Math Blaster Online Review and Giveaway! ~CLOSED~

What's that you say? Another giveaway? WooHoo you know it!

Recently the fine folks at Jump Start invited our family to a free trial-membership of the Jump Start and Math Blaster educational games. I'm all about sampling anything that promises to provide a healthy mix of fun and education. So naturally we jumped on this offer!

The name Jump Start isn't completely new to me. When my children were at the preschool level, their grandparents gave them a Jump Start computer game which they frequently played, but we never experimented with anything else from that series. What's more, I didn't realize an online version of Jump Start existed and had wasn't at all familiar with Math Blaster.

As many of you already know, my son struggles in math and we've had him enrolled in a local Kumon center since last December. We've also used Big Brainz' Time's Attack to help him master his multiplication skills. I don't think you can throw too much variety at a child when it comes to helping them gain and retain new skill, and what kid doesn't love a great computer game? So, I'm a huge fan of combining technology with learning!

The Review:

What first struck me about the Math Blaster and Jump Start games were their amazing graphics. These games aren't cheesy, but incredibly vivid and in great form. It's amazing what technology can bring us... and right from your home computer. My kids feel like they've uncovered something truly special and my daughter would love to spend hours playing these games. I've actually had to cut back her time on Jump Start. lol... I just don't think it's a good idea to have an 8 year old spend 5 hours sitting at a laptop computer! However, does this not speak volumes for the amount of fun and adventure these games provide? I've never had my girl take to anything like she has Jump Start.

Out of her own mouth, my girl says... "Awesome! It's really cool, you can design your own house and room. You pass certain levels by completing math and reading games." Overall, my daughter seems to be having fun with Jump Start and btw has asked me twice since I sat down to share this review when she might have access to the game again. lol

She likes Math Blaster too and that's where I'll focus my attention now. The images on this page all come from the actual Math Blaster game. You can also find more about this exciting game on the Math Blaster website.

  

Features of Math Blaster:

• You may add up to 6 children per account... so no need to worry about extra fees for multiple children! If you're a teacher with a full classroom, Math Blaster has memberships for larger groups of children.
• We've noticed Math Blaster remembers your score and where you were in your game should you stop playing at any time. This is huge when you have two children taking turns!
• Math Blaster was developed for children at the kindergarten grade level through 8th grade (ages 6-12), Jump Start is designed for children 3-12 and is included in this giveaway!
• Children can customize their character... described as a Blaster Cadet
• Users enter a virtual world where they'll have the option to engage in games with other players (you set the controls on this feature).
• Your children will find activities geared towards improving their performance in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percentages, money, place value, and 3d figures

What Your Kids Will Do on Math Blaster:

• First off, they'll build a Blaster Cadet, choosing hair color, skin color (which by the way include such shades as green and blue should they wish to make their cadet an alien!). They'll also select a name.
• They'll then be off to explore the Math Blaster world through the Blaster Cadet Academy portal. They'll have the opportunity to earn points and increase in the ranking system which will also give them the opportunity to tackle more challenging math activities.
• Your children can even interact with their siblings, classmates, and friends within the safe virtual Math Blaster world. Parents are given a parent's page where they can control the level of interaction your kids will have with other online players.
• Math Blaster offers arcade types of games, racing adventures, and for those who like to explore... there are multiple activities catered to please.
• Your children can decide which type of activity they'd like to explore based on their individual interests and type of math enhancement they're wishing to engage in.

Benefits from a Parent's Perspective:

• On a personal note, I love this game because it combines the fun and excitement of online games with actual learning. So many of the sites I've introduced my children too are only of interest to them for a few minutes, sometimes a couple days if we're lucky. Then it seems they've seen it all, aren't feeling challenged, aren't entertained, and simply uninterested in continuing.
• I'm impressed with the images... which are brilliant and up to date. This is a state of the art game that will knock your socks off! I'm also struck by how many games are provided and how many activities your children can engage in throughout their adventures. 
• I love that the site offers a parental control page.
• The only possibility for trouble I foresee with this game might be if you're on dial up. If you don't have a quick and responsive Internet connection, the game may not load or play well.
• I was really impressed with how my kids took to both this game and Jump Start. When our trial membership expires, I'll no doubt become a paying customer! lol

  My kids love the Monster Mutts, which are like baby aliens they can adopt and care for on a regular basis. Once the Monster Mutts mature just a bit, they can play games and eventually with proper care (feeding and grooming and the like) can become Monster Teenagers and Adults! lol Too funny.

To be fair... my 10 year-old son hasn't been playing these games nearly as much as my 8 year-old daughter has. He loves them too, but recently developed an obsession for magic card tricks and spends most of his downtime accordingly. He's maybe averaging 2 hours a week on the Jump Start games, whereas my daughter averages more like 7 or 8.

I also wanted to share that the Math Blaster games are 50% comprised of activities containing math drills... with the other 50% of activities dedicated towards exercising the brain towards mathematical thinking. So, in that respect Math Blaster is all about math! Jump Start is just over 50% in it's dedication to enhancing mathematical skill... so in either game your child will find tools for strengthening their math skills.

 ~The Giveaway!~

Ok, so now for the giveaway! I'm excited to have been invited by Rafflecoptor to use their new giveaway widget. It's simple to use and I think you'll find it a breeze to enter this giveaway!

Only the first two entry methods below are mandatory, the remaining entry methods are completely optional.

1 winner will receive a 3 month trial membership to both Jump Start and Math Blaster ($23.97 Value).
Giveaway Ends August 28, 2011 at 11:59 PM (CDT)

 



Thank you for following The Homeschooling Blog!