Great math game redux

 Homeschool, Homeschool Crew, Math, Reviews  No Responses »
Feb 102012
 

Math Rider has a new version out, and our family recently got to take it for a test run!

As a family, we had some mixed feelings going into this review –  we’d tried (and loved) the Math Rider math facts game last year (that review is here) –  and a couple kids were afraid they might have messed it up. (The kids’ words, not mine.)

I’m happy to report that we have come to the consensus that Math Rider, already a educational, yet attention-keeping game, has been made just a little bit better. I’m not able to directly compare versions to quantify what has changed, but we were told that the enhancements were made based on feedback and suggestions from current users. It seems to run more smoothly on the computer, and my younger two children –  the regular users of math practice software these days in our household –  tell me that it works better.

Also, those that have previously purchased the software need not worry –  updates are available for free to all current customers.

Almost all children need additional practice in the basic math facts to supplement their math lessons, regardless of what educational method is used – educational software like Math Rider allows students to work at their own pace, yet be challenged in a fun, interactive manner that encourages success.

Math Rider isn’t just boring math drill, like flash cards on a computer –  instead, practice is designed around a story mode, the “quests” that the student is sent on. The student travels on a horse from place to place –  so the student is the “rider” in the game. Each correct answer sends the horse further along, while an incorrect answer slows the horse so the right answer may be shown.

Math Rider adapts to the needs of the student, customising the game to the facts that the student actually needs to practice the most. Detailed statistics are kept, and these are accessible by the parent on a visual number table that makes it easy to see where the student needs more help.

A free 7–day trial of Math Rider is available –  download the game, try it out, and see if it is right for your family.

Math Rider is on sale until February 15th, just $37, saving $10 off the regular retail price.

To see what other crew members had to say, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Math Rider.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

 Posted by Shawna at 7:00 am  Tagged with: , , ,

I See Cards

 Card Games, Games, Homeschool  No Responses »
Dec 152011
 

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If your family enjoys cooking and baking as much as mine does, it’s likely that you’ve spent quite a bit of time teaching fractions the old-fashioned way – following recipes with measuring cups and spoons. While that method works well as hands-on, real-life experience in measuring fractions, it doesn’t involve much practice in adding fractions unless you frequently double or triple recipes.

I’m usually in baking mode this time of year, and since we’re still houseless and staying with family, my normal cookie routine for the holidays isn’t happening. Instead, we’ve made do with a simple cake mix cookie recipe, and now I’m on a muffin kick. (I’ll share more about that soon – I want to take some pictures to go with it, and everyone keeps eating the muffins before I remember to take pictures!)

Chey and Chris have been helping out, of course, and we’ve been doubling the muffin recipe. It’s made me realize that while Chey has a strong understanding of fraction parts, she’s not very good at mentally adding the parts together.

We’ve recently been blessed with a fun new way to approach fractions. Fractazmic is a card game created by I See Cards, the company behind the award-winning Pyramath game. The card deck includes 60 cards divided into three suits: green tenths, blue twelfths, and red sixteenths. In addition to the numerals, each card also includes images depicting the amount on the card. Green tenths are illustrated by fluid in a bottle, while twelfths are shown by eggs in a carton and sixteenths with bugs on a ruler.

The concept and gameplay of Fractazmic is easy to learn, akin to rummy, but with fractions instead of straights. Cards are shuffled and dealt, seven each in a two-person game, five for three or four players. The top card is turned face-up and starts the discard pile, while the remaining cards are face-down in the draw pile. When cards are discarded during gameplay, they are placed in a row, so that each card may be seen, rather than in one stack with only the top card visible.

The goal of the game is to create “hands” by adding together cards in the same suit until they total one. During a player’s turn, they must choose whether to take a card from the top of the draw pile, or pick up one or more cards from the discard. If they choose the discard pile, the “farthest-down” card that they take must be immediately played in a hand, while cards above it may be used in the hand or kept. The game ends when a player is completely out of cards, and the player who created the greatest number of hands is the winner.

