Quarter Mile Math Review

Munchkin is good with math, but she does her math very slowly. She hates timed drills and quickly grows frustrated when she can’t think of the answers to simple problems during the drill. We’ve tried various methods to get over this issue, but nothing has really worked. We had tried a demo of The Quarter Mile Math a few years ago, but I had forgotten about it due to moving shortly after trying out the product.

When The Quarter Mile Math package arrived in the mail, Munchkin exclaimed, “Hey, it’s the horse race program.” Obviously, the program had made an impression on her if she remembered it from a few years ago. She looked forward to trying it out. (Mom secretly thinks “yes!”)

We received the Deluxe Edition of the program to try out (Level 1, 2, & 3 Bundle). One of the benefits of the deluxe program is that you can install it on different computers. A second benefit is that the student’s progress is tracked online, not on individual computers. You do need to have internet access for this version, but the student does not use the internet. Another cool feature is that you can actually compete against other family members.

• Level 1 (grades K-3) covers keyboarding, the alphabet, whole numbers, and estimation. It includes 174 topics and 22,000 problems
• Level 2 (grades 4-6) covers whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, estimation, positive and negative numbers (integers), and pre-algebra intro (equations intro.) It includes 214 topics and 33,000 problems
• Level 3 (grades 6-9) covers decimals, percents, estimation, positive and negative numbers (integers), and pre-algebra (equations). It includes over 29,000 problems.

We had a slight problem with installing it, but that was due to trying to install it under my daughter’s account on the computer. (We have her internet access restricted, so it would not allow the program to load.) Once we switched it to my account, it was smooth sailing.

The first day was not without a few tears. Munchkin is very competitive, so when she couldn’t top her first score, she got frustrated. The next day went much better. She had fun checking out all of the different topics available to her. (For now, I am just letting her pick topics that she is interested in as she is getting use to the program.) A side perk to this program is that it is helping Munchkin with her typing skills.

With The Quarter Mile Math, the student (or parent/teacher) decides which topic they will use for that session. The student will then race (using either race cars or riderless horses) against their own times. This is a great supplement program to Munchkin’s current math curriculum. She practices at least 15 minutes per day with this program. She actually enjoys practicing her math in this manner.

The Quarter Mile Math Deluxe version is a subscription service. It’s only $2.95 a month per family for however long you want to keep using the program. Multiple students/family members can use the same program since it covers from K-9. Edited to add: There is now the option to purchase at a discounted rate of $19.95 for a full year or $34.95 for a full 2 years.

The Quarter Mile Math program is also available in the standard version (no internet access required). It ranges from $39.95 to $89.95 depending on the grade range you select.

Christopher from The Quarter Mile Math has generously offered all of my readers a $5 discount when they use the referral code 7P7K7. Offer is good through September 30, 2009.

Edited to add:
Thanks to comments from fellow homeschoolers, The Quarter Mile Math has now added a section just for homeschoolers on their webpage. I love that they are listening to their users and making improvements!!