Reviews: The Quarter Mile Math

"Mom, can I play that game on your computer?"


If you know me at all, you know I don't share my computer very readily. However, when the "game" that the kid in question wants to play is actually math drill practice, it's a whole lot easier to sway me to share my computer time and I've been very willing to share with the kids as they "play" on Barnum's Quarter Mile Math.


When I saw Quarter Mile on the TOS Homeschool Crew review schedule, I had no idea what it was. As soon as I saw the box, I began to be impressed: The cover announced that all 1,100+ Sylvan Learning Centers^TM use Quarter Mile Math -- all three levels -- as part of their math curriculum.


It sure sounded impressive.


Then, I opened the box. Among the materials included was the topic list -- an oversized flyer, printed front and back. In small print. There are over 320 math topic covered, encompassing grades K through 9. Definitely impressive.


I got the software installed (the Deluxe version, containing all three levels) and the kids were immediately involved. They were able to begin playing immediately, choosing from any of the 320+ topics to drill, including:

• basic operations
• fractions
• decimals
• percents
• powers of ten
• squares
• rounding
• missing numbers
• equations
• integers
• estimation

In Quarter Mile's racetrack format, you can race as a horse or a car. The goal is to answer as many questions as possible correctly as you race down the track. You're competing against five other racers, who just happen to be represented by your five previous best times. So, the goal is always to do better than your own personal best score.


Quarter Mile allows a student (and mom!) to track his progress over time. With a DSL or broadband connection and the Deluxe version, multiple students can play at the same time on different computers. They can even compete in real-time tournaments with other family members or even other students in their homeschool group!


Barnum offers several software and pricing options:

• Level 1 (Grades K-3) - $39.95
• Level 2 (Grades 4-6) - $39.95
• Level 3 (Grades 6-9) - $39.95
• Level 1 & 2 Bundle - $64.95
• Level 2 & 3 Bundle - $64.95
• Level 1, 2, & 3 (Deluxe) - $89.95 (plus subscription -- see below)
• Cross-Section of Topics (Grades K-9) - $39.95

The subscription rates with the Deluxe option allow for saving students' scores to Barnum Software's servers. Although an Internet connection is required in order to automatically save the scores, students never go to the web. The rates are per family and are incredibly reasonable:

• $2.95 per month
• $19.95 for one year (save $15.45 over one year)
• $34.95 for two years (save $35.85 over two years)
  

You can see demos of each version on The Quarter Mile website. There's now even a special section with additional resources just for homeschoolers.


My kids are loving Quarter Mile. We've made it a part of every school day. Josh and Megan take turns with it during our reading time. While one reads aloud to me, the other does math practice on the computer. And the best part is, they actually enjoy it. There are no complaints about math drills when they're "playing" Quarter Mile. That's the best endorsement I can give. ;-)


From now until September 30, you can receive $5 off your purchase of any product by entering the coupon code: 7T7H7.

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