Quarter Mile Math Software
I am no neophyte to math software. Long before I became a mother I have been using math software to help my myriads of nieces and nephews. One of my favorite math software providers was Davidson and their really cool "Math Blaster" program back in the 1990s.
But that was then and this is now.
Quarter Mile's Appeal to My Children
My children have enjoyed my older Davidson games because it had lots of cute songs and animations. So, although my son is a big fan of horses, I wasn't sure how the girls would feel about The Quarter Mile Math racing game where their only choices are race cars and horses. And at first glance the interface is a lot less flashy than what I've become accustomed to with some of the internet-based math games that they kids have played over the years. So, after installing it on my own computer, I started sharing it with the gang.
Now Jade is my up-and-coming diva, so I her reaction was very interesting. When she first saw the splash screen she squealed "Oooh, can I have a red sports car?" Okay, obviously this program does appeal to the young ladies out there. My youngest daughter was immediately happy because she loves animals. So, of course, her "vehicle" of was one of the beautiful horses. Even my 2 year old son loves when the girls play the game -- watching the horses running really makes him excited!
Quarter Mile Math offers not only math drills, but it also doubles as a typing tutor as well. My six year old is very good in math, but her typing skills are pretty nonexistent. Since she's started working with"her" horses, her typing has improved 100%. She's now is very comfortable with the home key row and her speed is increasing at a steady rate. And she's now working on her number pad keyboarding as well.
My nine year old has improved her typing and she's finally enjoying the math drills that she needs to master the skills that are still a work in progress. She really gets a kick out of trying to beat my typing and scores (I type 90 wpm, so I've been slacking a bit to give her hope). I actually haven't seen her this happy about doing her math homework since we used to draw number lines on the kitchen floor to do addition and subtraction.
What Is It?
Quarter Mile Math isn't your "standard" math program. Most software manufacturers make math programs based upon grades and ages. So, as your child graduates from one level to the other you have to go and purchase more software.
The owner of Barnum Software (the creators of Quarter Mile Math) offers a monthly subscription of -- get this! -- $2.95 a month or $19.95 per family per year. And if you love the program like I do, then $34.95 might be your best bet since it is a two year subscription. Their pricing really blew me away. I mean even if you get your math programs from those $5 software sites, (like I have done more times than I'd care to admit), you just can't beat their pricing.
Okay, so what do you get for your money? If you choose to go with the old-school, standard CDs you'll be paying a one-time purchase fee ranging from $39.95 to $89.95, depending on the grade level. There are six different software packages available, some of which are bundled. Their software covers Kindergarten to 9th grade.
Another cool feature in the software is that you're able to race against each other in real time or asynchronously by racing against the Top 5 scores that are stored on the computer. How cool is that?
So, What's the Real Difference Between the Two Software Offerings?
Well, besides the pricing, if you decide to work with the subscription offer, you'll be able have tournaments from any location since all scores are saved on the Barnum Software computers. So, this allows you to have real life tournaments as well as races at any time that is convenient for the other contestants.
Also, when you purchase the CD version of the software you are eligible for upgrades at the low cost of $5. The Deluxe version allows you to have free upgrades for the life of your subscription. And although the internet connection is necessary for the Deluxe version (to download the scores) your child does not directly access the internet using either program, which can be a big plus if you have small children using the program.
So, I guess the real answer to this question depends on your family's size and needs. If you have more than 12 children, buying the triple bundle would make more sense since the Deluxe version only allows 12 users. Conversely, if you are only teaching one child, it might be more cost effective to just purchase the software and be done with it.
If you have children of multiple ages (like I do) the Deluxe version makes more sense because all of the children can work on their level without me purchasing different software packages. Also, since my two-year old is in the frisbee throwing mode, I don't have to worry about scratched (and otherwise) damaged CDs cluttering up my home (which has enough clutter thank you very much).
My Last Three Cents
Cent #1: I think that this is a great addition to my homeschooling math program. It holds the attention of all of my children from the two and a half year old to my nine year old.
Cent #2: This is proving to be a great part of my family's gaming activity. We have multiple computers so we can race against us each other. It's actually starting to beat outMario Kart !
Cent #3: The owners of Barnum Software are very open to suggestions. They are also excellent providers of customer service. Due to the homeschooling community's increased usage of their software they've dedicated an entire page to our needs. So, if you have any questions or ways to make this excellent software even better, don't hesitate to contact them.
P.S. I was curious about how teenagers would react to Quarter Mile Software, so I asked my neighbor to give it a try. Being sulky and seventeen she did so half-heartedly and -- gasp! -- started having fun.
She started grinning and actually queued up a couple of extra races without being asked. Of course, once she realized that she was enjoying herself she proclaimed it to be lame and stopped playing. I guess image is everything, right? :-)
However, it does prove my point. Even teenagers can enjoy this great learning tool.
