CapJaxMathFax--TOS Review

 

I don't know about you but at times the word "MATH" has been enough to set my children into whine mode.  I'm beginning to think this is a common phenomenon for all school-aged children and I know without a shadow of a doubt math was not my favorite subject in school either.   I was a bit skeptical about this review and how to "sell" this to my children.  After all, I wanted them to give it a fair shot but I just knew telling them it was math practice just wouldn't cut the cake. I thought if I added the word "game" that might just help...

They were willing to give it a shot, skeptical and a tad apprehensive but willing.  I knew the others would be watching the reaction of the first child so I put my oldest to the task of sailing the waters first.  CapJaxMathFax is a computer program designed to provide practice and drills on math facts.  Each student begins at the easiest level which not only initiates success but also establishes keyboard skills that is useful at the higher levels.  

Included in the facts practice is addition, subtraction, multiplication & division.  This program helps children develop stronger math skills and confidence.  My kiddos do pretty well at grade level but sometimes it's confidence that gets in the way when practicing those multiplication/division facts.  This program was a hit for all 4 of my kiddos because they could each work at their own level and because it was presented as a game (a huge bonus over boring flash cards).  CapJaxMathFax also provides feedback about each session with a graphical bar chart, a running summary of session results, and a personalized session progress report. You can bet the feedback for each child turned into a competition before long!

Installing the CapJaxMathFax program was a breeze, you can either download it or get the CD.  The program can be customized by the type of facts included in each practice session and the difficulty of the facts.  Teachers / parents can even set a ‘super seconds’ target (usually 3 seconds) to challenge students to recall facts quickly.  With CapJaxMathFax, the student becomes the calculator.  They learn to have the immediate recall of basic math facts (which is some times lacking in most traditional math curricula).

 

I really liked using CapJaxMathFax because it freed me from having to make up math drills/practice sessions and having to endure the flash cards along with my (bored) kiddos.   *This is honesty at its best!*  All of the quizzes and drills in this program are automatically generated by the program and recorded, students get immediate feedback.  

 

 Students progress through different levels as their skills increase and as they go through the different levels they are able to earn different merit badges.  My boys really enjoyed the idea of merit badges because it paralleled receiving badges through scouts.  Boys and their badges...who knew.  :)

CapJaxMathFax is available on the website beginning at $29.95 for the downloadable product.  A CD version is also available, with a small additional charge.  I used the downloadable version through the TOS Crew and it was very simple to install and use.  

To see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about CapJaxMathFax, visit the Homeschool Crew Blog to read more.

**Disclosure: My review and opinion written in this post is entirely my own. This product was provided to me for free in exchange for my review as a member of the 2011-2012 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew.