urgent advice on computer maths resources - Maths Whizz etc

[breadandbutterfly]

Maths Whizz is doing a 3 month for £28 offer on one of the group buying websites (think it's Living Social - can check if anyone is interested) as opposed to the usual £20/month. I'd really like to find some good resources for ds (aged 5) and possibly dd (aged 9) to do on the PC - ds is v resistent to anything he views as 'work' whereas time on the computer is definitely 'play' in his eyes:0 Maths is high on my list of priorities, but something that covered other topics eg reading etc etc is fine too.

For the girls I used the Learning Ladder and Jump Ahead Years 1, 2 etc CD-Roms, but though I still have the disks, they only work on up to Windows XP and I have Windows Vista, so can't get them to work. :(

I'd like an organised programme that is at the right level, so he/they can do lots of age-appropriate activities, make progress etc - I know there are loads of free activities and ds does a small amount of not terribly productive messing about on cbeebies website etc - but as I just don't have the time to supervise and endlessly direct him to new resources, check they're the right level and that they actually work properly on our PC etc, I'd prefer a single organised programme.

I've heard Maths Whizz mentioned positively on mumsnet before but was put off by the price - even £9 a month for 3 months seems quite steep. i I know there are other similar but cheaper programmes - Carol Vorderman and others whose names I have forgotten.

In an ideal world, I'd just like another CD-Rom like the ones I had but that works! so that I would just have a smallish one-off cost, but a quick glance at Amazon doesn't seem to bring up anything suitable; maybe companies have realised the real money lies in extracting a monthly commitment rather than selling a one-off product.

So, which other programmes etc have others used and which would they recommend - is Maths Whizz really worth it?

By the way, I said urgent in the title line as the Maths Whizz deal runs out tomorrow... - if anything better/cheaper comes along, then not so urgent!

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My Ds (5) loves: Coolmaths, Topmarks, Woodland primary school, BBC bitesize, Mathszone. I think they are safe for unsupervised use as well (of course I check intermittantly but they do not seem to have chat rooms etc). All free.

Thanks.

I am familar with some of these but whilst having the massive advantage of being free, what they lack is a structured programme that covers things at the correct level for your child. So you have to keep checking that they are doable (eg not complicated technology that doesn't work on my pc or takes forever to load; or where the instructions are too advanced and need to be read out) and there is no sense of progression or monitoring of progress - ideally I'd like something where I and they could see what had been covered and get some kind of visible reward for it, so they get a sense of achievement - and where the choice of topics covered was less than just random.

Anyone?

At the DS's school they subscribe to mathletics for them. I think its about £35 a year if you do it privately. Its all curriculum based and they work through according to their age. They can also do live mathletics against anyone else logged on around the world which really appeals to their boyish competitive streaks! I have to say I think its a fantastic resource and I frequently have to force them to stop doing maths!

I teach maths and would recommend Mathletics as well. Very reasonable priced, and I've seen children incredibly motivated by it. My kids are OK at maths but not brilliant, and I get them to do it in the holidays to consolidate their tables and to keep them out of my hair. They enjoy it.

Thank you - I knew there was another site recommended but couldn't remember what it was called.

What age do you recommend mathletics up to?

Hi

As a Teaching Assistant I used ictgames.com with Year 1 & 2 children who greatly enjoyed it. But it was only one of many Numeracy activities that were taught and practised in class. (It was originally developed at Toftwood School, in Norfolk I think.)

I did not know Matheletics until just now, but I've had a quick look and it certainly does seem very comprehensive.

Are you home-educating your children?? If not, and they are at school, perhaps the class teachers might have some views on the best approach.

I've used maths whizz for my DD who had some catching up to do and it's been really good (going into year 3). DS is going into year 1 and 5.5. Tried it a few months ago and i didn't think he was be ready but a few months on I think he might be (pretty please could you send me the link?). Do a trial if you have time and see what you think. We've had mathletics before and I do think maths whizz is better but there was a price difference.

I hope this helps.

I am a great fan of Whizz Math (there are loads of my reviews/comments on Mumsnet) and it has been invaluable for teaching strategies in a good and structured way, building up on prior knowledge and as they progress they dont realise the work is actually getting harder.

My children have also tried MathsFactor, and was OK for a novelty, didnt like 40 questions of the same thing and whilst they did learn from it, it didnt motivate them

We are also using Mathletics which is much cheaper, has a lot of variety and great for practice.

Mathletics

• is not very good for teaching, especially if you dont understand a concept.

• You have to consciencely go to the teaching to learn, it doesnt automatically teach you.

