While my children have all done very well with math, learning a new concept is always a little bit of a challenge. I mean… we are learning something new, right? When we received the Math Help: The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor DVD, I was thrilled. Over time my oldest two (10 & 9) have figured out how to deconstruct a word problem, but not without a little bit of agony. My youngest son, now 7, is just at the beginning of his word problem adventure and Math Tutor DVD provided an excellent opportunity for me to get him started on the right track.
The Basic Word Problem Tutor ($26.99) is a 2-dvd set with 8 hours of instruction! Yes, 8 hours of word problem help! It covers everything from your basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division all the way up to fractions, percents, ratios and the multiplication and division of them. Jason Gibson does a great job with presenting the problems, breaking them down and guiding students through the whole problem. He gives great tips and hints to help students decode the words. Then he spends a good deal of time drilling those concepts through practice.
My olders gained confidence from this set, while my younger son was clearly learning new things. I could see the gears turning in his head as he saw the problems worked out in front of him and thoroughly explained. My olders haven’t covered some of the more advanced word problems yet but you can bet your sweet bippy that when we come to these I’ll be whipping out the Math Tutor DVD! I was really impressed with Mr. Gibson’s teaching skills and I know that I couldn’t do it any better.
We received another dvd from Math Tutor, as well. This one is titled Young Minds: Numbers and Counting. Sweet little Mags, bless her heart, got a new math treasure as well. This dvd is for the very young learner and teaches counting from 1 – 10. Vivid photos are used to count objects, displaying the numbers on the screen for the children to recognize. The whole thing is set to classical music and Mags found it to be very engaging and fun. This disc has been a help to her. She can count quite high actually, but has a terrible time with putting the number shapes to the count. With the numbers flashed up on the screen she’s learning to recognize them much quicker than she ever has in the past. I’m hoping this will solidify it for her finally. So far, so good!
Numbers and Counting, while very elementary is also quite enjoyable. Even the olders and I get sucked into the beautiful photos and pleasant music. Before you know it we’re all counting to ten. : ) We enjoy the bonus features on this disc too which include picture puzzles, connect the dots, and name the animals. The kids really like playing these together and they don’t even need mom’s help with them.
I highly recommend the resources available from Math Tutor. I have full confidence that whatever I purchase from them will always be high quality with excellent content. If you are in the need of a little math help, go to Math Tutor first. You won’t be disappointed. Be sure to join their mailing list. Every month they give away a complete set of Math Tutor DVDs!!
-Sara O’