Do you have a math whiz in your house? Or maybe you have the opposite? Well, here in the O’ house, we have one of each. Funny thing is, the math whiz is extremely cautious – always doubting himself. He’s almost always right, but often times too worried about being wrong to give an answer. The math “struggler”, on the other hand, is very confident. She often blurts out her answers before thinking them through! Her mouth is often faster than her brain! : P
The kids have been practicing their math skills with the software program, The Quarter Mile Math. The children ‘race’ either as cars or riderless horses by doing mental math problems. When they get a problem correct the next one automatically appears and their ‘speed and success’ depend upon the number of problems they get correct. One of the things I like about this program is that the student is racing against their own previous races. The other horses or cars in the race are the students previous five best races. Love this.
Let me give you a rundown on some of the features and benefits:
- self-competition – you’re racing against your own times
- equal appeal for boys and girls – no age limit either
- covers math topics from Kindergarten to pre-algebra
- multiple student use, depending on product purchased
- hold math tournaments with all your students
- progress-tracking feature, even printable forms
- special webpage just for homeschoolers that includes a user forum!
- over 70,000 problems with random problem selection
My meager descriptions really can’t do this program justice. You must visit the website and view the many videos that give a more in-depth look at Quarter Mile Math. The information presented is very informative, helpful and does a much better job of explaining the software than I!
This program is available in two formats, standard and deluxe. We have been using the deluxe version.
| Deluxe version | Standard CD Version |
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$2.95 per family per month |
One-time purchase–prices range from $39.95 to $89.95 depending on the grade range. |
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Has all 323 topics in the entire product line and all 70,000+ problems Covers K through 9th grade (pre-algebra) |
7 different Quarter Mile Math products to choose from covering different grade ranges. |
| Up to 12 family members can use it. | All family members can use it. |
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Student progress tracking features
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Student progress tracking features
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| Multiple students can use it on different computers simultaneously. * | Can be installed on multiple computers but only one student can use it at a time. |
| Students can be in real-time tournaments with other family members on multiple computers.* Even a sibling or grandparent out-of-state can participate! | Students can take turns competing in a topic during a tournament. |
| Free upgrades. | $5 upgrades. |
| Program can be downloaded. Ordering a CD backup is optional. | Comes on a CD that is shipped to you. |
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Internet connection required but students never go to the web. Students scores are automatically saved to Barnum Software’s Quarter Mile Math server. |
No internet connection needed. Student scores are saved onto your computer(s). |
* DSL or cable (broadband) is required for this feature
If you’d like to see the topics covered in each version/level, you can do so here. *note: this is a pdf document.
Quarter Mile Math has been a neat program for the kids. For the boy, it’s taught him to be more confident, sure of himself. For the girl, it’s taught her that speed isn’t always the best route to success. Accuracy does count. What a great lesson to learn in this busy, on-the-go world.
Go ahead and try out the free demo download.
And when you’re ready to purchase, be sure to use the special discount code that Barnum Software has offered to my readers! You’ll receive a $5.00 discount when you use the referral code: 7B7Y7 between now and September 30th.
If you’ve used Barnum Software’s The Quarter Mile Math, leave a comment and let us know how you liked it!
Sara O’