It seems that we on the Crew are being blessed with math curriculum and enrichment products this year! First we had Quarter Mile Math and now we are having fun with the Mathletics website. Watch for upcoming reviews of other math products.
Math is my weakest area for teaching. I’ve always enjoyed math, but I don’t feel that confident in teaching math. My firstborn has always been a “math brain” as he calls himself. With the exception of some tears over long division, he’s always “gotten” the lesson on the first time through. Now that Mags is in second grade, I’ve learned that she does not have a “math brain” and struggles with mastering many math concepts quickly. However, once she’s gets a concept, it’s in there for good. My youngest, Kate, is just getting to “pluses” as she says, and is very proud of her accomplishments.
Everyone on the Crew received complimentary 45 day subscription(s) for the purpose of reviewing the materials on the website. Our review period began at the beginning of November and my kids have had a lot of fun earning points and practicing their math.
Each of my children received an account with their own password, allowing me to customize the activities for each of them by their current grade levels. I can also print out individual worksheets for them along with reports of their progress. As they complete each problem set, typically 15 problems, they earn virtual points they can spend on their online character, adding clothes, accessories, backgrounds, etc.
For my kindergartener, the activities included counting, sorting, classifying, and simple addition and subtraction as well as sequencing activities. She worked through many of the activities but eventually ran into some concepts that we have not covered yet.
For the second grader, some of the activities are beyond what we have covered so far. However, it was great to have place value reinforced the day after we covered it in math class. For my non-math brain, Mathletics has been an enjoyable way to practice math.
For my math brain son, Mathletics has been a fun outlet for practicing his math, but I don’t know that it has improved his skills much.
All my children found it easy to use. The younger two appreciate the lack of time limits on each problem, while my oldest enjoyed the option of doing “live” competitions with other students around the world.
Now I come to the hard part. Although my kids enjoy Mathletics, I can’t justify the cost to continue the subscription. Each child costs $59 per year, although if you know the magic number, (9) it is only $49.95. That is almost what I spend on math for all three each year. Some groups have been able to negotiate discounts, but it doesn’t seem to be an easy thing. We also limit the amount of screen time, preferring group activities that we can do with actual, not virtual, rewards…such as baking cookies! While I appreciate that the computer is here to stay, I don’t have to encourage my children to use it.
If you want to give it a try, mark November 2010 on your planner. They website hosts the math challenge, a free month of competition and problems for students around the world.