P.P.S. Don't forget to take advantage of the free demo download that is offered so that you can see for yourself just how much your kids will like it.
But that was then and this is now.
Quarter Mile's Appeal to My Children
My children have enjoyed my older Davidson games because it had lots of cute songs and animations. So, although my son is a big fan of horses, I wasn't sure how the girls would feel about The Quarter Mile Math racing game where their only choices are race cars and horses. And at first glance the interface is a lot less flashy than what I've become accustomed to with some of the internet-based math games that they kids have played over the years. So, after installing it on my own computer, I started sharing it with the gang.
Now Jade is my up-and-coming diva, so I her reaction was very interesting. When she first saw the splash screen she squealed "Oooh, can I have a red sports car?" Okay, obviously this program does appeal to the young ladies out there. My youngest daughter was immediately happy because she loves animals. So, of course, her "vehicle" of was one of the beautiful horses. Even my 2 year old son loves when the girls play the game -- watching the horses running really makes him excited!
Quarter Mile Math offers not only math drills, but it also doubles as a typing tutor as well. My six year old is very good in math, but her typing skills are pretty nonexistent. Since she's started working with"her" horses, her typing has improved 100%. She's now is very comfortable with the home key row and her speed is increasing at a steady rate. And she's now working on her number pad keyboarding as well.
My nine year old has improved her typing and she's finally enjoying the math drills that she needs to master the skills that are still a work in progress. She really gets a kick out of trying to beat my typing and scores (I type 90 wpm, so I've been slacking a bit to give her hope). I actually haven't seen her this happy about doing her math homework since we used to draw number lines on the kitchen floor to do addition and subtraction.
What Is It?
Quarter Mile Math isn't your "standard" math program. Most software manufacturers make math programs based upon grades and ages. So, as your child graduates from one level to the other you have to go and purchase more software.
The owner of Barnum Software (the creators of Quarter Mile Math) offers a monthly subscription of -- get this! -- $2.95 a month or $19.95 per family per year. And if you love the program like I do, then $34.95 might be your best bet since it is a two year subscription. Their pricing really blew me away. I mean even if you get your math programs from those $5 software sites, (like I have done more times than I'd care to admit), you just can't beat their pricing.
Okay, so what do you get for your money? If you choose to go with the old-school, standard CDs you'll be paying a one-time purchase fee ranging from $39.95 to $89.95, depending on the grade level. There are six different software packages available, some of which are bundled. Their software covers Kindergarten to 9th grade.
Another cool feature in the software is that you're able to race against each other in real time or asynchronously by racing against the Top 5 scores that are stored on the computer. How cool is that?
So, What's the Real Difference Between the Two Software Offerings?
Well, besides the pricing, if you decide to work with the subscription offer, you'll be able have tournaments from any location since all scores are saved on the Barnum Software computers. So, this allows you to have real life tournaments as well as races at any time that is convenient for the other contestants.
Also, when you purchase the CD version of the software you are eligible for upgrades at the low cost of $5. The Deluxe version allows you to have free upgrades for the life of your subscription. And although the internet connection is necessary for the Deluxe version (to download the scores) your child does not directly access the internet using either program, which can be a big plus if you have small children using the program.
So, I guess the real answer to this question depends on your family's size and needs. If you have more than 12 children, buying the triple bundle would make more sense since the Deluxe version only allows 12 users. Conversely, if you are only teaching one child, it might be more cost effective to just purchase the software and be done with it.
If you have children of multiple ages (like I do) the Deluxe version makes more sense because all of the children can work on their level without me purchasing different software packages. Also, since my two-year old is in the frisbee throwing mode, I don't have to worry about scratched (and otherwise) damaged CDs cluttering up my home (which has enough clutter thank you very much).
My Last Three Cents
Cent #1: I think that this is a great addition to my homeschooling math program. It holds the attention of all of my children from the two and a half year old to my nine year old.
Cent #2: This is proving to be a great part of my family's gaming activity. We have multiple computers so we can race against us each other. It's actually starting to beat out
Cent #3: The owners of Barnum Software are very open to suggestions. They are also excellent providers of customer service. Due to the homeschooling community's increased usage of their software they've dedicated an entire page to our needs. So, if you have any questions or ways to make this excellent software even better, don't hesitate to contact them.
P.S. I was curious about how teenagers would react to Quarter Mile Software, so I asked my neighbor to give it a try. Being sulky and seventeen she did so half-heartedly and -- gasp! -- started having fun.
She started grinning and actually queued up a couple of extra races without being asked. Of course, once she realized that she was enjoying herself she proclaimed it to be lame and stopped playing. I guess image is everything, right? :-)
However, it does prove my point. Even teenagers can enjoy this great learning tool.
P.P.S. Don't forget to take advantage of the free demo download that is offered so that you can see for yourself just how much your kids will like it.
Comments