by Lori Cunningham
Editor’s Note: We are giving away 3 copies of the Splash Math Grade 3 App!!! (A $9.99 each value)To enter, see below.
I know a number of parents who buy math workbooks for their children during the Summer months to help prepare their children for the next grade level. It makes sense, by becoming familiar with various math concepts earlier, it will make it easier for your child to grasp them once the concept is introduced in class.
I would love to stay that I’m a structured parent who finds a way to make workbooks fun and compelling. But the truth is, if I bought one of the workbooks for Summer, I’m the kind of person who would be tearing the house up and down looking for it, wondering where I put it!
I also don’t particularly find workbooks that much fun, so instilling the “fun” factor into Summer study time would be difficult for me. When I heard about Splash Math, I became more intrigued. Splash Math is a series of comprehensive apps (for grades K-5) created by Studypad Inc., to make math more fun and show a child’s progress. What intrigued me about Splash Math was that these apps are not just a fun few games but a full-bodied app with enough content in each grade level to last the entire school year. Wow, I’ve never seen a more comprehensive math skills app…or workbook for that matter.
To prepare my kids for the upcoming school year, we have been using Splash Math throughout the Summer. My son is entering 2nd grade, so I downloaded Splash Math 3rd grade for him. Why? Because he loves math and I know his upcoming 2nd grade teacher will focus on developing multiplication skills right away, so I wanted to give him a head start.
My daughter is entering 5th grade. Though math isn’t necessarily her favorite topic, she does pretty well at it, so I decided to download the appropriate grade level for her.
Splash Math Apps
Here are screenshots from Splash Math apps Grade 3. All exercises include multiple choice questions and positive visual and verbal announcements when your child chooses the correct answer.
Screenshots from my daughter’s Splash Math Grade 5. She can pull up the Scratchpad tab to write out her work before completing the answer.
Features
- Aligned to Common Core State Standards
- Interactive problems where kids pop bubbles, rotate clock hands, drag and drop shapes to solve problems
- Scratchpad – where children can write out problems to solve them using their finger to write
- Fun awards to achieve to keep kids engaged
- Use of cartoons/games to reach the child at their level
- Allows parents to “assign” homework so child sees areas to focus on first
- Provides reports via email to parents to show your child’s progress each week
- Practice allows kids to work more on problem areas
In Splash Math Grade 5, I have the ability to assign my daughter homework. When she opens up the app, she uses these assignments to work on. I love that I can assign “homework” from various areas – Division, Number Sense, Decimals, Fractions, etc. instead of having her complete a whole entire unit of one topic before continuing to the next.
Pros:
- Extremely comprehensive, you can be sure Splash Math will cover math for your child’s entire grade
- Math is broken into units, so your child can skip around to work on certain areas as needed
- Incorporates sound like applause and “yahoo” type noises to motivate your child
- Provides rewards for accomplishing certain levels. In the 3rd grade app, you earn fish for a budding fish tank
- Splash Math is used by over 20,000 teachers in their classrooms, chances are, that if your child’s classroom is using iPad’s, they’re using Splash Math
- Splash Math is highly regarded, it was voted “Best Elementary Student App” (2011), by BestAppEver.com
- Contents are divided into easy, medium, and hard so children can progress as they learn more in school
Cons:
- Does not teach math subjects, it is meant to supplement classwork or refresh student’s memory
- A little pricey at $10 for each app
- No matter how you slice it, material can get hard, especially for older grades and sometimes it can be a struggle to get your child to continue on
Each time my son does well on a number of worksheets, he earns a fish for his aquarium. Touching any of the fish makes them do funny things. My son loves moving the fish around in the aquarium and seeing the number of fish he has grow.
I love the progress reports you can get showing your child’s strengths and areas to work on. The reports are very helpful. I also receive a weekly report through email
for both of my kids, showing me what worksheets they attempted and how many questions they got correct. The report also shows me areas to strengthen. Such great information, all at my fingertips.
Splash Math apps are only available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad. Splash Math Grade 3 and Splash Math Grade 5 are available for $9.99 each through the Apple iTunes store.
A Mom’s Perspective
At first, my kids loved Splash Math apps and enjoyed reaping the fun awards Splash Math offered them as they solved their problems. But over time, they realized it was work and their enthusiasm waned. I could see they needed some extra motivation, so I told them they were welcome to check their Pet Hotel, Smurfs, and Bakery Cafe Apps after they completed three sections of Splash Math. My daughter only has to do one section because her sections are longer and harder.
I found that the kids can no longer go off on their own to do the Splash Math apps problems since they haven’t learned them in class. But I’m OK with that. I sit down with them and teach them the concepts they need to know to solve the problems. Fortunately, I still remember my 5th grade math, though I’ll admit to looking up metric equivalents on Google!
Splash Math Apps are giving me confidence that:
1.) My children are becoming familiar with math concepts they will learn this year in school
2.) I am brushed up on my 3rd and 5th grade math ahead of time to be a better support to my kids this school year
I am very impressed with Splash Math’s commitment to create apps that adhere to Core State Standards and containing over 200 math concepts within each grade level. I have downloaded many math apps over the years and none come close to the comprehensive collection of math concepts and interactive elements that Splash Math apps have.
I take my iPad everywhere I go and I love the fact that Splash Math apps are only a touch away to engage my children with math. No more lost or forgotten paper workbooks and Splash Math is on a fun gadget (the iPad) that my kids love to play on already.
