Product Description
Now with A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology that helps children build critical elementary math skills. Kids will explore Pirate Island with Sam the Lion, Penelope the Parrot, and Reader Rabbit. Each fun activity has many play levels, progressing from the easiest to most difficult…. More >>
Reader Rabbit Math Adventure Ages 6-9
When my 6 year old was struggling with new math concepts, I bought a lot of software. I wanted something for her that was both educational, and fun. This program is by far the best we’ve tried. You can set the difficulty levels, so kids don’t get frustrated, but also they don’t get bored. The characters are really cute, and because there is an overall goal of building the boat, kids want to keep playing! For each 3-5 question activity they complete, they get a boat part as a reward. The various activities cover all math basics, including fractions, money, and time.
With other programs, my daughter would play, and then get bored or overly frustrated very quickly, but because of the ability to customize this game to your child’s skill level, she played for hours and hours. The skill levels on it vary widely, so it can teach concepts from a 1st through 3rd grade level, unlike so many games that are only relevant for one grade. My daughter’s gotten tons of fun math practice out of this game, and she’s still playing! I’d recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 5 / 5
My sister literally sat down for 5 hours playing it! She finished it in 2 days! She was hooked (she’s crazy about gamecube, and apparently, this program was right up her alley). Although I’m not sure if six year olds will really be able to handle it (some of the concepts seem too advanced for the average six year old), it is great for second and third graders, particularly the summer before fourth grade (which is when my sister played it).
Rating: 5 / 5
This is the best math program I’ve seen. Though I have more exploring planned I know already there are plenty of turkeys. The tragedy is that math is (IMHO
interesting and practical, yet drill-and-kill programs never make it seem that way. RR Math is partly a drill program but disguised in arcade-style games.
My almost 6-y.o. has rekindled his interest in RR Math and had played a lot over the last week, and has even been cajoled to ratchet up the skill levels — with the promise he can always go back down. The program can also auto-ratchet the skill level. Most of the individual activities are reasonably fun, though the animation is pretty crude by the standards of other programs (Think early “Speed Racer” or other made-for-TV cartoons
.
I’m impressed they put in an activity for counting money, something that’s not all that simple I realized when I tried to explain it. The telling-time activity likewise gets quite challenging. As you can see, I’ve been watching over his shoulder and haven’t been bored away, although the repeating theme music *really* gets on your nerves after a while. (It can be turned off, but HE likes it.)
I predict playing these “games” helps my son towards a familiarity and confidence with numbers that makes the more advanced stuff later on less intimidating. But realize it is still the grown-ups who teach the actual math, as well as we can!
Rating: 5 / 5
This program is great fun and educational for any kid between the ages of 5 and 9. My 4 year old loves to play even though he hardly understands math concepts. He sees the fun his older siblings are having and therefore joins in. My 2nd grader gets easily frustrated with math but not with this software, simply because it is entertaining and he does not even realize that he is doing math.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought this for a seven year old who can spot “educational” games a mile away. (He is also special needs but is a visual-spatial learner). I told him that this was a “learning” game but he should give it a chance.
He loves this game, which honestly surprised me!
The game starts with Reader Rabbit and Sam (the Lion) entering a boat race. Due to a storm they crash on an island. A parrot they know comes along and plans to help them find pieces to build a new boat, but she warns them to watch out for the Pi-RATs who like to steal boat pieces and tickle wrecked passengers with pillow feathers!
Once the premise of the game is set the program gives you a map of the island. The child then gets about four or five choices at a time. Each place they click on the map has a learning game. If they complete the game they get another piece for the boat.
One thing that is great about this program is the ADAPT technology. The game moves with the child so if they struggle with ordinal numbers, but do really well in fractions, the fraction problems get harder but the ordinal numbers stays at the same difficulty.
Some of the Games:
Fractions: This is a very cute game where you have to help the Parrot make a Pizza. Monkeys come and give a specific order, such as pizza with 2/3 spiders. The child has to choose the appropriate number of slices to cut the pizza into, the right bug, and how many of each bug.
Greater/Less Than: This game has the Pi-RATs trying to get onshore by climbing in barrels. The child has to shoot water balloons at the “right” barrels to keep the Pi-RATS from making it on shore. The Parrot may say, “The Pi-RATs are hiding in barrels with numbers less than 4, or in barrels with numbers between 18 and 20″
Addition/Subtraction: This game has Sam (the lion) swimming down a river trying to catch fish. Each fish is labeled with numbers. There is a problem at the top of the screen such as __ + ___ = 9. The child has to catch two fish that add up or subtract to equal the number.
Number Lines: This game has Sam trying to dig for buried treasure on a mining cart. The child moves Sam to the appropriate numbers and then digs.
100′s, 10′s, & 1′s: This game has three sets of monkeys sitting with a banana pile. The first monkey eats 100 bananas at a time (hardest level), the second monkey 10 at a time, and the third 1. If Sam says we need 37 Bananas, the child must choose the “10″ monkey to eat 3 piles of bananas, and the “1″ monkey to eat 7.
Telling Time: This game has Sam trying to trick the Pi-RATs into thinking their shift is over by changing the clock to match the time to “Walk the Plank”, etc
Money: In this game Sam gets trapped in a “tourist-trap.” In order to be let out the parrot must pay the right amount of money. The child is offered dimes, nickels, and pennies (easy level) and given an amount needed, such as $0.18.
Geometry: This game has Sam helping the child make “sails” for the boat by cutting the appropriate shapes. Sometimes he gives a picture of a shape the child has to draw (child is given a square grid) or he may give half of the shape and the child has to finish the other half.
There are many more games and we are only a third through the program so far.
Likes:
*The program adapts to the child’s learning ability in each individual subject.
*The games are actually fun and engaging
*The program has a very engaging story line
*After each lesson (even if the child leaves the lesson a little early) the child earns points. This is good because it provides motivation and if the child does 2 problems he gets points for the 2 problems instead of having to get through all 5 problems. The next time he logs into that game he picks up where he left off.
*If the child makes a mistake the game does not “punish” the child as some other learning games do by pushing them back a level or taking away points. Rather, the game says “oops” or “I don’t think so.” The child can complete the game and the ADAPT technology moves the child up and down according to their learning level.
Dislikes:
*I don’t know if this is so much a dislike, but this game does not necessarily “teach” the concepts it more reinforces them. So, there will not be an explanation of how to set the hands on the clock. This is not a bad thing if this is used to reinforce school work, but don’t expect your child to “learn” first grade math with this alone.
We like this program so much that I am going to buy the Reader Rabbit 1st & 2nd grade Reading.
Rating: 4 / 5