TOS Review: Mad Dog Math

Mad Dog Math is a downloadable software program designed to help your student memorize their math facts.  The software downloaded onto our computer quickly and simply and we were ready to go.

There are four levels for your child to use.  Levels 1-2 work on addition and subtraction facts.  Level 3 works on multiplication facts and the challenge level uses them all.  Each level includes 2 minute, 1 minute, 30 second and no time limit drills.

I really liked Mad Dog Math for a drill program.  The earlier levels are easier and you are simply typing in answers.  However, the later levels have problems where you are figuring out the missing addendum or multiplier so the kids are getting a variety of ways to memorize their facts.

One of the best things about this program is that when your child types in the answer, the cursor automatically goes to the next problem.  You don't have to hit enter after each answer.  Both kids liked this feature.  It made the drills go much faster.  (If you mistype, you simply use your mouse to go back to the problem you typed wrong.)

One thing I would like to see improved is the log in system.  For your child to get credit for the work they do, they need to sign in first.  They need to be sure to sign in the same way each time because if they type something incorrectly they will not get credit for what they did that day.  (For example, if your child starts the program by typing their name as jon and the next day uses a capital j-Jon-they will be in the system twice.)  I would love to see a drop down menu where they could just click on their name every time they log in.

Overall, I think this is a good computer math drill program!


The price for Mad Dog Math varies from a one year use of $19.99 to a perpetual license for $39.99.  Go here to see their prices in detail. 

Go here to see what my fellow crewmates had to say about Mad Dog Math.

(I received a free full trial of Mad Dog Math in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.)

TOS review: City Creek Press--Times Alive

Memorizing math facts is something that isn't always fun but is a necessity if you don't want to be counting on your fingers when you're my age. Times Alive by City Creek Press is a math program designed to help your child memorize his times tables in a fun way. 

Times Alive uses songs, videos, and mini tests to help your child memorize his facts.  Your child signs into the program and is given a lesson list.  The lessons start with the 0's-the easiest of multiplication facts.  Then it moves to 1's and from there it skips around a bit.  It moves onto 3x3, then 3x4 and then to the 2's times tables. There are a few tests along the way for your child to take to see if they are retaining their facts.

Here's an example of one the songs:

You can see other samples of the Times Alive videos here. 

I think that if I had started my children on learning the multiplication tables on this program, I really think  Creative Princess would have loved this program.  However, both my kids felt the stories and songs were too long and moved too slowly for them. Precise Prince did however, do 8 lessons in about 3 days so I think he liked it a bit more than he let on. Honestly, I was surprised that Creative Princess didn't love this program but she did enjoy some of the stories.  I do think the songs and stories were a bit too long for my kids.  Shorter versions would have stuck better in their heads.

That said, I do think this program has a niche. I can see some children benefiting from this program and really enjoying it.  You can go here and give it a try.  I encourage you to try the program, read other reviews from my crewmates and check it out yourself. I know many of my crewmate's children loved this program and found it helpful in memorizing the multiplication facts.

Times Alive is recommended for any child working on their multiplication facts.  My own opinion is that younger children (2-4th grade) would most likely benefit the most.

Times Alive is available for instant download on the PC or Mac for only $44.95.  The CD-ROM software is $48.95.  This program can be used for all of your children-no need to purchase one per child.  I do want to mention that when your child signs into the program, they need to be sure to write down exactly how they signed in.  Each time they go to use the program, they will need to sign in the same way.  (For example, if Precise Prince signed in the first time with precise prince all lower case and then the next time he went to use the program he signed in as Precise Prince with upper case letters, he would be starting over.)

City Creek Press has many other math products you can check out as well.

(As part of the TOS crew, I received a free download of Times Alive for free in exchange for my honest review.)

TOS review: Ten Marks

TenMarks is an on-line math program designed to supplement any math curriculum you are using or you can use it as your main math program.  It is designed for grades 3 through high school.  In addition, when you sign up, you tell them what state you are in so the program is based on your state standards in math. 

Your child is given worksheets they need to complete on a weekly basis.  The default setting is 4 worksheets per week, however, you can change that number up or down.  Also, if you have a child who works fast, they have the option to fast track the program themselves and work ahead on their own. Before completing the worksheets, your child can watch videos explaining the concept they are working on and they can also choose to do practice worksheets.

The worksheets for grades 3 and 5 are multiple choice questions.  For the more difficult problems, be sure your child has paper and pencil to work out the problems.  Each worksheet contains 10 questions.  If your child gets stuck on a problem they have two on-line ways to get help.  They can watch a video explaining the concept they are learning or they can click on the hint button that simply gives them a hint towards the right answer.  There are only 3 hints allowed per problem.

Once your child is finished with the worksheet, they are graded.  They are also given the chance to go over the problems they got wrong one time and correct them. After they have completed a concept, your child is assigned a test.

As the parent, you have an account that keeps track of your child's assignments and progress.  You can go in and choose the order that the math worksheets are given.  For example, in grade three, a couple of the math concepts your child would do are time and place value.  If my current math curriculum has my child working on time, followed by place value, then I would go in and set up the worksheets so that my child would do time first, followed by place value.

The parent account also includes a summary of your child's work.  It shows what has been assigned and what has been completed. In addition, there is a report card for you to check.  The report card shows the number of answers they got correct on each worksheet, how many times they used a hint and watched a video and shows their concept strength.  If your child used too many hints or gets too many problems wrong, their concept strength is low and they are re-assigned a new worksheet on that concept.

You also have the option to set up rewards.  As the parent, you choose how many worksheets they must complete before getting the reward and you choose what the reward is-that means you are responsible for delivering the reward too. :-)  I chose not to use this feature.

There is a built in reward system as well.  After completing a certain number of worksheets, your child unlocks a game that they can go in and play at any time.  The games are quick and reinforce math concepts. 

One more thing I almost forgot to mention.  There is a pause button available so you can pause the program at any time.  I found this useful for the week after Christmas when we were moving into our house.  (Yup, my kids worked on school all the way until Christmas Eve this year.)

How we used TenMarks:

I decided to make TenMarks our primary math during this review period so I had the kids do basically one worksheet per day with the exception of our busiest day each week, which varied. Precise Prince absolutely loves math of all kinds.  He will occasionally do math in his spare time-for fun.  He loved the TenMarks program and used the fast track staying several concepts ahead. He has unlocked all the available games.

Creative Princess would much rather draw, write or do a craft.  I had to stay on top of her to make sure she got her worksheets done by the time they were due. Although she wasn't thrilled with having to do math on-line, she did pretty well and she is learning from this program which is really what matters.

PROS:
-The program is on-line and simple to use.
-You do not need to do the grading.
-TenMarks keeps track of your student's progress.  Your student can even print out certificates showing they mastered each skill they completed well.
-You and your child set the pace.
-The program is based on your own state's standards.
-The worksheets are short enough to not be overwhelming and if your child needs to do more, you simply add more worksheets to their weekly assignments. 

CONS:
-The questions are multiple choice.  It is easier for a child to just guess based on the answers and still get a high concept score.
-Since the questions are multiple choice, it would be best to supplement with some problems that are not multiple choice.

TenMarks is only $10 per month per child with discounts if you sign up for 6 months (at $49) and 12 months (at $89).  When you sign up for TenMarks, you can ask for an assessment to determine the best grade to start your child in.

(I was given a free 6 month subscription to TenMarks for both of my children in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.)