• great for basic maths practice, you compete with people around the world

• great for consolidation, practice, practice, practice

• certificates and targets to aim for

MathsWhizz

• Great teaching structure. Start at a lower level and build up. It is better to be good than struggle to start with.

• Child doesnt know what level they are working at. Could be different levels for different topics.

• Covers whole curriculum so they cant avoid topics they dont like or cant do.

• You cant select a topic you want them to study. If the topic has been presented previously you can redo, but you cant go to more advanced teaching.

_ reporting structure not brilliant. You cant control the topics and it might say your child isnt doing so well on a subject but that subject might not have been presented for them to do.

• Maths Age not really relevant in school, its a gimmick

I like paid sites so that you can see what their strengths and weaknesses are and they give you a guide, but both sites are only general indications and cannot be used as something to go back to school and say your kids are better than the school is portraying, because schools can only use the work children do in schools.

Both sites have been fantastic for revision and practice and it is hard to say one is better than the other because they are very very different.

Maths Whizz is a tutoring programme, Mathletics is a revision programme.

I think for very young children Maths Whizz is too expensive because you cannot forsee whether they will want to do it for 12 months, but the monthly rate is really expensive (much cheaper than tutors)

If you want to ask any questions please feel free.

Iggly2. Mathletics goes from Foundation up to about Age 16. It covers GCSE, IGCSE HIgher, up to Year 11, separate courses for specifics, ie algebra, geometry, number, statistics, AQA, EDExcel,

Wow, thanks all.

RoadArt - which of the ones you have used (if any) would be more suitable for a just-5 year-old to use? His maths knowledge so far is pretty basic, so I can't imagine him being very motivated by international competition at this stage...

Its hard to say which is best, because it is what your child is happy to do decides which is best.

You could maybe do a few trials, just keep reregistering so that you get a fair go. We have kids doing Mathletics in Year 1 at school and they love it, but it does need a parent to sit with them to get the best out of the programme and to sometimes read the questions.

I dont know enough about the early years of Whizz, I imagine it is good, but again, might need parental support to read the questions, I dont know.

We also did Education City which I thought was a good all round basic package and probably more ideal for the younger children, it covers maths, english, science and languages for about £30 a year (might have increased I dont know). Again there are trials, I can send you a code that gives you a bit longer than the standard trial when you register.

Other good maths programmes are the Jump Ahead CD series, they offer variety and I found them excellent for the early years. At least then they were not on the computer accessing all and sundry.

Another good site is www.zoodles.com. It creates a child tool bar and they can only access certain sites, but it links to many of the good freebie sites. You can pay to get reports but there is a lot of good free access to age appropriate learning sites.

breadandbutterfly you'd be amazed at how competitive they can be. At the DS's school they start it in reception and they all love it. The certificates really motivate them and they can build up reward points to but things for their character on the screen (like a hat or a crown etc). The site also includes a spelling programme called spellodrome which is also good.

IXL

Khan Academy

I anyone else would like to take up this offer, it's on the Living Social website under Families for about 5 more hours. You have to register (not v arduous - just need email address I think) and should then be able to see it.

Costs £28 for 3 months on Maths Whizz. Still trying to make my mind up if to take the plunge and get it for my ds - he tried the free trial and quite liked it. But £28 at the end of a v expensive month liked it? Not sure.

How committed do you think your child will be to do it? You need to do it for at least 60 minutes a week to see an improvement, which is quite a lot for young children

However, price wise, it is normally £150 for 12 months which breaks down to £37.50 for 3 months, so £28 is a good price.

3 months is a good length of time to use a programme before moving on and trying something else.

Education City is also worth considering for a similar amount of money but that is for 12 months.

I dont know how good Whizz is for very young children, I have used/observed from Year 4 upwards.

With a deadline, you are putting pressure on yourself to make a decision when you havent researched or checked out the product properly.

In view of this, I would opt for the free sites, work through methodically, and choose paying sites when your DC is older. Once you start on paying sites, you will never want to stop.

Type KS1 Maths in Google and you will get lots of fantastic links, and we can put some up here. I think at this stage, you probably dont really need to monitor and have reports.

Thanks, RoadArt. I decided that he didn't seem keen enough to justify the cost - he's still a bit young to guarantee he'll have the staying power/focus, as you say, but might try it when he's older and I'm richer (hopefully!).

If anyone knows how to get CD Roms that only work on pcs up to Windows XP to work on a Windows Vista computer, that would solve all my problems. I really liked the Jump Ahead CD Roms for my older 2, but can no longer get them to work, sadly, though I still have the CDs!