Review: Quarter Mile Math

The Quarter Mile Math is another one of those products I have been eying for a few years. It kept going on and off my wish list. The concept sounded great but I just wasn't sure it was going to do what I needed. I wish now I had listened to my instinct and bought it years ago. My boys are loving this program and having a great time with it.

The concept is really very simple. It makes doing math drill fun. Each student chooses whether to use cars or riderless horses to race. The beauty of it all is that they race against themselves. The results of the last five races show up as the competitors that the student is trying to beat. If you'd like to see a video on how it all works, click HERE.

The Quarter Mile Math comes in two versions - Deluxe or Standard. That link will take you to a full comparisons of both products. Here are the things I see as essential to making the decision on which to buy...

• The Standard version comes on a CD only. The Deluxe version can be downloaded from the Internet and you have the option to get a back-up CD.
• The Standard version covers various topics for grades K-9th depending on which version you purchase. The Deluxe version covers all 323 topics and has 70,000+ problems for grades K-9.
• Upgrades may be purchased for the Standard version for $5. Upgrades to the Deluxe version are free.
• The Deluxe version allows for students to compete in real-time tournaments against each other whether they are in the same room, same house, same state, or miles apart. The Standard allows for tournament play but they students must take turns. (My sister will be getting the Deluxe version so that my nephew and sons can compete against each other. She lives over an hour away.)

My boys (okay, I admit it...) and I have had a great time playing with this. Even the five year old is able to work on his numbers and other kindergarten age topics. My boys really love the competition of the whole thing (as do I). I found it fun to work on simple things like keying numbers and letters as well as working on the harder topics.

For those specifically homeschooling, click on this link HERE to see the special section that The Quarter Mile Math just added to their website specifically for homeschooling families. It includes a link for a printable chart you can use to keep track of your students progress.

You can also see a video about the product on their main website. You can check out all the topics covered by clicking HERE (this is a pdf file so you will need Adobe Acrobat to read it).

As to the cost, The Quarter Mile Math is working hard to keep that low for families. They just redid their price structure and I have to say, it's a really nice deal.

Standard CD Version	Grade Range	Topics	Price
Level 1	Grades K-3	Topics	$39.95
Level 2	Grades 4-6	Topics	$39.95
Level 3	Grades 6-9	Topics	$39.95
Levels 1 and 2 Bundle	Grades K-6	Topics	$64.95
Levels 2 and 3 Bundle	Grades 4-9	Topics	$64.95
Levels 1, 2, and 3 Bundle	Grades K-9	Topics	$89.95

Deluxe Version	Grade Range	Topics	Price
Levels 1, 2, and 3 Bundle(Download option)	Grades K-9	Topics	$2.95 per family per month $19.95 per family per year $34.95 per family for two years

What I wanted to highlight about their costs is that the Deluxe version is a download off their site. You can chose to have a CD sent to you, but it's only a back-up. In fact, the CD-ROM drive on my laptop is broken (my main computer) & I was unable to load the CD we were sent to review. I contact The Quarter Mile Math & they sent me a link to download from. It was quick and easy. And a very fast response time as well!

Also, on the Deluxe version, the $2.95 is for ALL of your children in the family for a month. Do the math on this! It is an amazing deal. And if you only wanted to use it for a month or two, that is also the option. There is no minimum number of months you have to use it.

If you'd like to see the options for ordering the Standard version CD, please click HERE. Or you can click HERE, to see the options for ordering the Deluxe version. And if you'd like to try it before you buy it, click HERE to download a free demo.

I also wanted to be sure to mention that we did have some problems when we first started using The Quarter Mile Math with the game freezing up on us. A quick look through the user manual that came with the CD solved the problem. Since we changed some of the settings, the program has been working fine with no issues at all.

There is also an opportunity to try out the tournament play amongst a group of homeschoolers. Barnum Software will be setting up a pilot tournament program for homeschooling families. They are looking for seven or more families who would like to try this out for them. The families in the group would use a special Deluxe version of The Quarter Mile Math that would allow for tournament play. You can contact the president of The Quarter Mile Math, Christopher Wright, at tournaments@thequartermile.com if you are interested.

This is one product that I was very happy with trying out & plan to continue using in our homeschool. The boys enjoy every chance they get to get on the computer. This will allow me the ability to keep them occupied while working one-on-one with a brother or feeding the baby or changing diapers or, well, I'm sure you see the point.

If you'd like to read more reviews on The Quarter Mile Math, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew* blog.

Edited to add...if you are thinking of adding this to your homeschool or even your home, Quarter Mile Math has just offered a $5 discount to any Standard or Deluxe order. Just enter the referral code 7C7B7.

*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. All opinions shared are my own. TOS Crew Members are given the product free of charge in order to review it.