My First Math Adventure: Adding and Subtracting
Written: Mar 05 '03 (Updated May 08 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Simple enough for younger players
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Help your child gain confidence while having fun with numbers and early math skills!
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| hlbirk's Full Review: Adding & Subtracting CD-ROM |
My parents are always asking what they can get the kids for gifts that are real and practical. Christmas 2002 was no different. I had suggested computer games since we had a few that we'd outgrown. Having to buy for 3 kids, 3 grandkids, starting a home business of their own raising alpaca and all the other demands life places on the pocketbook, I knew my parents wouldn't be spending a fortune.
The boys and I were both pleasantly surprised when they got My First Math Adventure: Adding and Subtracting. From the looks of the outside cover it resembles a low-end, no bells and whistles, type of game. Dorling Kindersley is the manufacturer and it was published in 1997 by Global Software Publishing. The cover is mostly white with a big snowball in the center that has a polar bear laying on top of it. There are 3 colored jars on the side with a math equation on them. Very kid friendly! The polar bear and a little penguin are the Hosts of the game throughout and very cute to watch.
We put the CD in and started things rolling. I was impressed that it loaded so quickly! Within just a few minutes, maybe 2 overall, we were ready to go. The front cover indicates it's appropriate for ages 5-8 and will "help your child develop essential early math concepts. I didn't even get a chance to read the back of the cover before we were ready to begin.
There are no fancy graphics here, which is a good thing for my kids. They want to get on, play, learn and be done. The initial scene is a very large floating iceberg with an igloo at the top. There are 4 different areas you can choose to visit/play. Each of these works on different aspects of math and all are fun!
Math Machine
A game that gently introduces numbers and symbols in a fun way
This part has a large box with items in it. Underneath are boxes that your child will fill in the numbers to "make" the math equation, based on the number of items they see above. If they get it right, the polar bear will throw a snowball in the "machine" to the right and it builds like a thermometer. Once you've filled it all the way then you can stop and go back to the main screen to choose another activity.
Sum It Up!
Get a "hands-on" feel for addition with real objects
This activity shows 3 large boxes at the top with a symbol in between them. Sometimes it's a + and sometimes it's a -. There is also an =. Your child will count the number of items, like ducks or whatever, in the first box and then either + or - the number of [ducks] and put the sum in the box that's empty. To help your child realize that the number 5 is actually five ducks, they can click and drag [ducks] from a small box underneath the equation up into the empty box after the = sign. Make sense?
Count It Down!
Click to remove moving objects for an exciting introduction to subtraction
This one is a bit harder in my personal opinion. It requires more mental math than some of the other activities but it's not so hard that it discourages the child. There will be a bunch of items in a very large box and then Bear says something to the effect of, "I only need 5 frogs but there are 8 in the picture," then your child is supposed to click to remove 3 frogs. That's just an example. If this is set to the expert level the items actually float and move around a bit, which makes it hard to count!
Solve It
Solve arithmetic problems as well as hidden puzzles
You'll see a puzzle made up of 9 pieces that either have an equation or an answer in them. On the left is a puzzle piece with the opposite, and you have to match it up on the puzzle. If the number on the left is 10 then you look at the puzzle for an equation that equals 10, like 5+5 or 8+2. If the puzzle piece on the left has 5+5 then you'd click and drag it over the 10 on the board. Once completed there is a cute picture underneath.
I mentioned before that if you complete the thermometer type indicator in each game then you can move on to the Supergame. My boys have only hit this once or twice since Christmas so we've only done it a couple of times. It encourages speedy mental arithmetic but is a lot of fun to play! If you win at the Supergame it will give you a certificate with the child's name on it that can be printed out.
My favorite part about this entire game is that if you have the learning level set at intermediate or expert, and your child is not doing so well, it will automatically move the level down for them. That makes for a great confidence booster! You can also check progress by clicking on PARENTS at the bottom of the main iceberg to see how well your child is doing.
Key features include: learning and practicing the fundamental concepts of adding and subtracting, developing problem solving skills, software automatically adjusts game in response to strengths and weaknesses and has printable worksheets and built-in progress reports.
I highly recommend this game to anyone that's got a child needing or wanting more math experience. As mentioned before there's not a lot of song and dance or color on this, but it gets the job done without being overwhelming. I'm not a big fan of age ranges, as this indicates 5-8, and my 7 year old daughter thinks it's the bee's knees of computer games right now. She does very well at math in second grade and this still holds her interest as well as challenges her at the expert level.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hlbirk
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Member: Heather Smith
Location: Olathe, Kansas
Reviews written: 126
Trusted by: 55 members
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