CapJaxMathFax is a downloadable computer program to drill math facts. It progresses at the student's speed and allows math practice when teacher isn't available. This can help children of any age who still need to work on their math facts.
We don't typically "do math", at this age I feel they get plenty of math through cooking, grocery shopping (they love to figure out which brand/size is the best deal), and just random discussions. This weekend my dad was teaching them about square roots! LOL. So we don't usually spend time on math drills.
I pretty much downloaded this onto the girls' computer and turned them lose with it. When I asked them, this morning, what their review of it was, Sassy said it took her a little while to get the feel for it, but then it was fine. She thinks it's fun. She said you can make it pretty easy, but it's fun to be challenged. Then she asked 'do we get to keep using it for awhile still? When I said yes, her response was "good". So I'd say that's pretty high praise from someone who typically doesn't have to do math drills. MiniMe wasn't AS enthusiastic, but said "its' fine". She spent all her time in "practice mode", which means I can't see any report information on her. I did realize this morning that I can check a box to have the software keep reports on the practice sessions too, so will do that going forward. Since the girls have their own computer, I ended up not checking their progress reports very often. Other programs (not just math, but educational computer programs in general) that are web based were nicer in that respect because I could set them up to use the program on their computer, but I could check their progress from my own computer when I happened to think of it. For families that share a computer, this wouldn't be an issue.
This program worked quite well for our "not big on formal math lessons" family. I can see it working equally well for a more structured family, to provide additional practice and quizzes on whatever math facts are currently being learned in your regular curriculum.
A few things that some people might not like about this. The student simply signs in with their name, no password. It seems like, especially in a classroom setting, but in some cases in a home setting as well, there could be potential for one child to "mess up" another's scores by signing in with their name. Maybe that's just the children I went to school with, but it would be nice to at least have an option to use passwords.
Also, the student sets the parameters for the session. Which function(s) to practice, how many facts in a set, etc. Obviously, the teacher can tell the student what parameters to set, but the student has to re-set them every time she uses the program. Some teachers might prefer to have the added control to set the parameters themselves, and not give the student the option/ability to change them.
You can test out the program for yourself with the free evaluation. The program itself is $29.95 for a download, slightly more to have a CD shipped to you.
Be sure to see what my fellow crewmates thought of CapJaxMathFax, here.
Disclaimer: I received the above mentioned product in exchange for writing an honest review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are those of myself or my children, as stated.
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