.

You gather the supplies you need, print off your masters and put everything in a ziplock bag so your games are ready to go.  We keep our games in a hanging file folder box that I already had set up with school things.  This keeps everything handy and organized.

Each game in the pdf has a chart (above) and labels to print for your bags similar to this:

There are several of these labels to a page so if you are doing a swap you can print less pages.  The label has a description of and directions for the game, the area of learning that is covered, a supply list and a safety warning for young children.  You can print these labels and attach them to your ziploc bag with clear mailing tape.

For ease of shopping and planning for your bags you will find a complete list of games and supplies needed as well. It also tells you where to find it in the e-book, the area of learning that is covered and short description. (Very handy for printing out as you plan your shopping list or if you want a master list of the games.)  Here is a clip of what that looks like:

It is suggested that you place a piece of cardstock in each bag to make it more sturdy.  I suggest using cereal box cardboard (or something similar) which is not only free, but also more sturdy.  Many of the games use sheet protectors over the masters that you print on cardstock.  I laminated some of ours because it is neater and also makes it easy to use wet erase markers.  I can just run the master right under a faucet to clean it off.  (or use dry erase markers as well.)

Math Games in a Bag

The e-book includes instructions for math games with families with elementary school-aged children.  These math games use materials found inside your home and also make learning experiences out of everyday routines, such as ordering from a restaurant menu or putting gas in your car to check the kind of mileage you are getting.  The math games are designed for you to have fun with your child while reinforcing mathematical skills.  Most games are designed for 2 or more players.  -from website

There are 33 math games included in this e-book:

I  printed out several games and we've been playing them during the week in addition to our regular math curriculum.  My 9 year old has been struggling with regrouping.  One of the games is a dice game for 2 players that involves adding and subtracting 2 digit numbers.  She is getting so much practice and because it is a game and not a lesson she is not complaining about it (and actually even asks to play.)  I can't ask for more than that in a game.

This game can be made more or less difficult by using 2 or 3 dice.  

Another favorite is an addition or subtraction bingo that is good for younger children. (but the older ones enjoy that a lot too.)

This learning to tell time game using dice is great fun and gives players practice writing time and doing simple addition.  (You could also use this by putting a time on the clock and having your child tell you what time it says.)

I haven't laminated this and it isn't in a sheet protector for the sake of the picture (glare)

The games cover a wide range of skills including adding, subtracting (simple and more complex), multiplication, shapes, matching, inequalities, fact families, telling time and more.

One of the fact family addition cards.
(Multiplication facts are also included.)

Reading Games in a Bag

This e-book includes 20 reading game instructions for new and beginning readers.  Most use materials that are found in your home.  The Reading games are designed to be fun for both you and your children as you help them gain the skills they need to become better readers.   -from website

This funny game has students choosing parts of sentences to make crazy sentences.  Helps teach beginning, middle and end as well as gives children reading practice.

This is a phonics "board" game.  Roll the dice and move ahead if you know the sound.

Who doesn't love a maze?  Kids of all ages in my house have had fun with these mazes.  There are 6 mazes to choose from.  I put 2 in sheet protectors back to back.  These are difficult enough for older children too.  (These may be a bit too hard for little ones but they still like to draw on these...good fine motor skill practice at any rate.)

These are just a small sample of the fun you can have learning with Activity Bags.

The only drawback to the Activity Bags that we have come across is just the amount of ink it takes to print the games.  I'm going to continue to slowly add games to our collection.  I think one or two new games each week will add variety to our homeschool (and won't overwhelm me as far as printing and assembling goes.)

Many of the games need dry erase markers.  I don't put these in the bags.  I have a bag of dry erase markers that we use for school that I can pull out for the kids when we are using games (so I don't need so many for each bag) and that gives less access to my younger kids who might pull a bag out and draw on the carpet. (Do not ask me how I know this. ;) )

Activity Bags would be a great addition to any homeschool (or for any kid for that matter.)  These would be especially good for Friday Fun School days and especially for those that use workboxes.

Purchase Math Games in a Bag or Reading Games in a Bag for $15.  Fill out this survey to receive a free sampler of Activity Bags. For further information visit the FAQ page.

Other titles by Activity Bags include:

Preschool Activities in a Bag 1 and 2 (Book 3 Coming Soon!)
Science Experiments in a Bag 1, 2 and 3
Travel Activities in a Bag
Daily Activity Journal 1 and 2


See what others are saying about Activity Bags on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. The other activity bag sets are also being reviewed.  I highly recommend checking out the Activity Bags and the other reviews.




disclaimer: I received Math Games in a bag and Reading Games in a bag in exchange for an honest review

Math 911

Math 911 software was developed by Professor Martin Weissman who has over 50 years of teaching experience. Professor Weissman's Math911 is a downloadable math program which has full courses in Introductory Algebra and Intermediate Algebra with lessons in College Algebra, Trig, Pre-Calculus and Statistics. There is also an option for Algebra on a flashdrive as well.

All problems are algorithmically generated. 

10 minute learning curve. 

Step by Step solutions. 

Only Free-form answers. 

Dynamic Grade reports on all screens. 

Needs no internet connection. 

Can be networked. 

Free Home Use For Teachers 

Free Upgrades 

Free Install on New PCs Purchase

Math 911 is a free download. You don't need to use a credit card or enter a code or anything.  You just download it and get started. The entire Algebra I course is FREE.  If you want to use this for more than one student you will need to upgrade to the Premier version.  At that time, you will need to enter codes that you get from e-mailing Math911.  It's easy enough to do, it just takes a few minutes.  Once you have it installed, you click on the Math911 icon on your desktop to begin. 

Once logged on, the student can choose the section and level they want to work on.  This is a screen shot of what they will see:

screen shot of the main screen

Below is a close up of one part of the main Intermediate Algebra screen.  This shows the sections of the program that have been completed (green) and in progress (red).

The white spots in the first chapter do not indicate sections that are not completed.
The sections just do not exist.  I would prefer that they be in a different color or not be there at all so that when you finish the chapter it actually looks like it is finished.

This is the close up of the lesson part of the main screen.  This chapter is completed.
This chart matches the one above with white boxes that indicate sections that do not exist.  

Once the student clicks on a section, algorithmically generated problems will appear:  The problem or equation is on the top bar (under the header) but the directions are in the large white box on the bottom of the page.  This can be frustrating and depending on what you're working on can tend to slow you down a bit.  The answers go in the box in the center of the page.

If the student doesn't know the answer they can click to get a new problem or click the green "see all steps" button to see the answer in the second white box in the green section.

Once they see the solution, they can continue to click on the "see all steps" button and the steps will come up one at a time.

Topics are arranged by chapter, section and levels. Within each level are all the types of problems that identify the concepts that your students must know in order to be successful in Algebra including Graphs and Word Problems.

As you can tell from the screenshots, the program is very basic in appearance and the graphics are a bit outdated looking.  So, if you're looking for something fancy with bells and whistles this isn't it.  As seen below in the disclaimer, the focus is on mathematics, not games.

Introductory Algebra has 11 chapters

Chapter 1 Pre-Algebra Review
Chapter 2 Variable Expressions
Chapter 3 Solving Equations
Chapter 4 Polynomials
Chapter 5 Factoring
Chapter 6 Rational Expressions
Chapter 7 Linear Equations in Two Variables
Chapter 8 Systems of Linear Equations
Chapter 9 Inequalities
Chapter 10 Radical Expressions
Chapter 11 Quadratic Equations

Intermediate Algebra also has 11 chapters

Chapter 1 Review of Real Numbers
Chapter 2 First Degree Equations and Inequalities
Chapter 3 Linear Functions and Inequalities
Chapter 4 Systems of Equations and Inequalities
Chapter 5 Polynomials
Chapter 6 Rational Expressions
Chapter 7 Exponents and Radicals
Chapter 8 Quadratic Equations
Chapter 9 Functions and Relations
Chapter 10 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Chapter 11 Conic Sections

Initially, I had some trouble getting Math 911 set up.  I contacted tech support and I have to say that the customer service is probably the best I've ever received.  E-mails were answered promptly and issues were dealt with accordingly.  I even received a follow up e-mail a few days later to see if everything was going OK.  Later we had some issues with run time errors and again tech support was excellent.  Just this week we started having run time errors again, but with the free upgrade on the website we got it running again.  Unfortunately, we have had a few more run time errors which I will be contacting tech support for.  I have no doubt that tech support will be able to help me.  I do think these problems could be my computer so don't let that stop you from trying this.  IT doesn't cause any computer issues.  It just doesn't run properly when I'm getting the errors.

