Factsfirst/Saxon (Review)

factsfirst in an online math facts program that was created for Saxon Math, although it will compliment any math curriculum. The age range for this product is grades 1-4, although I think older kids would still benefit from it if they haven't mastered their basic facts.

Olivia and Lindsey both enjoyed creating their look-a-like for the program. As you can see by the photo below, there are lots of options to personalize your child's look-a-like. Olivia ended up wearing a flowing gown and a cowboy hat...yeah, she's funny like that.

At the beginning of each lesson the student is taught two new facts through some simple word problems and graphics. They then practice these new facts and take a quiz. At the end, students get progress charts to see how much they have mastered the facts that they have been working on.
After each lesson is successfully completed, the student earns 5 minutes of game time. In all, there are over 350 games a child can work through in order to master the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and addition. Besides mastery of the facts, the student also works on their speed and keyboarding as they work their way through.

Parents can access, and print out a math facts matrix (shown in the graphic to the right) for each child. It shows both you and your child the facts they've mastered and the ones they still need to practice. Parents can get on the site anytime to look at a chart of their child's progress.

This has been one of Olivia's favorite math products to review. The graphics aren't so distracting that she loses focus of the goal. However, the real world learning situations help her to understand the concepts and the why behind the facts.

You can view more details and access demos on their website. A one-year subscription is available for $49.99. The one year subscription is good for up to four students, so it's perfect for sibling groups to work at their own pace and keep track of their own advancements.

Crew members received a 90 day trial membership. To read the reviews and opinions of other Crew members, click here.

Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.