3P Learning gave us a subscription to Mathletics for two of my children. Mathletics is an online supplemental Math program for grades K-12. You can access Mathletics through your computer or through one of their free apps for tablets. To help orient you to the program, they offer a Student Console Map, Parent Console Guide, and a Student Center Guide.
The Parent Section has a Parent Toolkit with guides for the various types of problems the students will encounter throughout the grades. There are also Student Workbooks and Teacher books that can be printed out by section or as a complete book. Finally, you can view your student’s progress and assign tasks your student needs to complete before they unlock the challenge and enrichment sections.
The Student Center has six sections: Live Mathletics, Activities, Problem Solving, Concept Search, Rainforest Maths, and Times Tables Toons. Live Mathletics allows students to compete against other students around the world. It’s like a competitive speed drill. The Activities section is where the main learning takes place with more of a curriculum type feel. Problem Solving allows your student to unlock games when they earn a gold bar for an activity. Concept Search is a search for concepts, but also includes an Animated Maths Dictionary. Rainforest Maths has various interactive math activities for grades K-6. And last, but not least, Times Tables Toons puts learning the times tables from x2 to x12 to music with catchy songs for them to learn.
The program is designed to motivate the students by allowing them to earn rewards and certificates along the way. They can then take their credits and “purchase” different backgrounds and things for their avatar such as clothing, hair styles, and hats.
Once our accounts were ready, I had Jake and Amber set up their Avatars and explore the different areas of the site. They spent some time getting acquainted, and testing things out. Then I set them loose.
I don’t mind if they do a little of the Live Mathletics to warm up before the actual work problems in the Activities. However, the rest of the sections (other than using Concept Search as needed) have to wait until after they do the Activities I want done. Overall, I let them work at their own pace. They prefer to aim for mastery as their own personal goals.
Finding their way around the site was easy for them, but the Activities (main curriculum) was a bit of a challenge. They found the questions fairly hard, and I think it’s because their main math curriculum approaches things very differently.
Amber (8) shies away from Live Mathletics, complains a little about the Activities, but loves everything else. Her favorites are Problem Solving and Times Tables Toons.
Jake (11) loves the whole thing. He even uses the Concept Search to help him learn what he doesn’t know. His absolute favorite sections are Live Mathletics and Problem Solving.
At one point, I found they were spending more time in the areas other than Activities. One neat feature is that I could then assign tasks which locked them out of the other sections until they completed them. Both kids let me know they were not a fan of this. We’ve decided to work on a set number of Activities before they can jump into the other sections. A little bit of honor system with mom checking progress here and there.
Because they found the grade level activities so challenging, I attempted to drop their grade levels down at one point. I later learned I did this in the wrong section and it didn’t actually accomplish that. I finally figured it out, and adjusted them down to make it a little easier for them. I really appreciate that they aren’t locked into a set grade.
The program is great for short practice sessions a couple of times a week.
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A Mathletics 12-month subscription for one student is currently $59 (normally $99). There are discounts for multiple children, and a try before you buy option.
Mathletics can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Kelly says
This seems like a great program – I would have liked to have been able to homeschool my boys when they were younger, unfortunately I think my lack of Spanish skills would have made it all but impossible (my stepsons only spoke Spanish when they came to live with us).
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Audra Marie says
I’m thinking not speaking the same language well would definitely hamper the learning. 🙂