Carlito C. Caterpillar’s MathHouse Game Card Set ~ A Review & Giveaway

Carlito C. Caterpillar’s MathHouse Game Card Set is a unique, fun and very compact math game card set that was designed to be used to help teach preschoolers through early elementary aged kiddos early math skills.

This game card set was created by Domenico Marcario, M.S., who is a retired high school math teacher and a grandfather.  Marcario designed the games “to build upon the {math} knowledge young children already possess.”

There are three stages of material included in this game card set.  Within the three stages of material are 20 steps, and there are 2 games in each step…which equals 40 math games in all. 

You can read more about how to use this game card set here.

My Thoughts

I appreciate that most of the games in this card set are easy to prepare for and simple to play with your young kiddos.  The props for most of the games are basic items we usually have in our home already like food items {fruit, cereal pieces}, socks, pennies, etc. 

There are some supplemental materials required for some of the games but the creators of Carlito C. Caterpillar’s MathHouse Games have made these easy for you to make yourself by providing free printables on their website for these manipulatives.

Flipping through the card set, I have already tagged a couple of games that I know my kiddos will enjoy {and learn from}.  I plan to start at the beginning with my preschooler {ds4}.  The first game in Stage 1 is called “Alike It or Not” and it teaches kiddos about sets by having them place “alike” objects together.

I think that my 2nd grader will benefit from playing the games in Stage 3 of this math card set which has kiddos learning about basic math operations.

More Information

Carlito C. Caterpillar’s MathHouse Game Card Set is available for purchase from the MathHouse Games website for $23.95.  This price includes free shipping.

Propeller, the sponsor of this review, is also providing me with a copy of this unique math card set to give away to one of my readers.  Stay tuned for the giveaway information at the end of this review .

Carlito C. Caterpillar’s MathHouse Games is also on Facebook.  You can check out their page here.

Giveaway Information

If you would like to enter my giveaway to win your own copy of Carlito C. Caterpillar’s MathHouse Game Card Set simply leave a comment on this post.  Please be sure to leave a valid email address where you can be reached if you are the winner .  I will choose a winner on Monday, October 3rd at 10am EST.

 

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Math Facts Now! ~ A Review

Math Facts Now! is a no-frills math software designed to drill your child/student on their math facts.  You choose the function {addition, subtraction, multiplication, division}, you choose the numbers {1-5, 8’s, etc}, you choose the number of problems for each session, you set the time limit {how many seconds per problem}…you set up the program to meet the needs of your individual student ~ genius!

We received the download version of this software and I installed it on the kiddos’ computer.  Once I got past the very easy install, I set up a lesson for my ds8 {3rd grade}.  

How it Works

The lesson set-up process was very simple.  The first thing you do when creating a new lesson is to choose one function {addition, subtraction, multiplication, division}.

Then you choose which numbers you want your child tested on from 1-12.  For instance, you can choose for your child to be tested on all of the addition facts from 1-12, or just the 2,5, and 7 facts, or just the 12 facts.

For each lesson you create, you also choose how many seconds your child is given to provide the correct answer for each individual question {answers given after the time limit expires are considered incorrect even if they are correct}; the number of times your child has to re-enter a wrong answer, and how many questions must be answered correctly to finish the lesson.

You also have the option of assigning a reward if your child finishes the lessons without making any errors.

Math Facts NOW!  also provides progress reports that you can view and/or  print that provide details about each lesson your child completes, including the average time it took to complete each problem, percentage of questions answered too slowly, and percentage of questions answered incorrectly. 

Our Experience

My ds8 was a bit apprehensive when he sat down to complete his first “drill” on Math Facts Now!.  When I created the lesson I had specified that he needed to complete each question within 10 seconds and he was so nervous that he didn’t answer the first question in time…he knew the answer but he had not yet gotten the hang of typing his answer and then clicking the mouse or pressing enter before the time was up :)

I showed him the number pad on the side of the keyboard and suggested that he use that and the enter button on the keyboard {instead of the mouse}…that really helped him increase his speed.  

His current math program has daily “paper and pencil” speed drills that ds8 completes, but I think this computerized speed drill really got his adrenaline pumping…and he actually enjoyed it!

My Thoughts

I loved this program!  And even though my ds8 dreads taking speed drills, I think he actually enjoyed the adrenaline rush that Math Facts NOW!’s computerized speed drills gave him. 

The set-up was a quick and easy, the lessons are easy to create, the progress reports are very simple to access and easy to read…I honestly have nothing negative to say about this program.  And it definitely adds a bit of zing to daily speed drills :)

More Information

Math Facts Now! can be used with any child who needs to be drilled on math facts {from addition to division}, most often these are k to 6th graders.

There are two versions of this software program that you can purchase from the Math Facts Now! website: 

• download version ~ $15.95 no shipping/handling
• CD-ROM version ~ $15.95 + $3.95 shipping/handling

Math Facts Now! is compatible with Windows 2000, ME, XP, Vista and Windows 7. 

You can try Math Facts Now! for free, either online or by download.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about their experience with Math Facts NOW!

I received a free download of this software program in order to provide an honest review of my experience with this product.  I did not receive any other compensation for my review.

PyraMath ~ A Review

Math is not ds8’s favorite subject so I am always looking for ways to add a bit of fun into our math lessons.  When our package of PyraMath Cards arrived in the mail I was sure that it would be a great addition to our stash of math games…and I was right.

About PyraMath

PyraMath is an exciting, easy to play, one or two-player card game that can be used to strengthen math skills.  Each deck of PyraMath cards contains 56-numbered cards {0-9}.  The goal of the Basic PyraMath Game is to be the first to build a pyramid on your side of the cards.  According the the flyer that came inside our deck of cards:

The basic concept of any PyraMath game is that a single card is played on 2 side-by-side cards using math operations.  For example if a 4 and 7 are side-by-side, the legal plays are 3 {7-4=3}, 1{7+4=11}, and 8 {7x4=28}.

Our Experience

PyraMath is the ultimate open and go card game…ds8 and I played our first game of Basic Two-Player PyraMath about 1-hour after I opened our package.  {The instructions for this game are here.}   I placed a row of five cards face-up on the floor, placed the remaining deck face-down and called ds8 into the room to try out this new game with me.  When he heard that it was a math game, he was not too thrilled…but I pressed on :) 

We chose to use only the addition and subtraction operations {you can use all four operations or tweak it to fit your needs}.  It took us about five minutes of playing to get the hang of it…and then the fun began.  By the end of our first game {about 20 minutes}, ds8 was hooked!  He won the game {I honestly did not let him win}. 

Once you feel confident with the basic PyraMath game, you can move up to some faster moving games like PyraMath Speed and PyraMath War.  Directions for both of these games {and others} can be found on the PyraMath website. 

My Thoughts 

This inexpensive card game {$6.95/deck} is an awesome addition to our game closet.  It is fun, it is educational, it is a fabulous way to practice math facts, and it is easily adaptable a variety of ages.

Head over to the PyraMath website to see rules and directions for other games that you can play with your PyraMath deck.  You can also play PyraMath online!

I See Cards, the maker of PyraMath Cards, are also the creators of a number of other fun and educational card games.  Be sure to check out the I See Cards website for more information.

Click here to see what my fellow crewmates are saying about their experiences with PyraMath and other I See Card products.

I did receive a free copy of this product in return for my honest review of our experience with this product.