My 15 year old, Kaitlyn has been using the Intermediate Algebra course. Unfortunately, she really doesn't like it.  However, she doesn't enjoy Algebra in general and she doesn't like doing math on the computer so, it's hard to say whether she doesn't like Math911 or just Algebra on the computer. I have also used it a bit on my own and find it frustrating to have the answer box in the middle of the page and I dislike having to mouse over to the new problem button.  It interrupts the flow of working and I feel that it slows me down. (Katie agrees.)

Math 911 states:
Math911 is for students who believe that Algebra must be a struggle, difficult and complicated. Math911 is the easiest and most economical solution for Algebra students. The Math911 approach is what learning Algebra should be: quick, fun, and easy. Math911 will let you absorb Algebra effortlessly.

Unfortunately, we didn't find this to be true.  Katie isn't having fun and doesn't find it easy.  Perhaps a self-motivated math loving student might have a different opinion, but our experience hasn't been effortless. One of the things we struggled with was that there really is no instruction or lesson.  Students are presented with problems.  If they don't know how to do a problem they can click on the "see solution" button for the answer and then for the step-by-step process for solving the problem.  However, for someone that doesn't understand the problem, just seeing the step by step without any explanation often isn't enough.   I have  had to spend a lot of time helping Katie with her Algebra.  I am comfortable with this because I majored in math in college.  I'm not sure I would know what to do without that background.

With a Mastery Learning approach your students are never graded for wrong answers, only correct responses; they work at problems until they ‘get it.’

I really do like this aspect of the program.  Problems are generated until the student masters the concept. In a few cases, we found that the program would not accept correct answers.  The answer provided did not match the solution in the step-by-step solution either.  This was a problem in that in order to complete the section the same problem would come up repeatedly.  Eventually, we started writing down the incorrect answer that was shown and just entering it the next time it came up.  Math 911 does regular updates to their software so I imagine that errors such as this are being corrected.

Overall, I would like to see the appearance of Math911 updated and some of the capabilities improved.  For instance, besides the things I've already mentioned, there is an onscreen calculator that students can use, but they have to close it before entering the answer in the box.  Also, once you complete a problem you have to mouse over to the "new problem" button instead of just hitting the enter button.

I think Math911 would be best for a self-motivated student that has a strong desire to learn Algebra. I also think it would make a great addition to an existing curriculum for lots of practice.

One final note is that you will find some really nice Algebra 1 pdf lessons which are free to download and a free Laugh with Math cartoon e-book you can download.  Both are well written, very instructive and entertaining.  I highly recommend you check them out. (You will find these in the left hand column by scrolling down.)

The Standard Version of Math911 is a free complete Algebra One Course and can be downloaded from the website. No credit card, rebate or coupon code is needed.

The Premier Version costs $49.95  The Premier Version includes Introductory and Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Pre-Calculus topics, Trigonometry topics and and an Introductory Statistics course. Premier Version users will have free lifetime updates, free technical support as well as access to additional Mathematics Courses with separate grade reports for all family members.

How to activate with Activation Codes for Premier, Premier Password, Network Password:
Upon purchase ($49.95) you should:

1. Click on Register button and email the Registration Codes to mathprof@math911.com
2. Identify yourself as a homeschooler.
3. You will receive a reply email with ALL Activation Codes for all versions listed below:
a) Premier Version (one user, no password)
b) Premier Password (Multi-users with passwords)
c) Network Version (Multi-users with passwords)
4. Users can switch between versions by clicking the REGISTER button and entering the codes for the desired version.
5. Passwords are generated by the software.

I would encourage you to see what others are saying about Math 911 on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.  I also would encourage you to download Math911 and give it a try.  It's free so you have nothing to lose and it might be just what you need in your homeschool.


disclaimer: I received Math 911 Premier version in exchange for an honest review.