I love the scratchpad element of Splash Math apps too. My daughter uses her fingers to write out and solve math problems. No paper needed, it’s included in the app. Once school starts, Splash Math will be a great companion to test what they learn in class at home. In fact, I can see going to a particular section of Splash Math when I want to help quiz my kids for an upcoming math test. So when school starts, I intend to keep using Splash Math.
Splash Math has thought of everything and rates very high in my book. If you want to prepare your child for his/her upcoming school year or if you are homeschooling or a teacher, Splash Math is a must have app with over 3 million downloads and counting. When asked by reporters of my favorite apps for kids, Splash Math apps are always at the top of the list.
What ways have you been teaching math concepts to your child this Summer?
WIN IT!
We are excited to giveaway a copy of Splash Math Grade 3 to 3 lucky winners! Entering is easy and you can increase your chances of winning by helping us spread the word. Giveaway ends August 30th. You must have an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone to run Splash Math.
* I was given download copies of both Splash Math apps Grades 3 and 5 for my children to try during the Summer. All opinions are my own.
Here’s a breakdown of the math concepts covered in both Splash Math apps Grade 3 and Grade 5:
Splash Math –Grade 3 |
||
| Place Value –
•Ones;
•Tens;
•Hundreds;
•Ten thousands
|
•Number Sense – Compare;
•Order and round numbers
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•Addition – Properties;
•Two, three and four digit addition
|
| Subtraction –
•Two; Three and Four digit subtraction
|
Multiplication Facts –
•Properties of multiplication;
•Multiply by 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
|
Division Facts-
•Properties of division;
•Divide by 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
|
| Time –
•Read and set time;
•Elapsed time;
•Read calendar;
•Relate time units;
•Time patterns
|
Customary Measurements –
•Measuring length;
•Units of length, Capacity, Weight
|
Metric Measurements –
•Measuring length;
•Units of length, Capacity, Weight
|
| Geometry –
•Polygons;
•Triangles;
•Quadrilaterals;
•Perimeter;
•Area;
•Solid figures;
•Volume of solids
|
Data and Probability –
•Tally charts;
•Line plots;
•Bar graphs;
•Identify probability;
•Predict outcomes
|
Fractions –
•Parts of a whole;
•Add fractions;
•Subtract fractions;
•Equivalent fractions;
•Compare fractions
|
| Money –
•Add money;
•Subtract money;
•Multiply money;
•Divide money
|
Decimals –
•Tenths;
•Hundredths
|
Multiplication –
•Multiply multiples of 10;
•Estimate products;
•Multiply 2,3,4 digit numbers
|
| Division –
•Divide multiples of 10;
•Estimate quotients;
•2/3 digit quotients
|
Splash Math –Grade 5 |
||
| Place ValueNumbers up to a Billion(Easy)Numbers up to a Billion(Medium)Numbers up to a Billion(Hard)Decimal Place ValueRepresent Decimals() | DivisionDivide by 1 Digit Numbers(Without Remainders)Divide by 1 Digit Numbers(With Remainders)Divide by 2 Digit Numbers(Without Remainders)Divide by 2 Digit Numbers(With Remainders) | Algebra Expressions()Evaluate Expressions()Addition Equations()Subtraction Equations()Multiplication Equations()Division Equations()Number Patterns |
| Number SenseCompare Numbers()Order Numbers()Round Numbers(Basic)Decimals and Fractions()Compare Decimals(Basic)Compare Decimals(Advanced)Order Decimals(Basic)Order Decimals(Advanced)Round Decimals(Tenths)Round Decimals(Hundredths)Round Decimals(Thousandths) | DecimalsAdd Decimals(Basic)Add Decimals(Advanced)Subtract Decimals(Basic)Subtract Decimals(Advanced)Multiply by a Multiple of 10Multiply by a Whole(Basic)Multiply by a Whole(Advanced)Multiply DecimalsDivide by a Multiple of 10Divide by a Whole(Basic)Divide by a Whole(Advanced)Divide by a Decimal | Fraction EquivalentFractions()Simplest Forms()Simplest Forms(Mixed Numbers)Add Fractions()Subtract Fractions()Add Mixed Fractions()Subtract Mixed Fractions()Multiply FractionsMultiply Fraction by a WholeMultiply Mixed FractionsFraction Division(Divide Unit Fraction by a Whole)Fraction Division(Divide Whole by a Unit Fraction) |
| GeometryCoordinate plane()Coordinate Graphs()Two Dimensional Figures(Basic)Two Dimensional Figures(Advanced)Volume(Basic)Volume(Advanced) | MeasurementConvert Metric Units (Basic)Convert Metric Units (Advanced)Convert Customary UnitsMixed Metric Quantities (Basic)Mixed Customary Quantities (Basic)Mixed Metric Quantities (Advanced)Mixed Customary Quantities (Advanced) | MultiplicationMultiply by multiples of 102 digit x 2 digit3 digit x 2 digit() |
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My son really enjoys learning when he can do it from a computer and I think he would really enjoy the Splash Math app!
I think he would too!
I would let him play it and play it with him to make it even more entertaining my kids do best with the visual apps when it comes to learning
I would use Splash Math as a tool to help my child feel more comfortable with math.
This will really help my son as he learns so much faster when he enjoys what he is doing. This will help him to learn and focus on the parts he has trouble with as well as have fun doing it.
Yes, Splash Math is a great app to pinpoint trouble areas.
Very interesting article. Great way to learn math with app.