Like many items we review, Fractazmic isn’t adapted to a particular homeschooling method, nor is it “just for homeschoolers”. Speaking as an adult who is pretty good at doing math in my head, I was surprised at just how much Fractazmic challenged me. As soon as we started playing, I realized that, while I can convert fractions easily, adding fractions with different denominators, even to such a deceptively simple number as one, is not anywhere near as easy as it sounds. It takes practice.

As a result, Fractazmic games are not going to play as quickly as a similar round of rummy would, at least in the beginning. I’ve noticed that, as time goes by, and depending on who is playing, we’ve picked up the pace a little bit. Not too surprisingly, the kids are catching on far more quickly than I am. It’s filling in a mental math blindspot that I didn’t even know I had, and that’s a huge plus, in my opinion, for this game. If I’m missing it, despite how easily I can do most math in my head, then it’s defitely something that my kids need to practice!

The kids have enjoyed playing Fractazmic; thanks to the challenge of adding the fractions, the gameplay is different enough from other card games that there’s no risk of hearing something like “Mom, it’s just another …. game with different pictures.”

The cards are vividly colored, glossy and sturdy – this deck will hold up to regular use. Because we’ve had such a positive experience with Fractazmic, I plan to purchase the other three games available from I See Cards: Pyramath, Prime Bomb, and the original I See Cards game.

To see what other crew members had to say about both great products, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, I See Cards.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

 Posted by Shawna at 11:52 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Memoria Press – First Form Latin

 Homeschool, Homeschool Crew, Reviews  1 Response »
Nov 032011
 

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The Latin language has always interested me, but my schooling didn’t include it as an option. Though I’m familiar with both Spanish and French, through school and community, my primary experience with Latin is on that basis – very lightly, through its connection with other languages, and not for itself.

One of the most difficult aspects of learning a language isn’t the obvious, like memorization or grammar – it’s whether or not you have a way to practice, and by doing so, keeping it fresh in your mind. Though I’ve spent much more time in the classroom studying French, my comfort level with Spanish is much greater, because I’m surrounded by native speakers and hear Spanish on a regular basis.
We recently had the opportunity to try out a Latin curriculum from Memoria Press which has a unique approach to language instruction. First Form Latin differs from other language programs, in that it teach grammar first, rather than vocabulary. The goal is to increase and retain understanding over the long term, rather than focus on short-term ability to translate.

Six weeks isn’t a sufficient length of time to make a determination about retention rates over the long term, but compared to other language-learning methods, I do appreciate the emphasis on grammar first.

Though topical vocabulary memorization in typical instruction is useful in rudimentary communication with others, that approach becomes overwhelming later in the curriculum, when verb conjugation is added in almost as an afterthought. With the basics of sentence construction taught first, without the vocabulary clutter, it seems much easier to understand.

First Form Latin is created for classical instruction, the goal of which is to teach people to learn to teach themselves. I have to admit, I don’t have a comprehensive understanding of the classical method, so I cannot relate portions of First Form Latin directly to it.

First Form Latin is specifically designed for a teacher that has no familiarity with Latin themselves. All lessons are completely scripted in the teacher’s manual. The material is remarkably easy to use, and preparation consists primarily of reviewing the lessons ahead of time. If you chose to purchase the DVDs, the video lessons would provide most of the actual instruction, freeing the parent to learn alongside the student, and ensuring proper pronunciation.

All print materials are black & white or monochrome, though there are some illustrations, this is not a curriculum for those that need pretty pictures or bells and whistles to entice them into learning. It’s simple and to the point, nothing extra here. The DVDs, too, follow this line of thinking – no distractions, just the material to cover. Students that learn best through hands-on activities would require some creative adjustments to provide a effective experience for them.

Two different packages are available: the basic First Form Latin package, which, for $55, includes: a student text, a student workbook, a book with quizzes and tests, a teacher’s manual, and a teacher’s answer key. It also includes a pronunciation CD. The more comprehensive First Form Latin Plus package includes 3 DVDs with lessons, plus a complete set of flashcards.

First Form Latin is intended for grades 5 and up, though it would be appropriate for younger students who have complete Latina Christiana I. It’s the equivalent of one year of high school foreign language.

My primary concern with First Form Latin is that, while the no-frills approach is fantastic for reducing distractions and keeping the focus on the material, some students will just plain struggle with the lack of visual appeal. Though I personally like the simplicity, and my 10th grade student was fine with it, it was difficult to keep my two younger students, 8th and 6th, focused. They need more interactive stimulation, and it was a challenge to keep them interested and participating.

It’s a great curriculum and easy for any parent to use as-is or adapt, thanks to the extensive details, but a parent would need to carefully consider whether or not it would be the right approach for their individual student.

Memoria Press has plenty of samples of First Form Latin for your perusal on their website, including a table of contents, the student textbook, the student workbook, the teacher manual, and an example of a recitation.

First Form Latin may be purchased directly from Memoria Press. Second Form Latin is also available, and a third year, Third Form Latin can be pre-ordered. Other products available from Memoria Press that were reviewed by Homeschool Crew members are Classical Phonics and First Start Reading, for K-2 students learning to read.

To see what other crew members had to say about these products, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Memoria Press.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

 Posted by Shawna at 9:00 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Wits & Wagers by Northstar Games

 Board Games, Games, Homeschool, Homeschool Crew, Reviews  2 Responses »
Oct 252011
 

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We have a new favorite board game in the house!

We recently received two board games from Northstar Games to review, and today I’m chattering about Wits & Wagers Family. (I’ll be talking about Say Anything Family on Thursday, but there’s a link further down the page if you’re curious before then!)

On the box, Wits & Wagers Family says it takes 2 minutes to learn, and 20 to play. In my experience, that usually means that it’ll take you at least 15 minutes to figure out what to do, and explain it to the kids. Not so on this game – their “learning curve” estimate was right on the money. A quick read through the rules, and we were playing – and no need to refer back to the rules to figure out details in the middle of the game.

Yes, it really *was* that easy to understand – I was trying to fight off a migraine the first day we played, and we played three enjoyable games despite it!

The concept is simple. A question is asked, and each player writes down their own guess. All answers are numbers, and the goal is to get as close to the answer as possible, without going over. (Think Price is Right – just like that.)

The answer boards are placed face down on the table until everyone is done answering, and then they are flipped over and sorted into order. A number “1″ board is included; it always starts the order, just in case everyone goes over! It’s fine if two answers are the same – just place them next to each other, and if that is the correct answer, then each scores.

Once the answers are sorted, the second part starts. Each player has two meeples (people tokens), one large, one small. The meeples are placed on whichever answers you like – you don’t have to choose your own answer, and you may split them between two answers if you desire. The big meeple is worth two points, the small worth one.

Once everyone is satisfied with the placement of their meeples, it’s time to read the answer. Also included with the answer is a related fact that places the question and answer in context. Some educational, some surprising, and some are just plain bizarre. (We had a lot of laughter during this game – something we can use right now!)

Scoring is easy and quick. The person with the closest answer earns one point for the correct answer. Each big meeple on that board earns two, and each small meeple one.

Points are then marked on the scoreboard, the cards move to the left, and the game continues until someone reaches 15 points, the winning amount.

This is a great concept for a trivia game, because, as we quickly discovered, it isn’t dependent on knowing the answer to the question – it’s just as easy to win if you’re good at guessing who would be most likely to answer the question right! The kids quickly realized to follow my lead on basic facts, like the number of feet in a mile, or how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, but for how many Disney princesses or Webkins there are, my 9-year-old-daughter is the house expert. Almost all sports questions are going to get nothing more reliable than a wild guess from me – a detail that had my oldest declaring that he wasn’t going to trust my answers anymore!


