Mathblasters

You will get different answers on this one. A lot of CMers do not like computer games. Some do. I personally like them to an extent. With boys …and men..they are somehow drawn to them!! LOL! My dh says it is something about them that stirs up the competitive part of boys, as well as being challanged and the excitement of excelling by completing levels. I can see that..but I can also see how it is not good for the brain in some ways!

So, we compromise and let the boys on for a specific amt of time. PLUS, they have to earn that time by going outside throughout the day! They must go out before playing and after playing.

My boys have learned a lot of things doing computer games. Could they learn otherwise..of course!! Somehow they learn things faster and “feel” like they have (conquered)done something!

Now I don’t know if I would pay to have it though! LOL  Unless it was something just so out of this world good! 🙂

The one site I recommend is sheppardsoftware.com  It is probably not as action packed as your mathblasters..but it does teach while playing. And it is slower….slower for the brain! 🙂 But still a challange. And I can’t recommend enough of the georgraphy part! Math is great …with many math levels

There are other math sites we have tried and frankly they are boring or too easy. Another site is called coolmathgames.com ….the boys love this site…but IMO it is not math! Just strategy! In some ways though figuring out how to do something can lead to connections to math. BUT..I would not play it for math!

So, if you want to keep doing something …find one for free, put a time limit on, and require something to earn the time! And make sure he is spending time outside!!  Sometimes easier said than done! 🙂

Just MO

HTH

Are you talking about the mathblaster that is associated with jumpstart.com?  We have a Jumpstart membership, which includes Mathblaster, if it’s the same one you are talking about.  I just looked it up, though, and the membership is only $4.99/month, so perhaps there is a different one?  We actually bought a lifetime membership to Jumpstart before Mathblaster was part of it, and it’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made!  The downloadable games are the part that sold me.  There are 4 (approximately preschool to grade 2) and the students progress through many basic reading and math skills.  My kids (ages 7, 5, and 3) love to play them and learn tons.  Jumpstart World online is also lots of fun and uses many of the same games, but not in the same sequential, directed way. 

On the other hand, Mathblaster is my least favourite part of the whole deal.  The games tend to be more conflict/violence based and don’t require as much math as I would have expected.  They love training their ‘mutt’s, but I definitely limit the amount my children are allowed to spend on Mathblaster.   We focus on the downloaded games, and the online play is a less frequent bonus.

Joanne