The fact that the rules can be condensed into a 30-second explanation is a huge bonus that makes Wits & Wagers Family perfect for a party. With the Family version, you can be sure that the questions will be appropriate for all ages. The game box states that it’s for ages 8 to adult; with help reading the questions, this could go as young as 4 or 5.

It also states that it is for 3-10 people. It could be played with just two, if need be, though it might be a little less lively. With more than five players, simply divide into teams. If you have more than 10 players, teams could consist of three or more players, though the larger the teams are, the more difficult it would be to reach a consensus on answers and meeple placement.

Wits & Wagers Family includes 150 question cards (two questions each), 5 dry erase answer boards, 1 dry erase score board, 5 dry erase pens, 5 large meeples, 5 small meeples, and full-color, easy to understand rules, all packaged in a nice, sturdy box.

The primary difference between Wits & Wagers Family and the original Wits & Wagers game is the emphasis on family-friendly questions. I’d love to have more questions for this game. We will probably end up purchasing the orginal game and the expansion pack for it, since my kids are on the older end these days, but I’d really like to see an expansion pack made available for the family version.

Wits and Wagers Family is available directly from Northstar Games, and is also carried by several national retailers.

To see what other crew members had to say about this product, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Northstar Games – Wits & Wagers.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

 Posted by Shawna at 9:00 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Apologia – Educating The WholeHearted Child

 Homeschool, Homeschool Crew, Homeschool Helps, Reviews  2 Responses »
Oct 232011
 

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It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to homeschooling or a veteran, the new edition of Educating the WholeHearted Child has something for you. I was a little intimidated when it arrived – it’s a HUGE book – 8.5″ x 11″, over 370 black & white pages and totally stuffed full of information.

Intended for parents of children age 4 to 14, Educating the WholeHearted Child isn’t a curriculum – instead, I’d call it a guide for living a “learning life”. Grouped into four sections of Home, Learning, Methods, and Living, the suggestions within are just that – ideas that you can use as-is or adapt for your homeschool style, preferred teaching and learning methods.

There’s a lot of ground covered in these pages – you’re not going to pick it up one day and read it through, then never refer to again. I’d actually recommend that a first read-through be accompanied by either sticky notes or pencil and paper.

That’s actually the only thing that I would change about Educating the WholeHearted Child; I really feel that it needs a comprehensive index. While the chapter titles are good, overall categories for the topics included within, they’re on the vague side. I discovered rather quickly that it’s quite frustrating to want to re-read a section, and spending way more time looking than I should have, because I couldn’t figure out what chapter it might be in, and there is no index for cross-referencing.

Topics include ways to add “learning moments”, how to create a home environment that naturally encourages learning, subject-specific ways to enhance learning. I was surprised, a bit, at chapter 2, The Christian Homeschool; it might be more accurately titled Comparisons Between Homeschooling and Public Schooling, and Other Things About Dealing With The Outside World. If you’re feeling conflicted or attacked about homeschooling, I’d recommend this chapter to you – it alone is better than many books written with that specific purpose in mind.

Sidebars throughout the book include relevant biblical quotes interspersed with words from historical figures, modern homeschool proponents, and research data. Those snippets alone could make for a pretty interesting book! I actually sat down and read through just them one evening.

The authors of Educating the WholeHearted Child, Clay and Sally Clarkson, are the parents of Read for the Heart‘s author, Sarah Clarkson. Though Educating the WholeHearted Child does have short recommended book lists, I would absolutely recommend that you purchase Read for the Heart as a companion book. I reviewed Read for the Heart last spring, and loved it.

One caveat: Educating the WholeHearted Child is a Christian book, so if you’re adamantly opposed to mixing religion and education, this title isn’t for you. However, if you’re open-minded enough to mentally adapt the information presented to your own faith in particular, or secular morals in general, this book is a valuable tool – and I haven’t seen a similarly quality title in the secular market.

Educating the WholeHearted Child ($22) and Read for the Heart ($17) may be purchased from Apologia.

To see what other crew members had to say about this product, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Apologia – Educating the Wholehearted Child.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

 Posted by Shawna at 9:00 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,
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