Mom-ninja. Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've seen this a few times here in siggies. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've seen this a few times here in siggies. :confused: I bought the app for my son this summer as a way to introduce some pre algebra. He loves it, dh and I call It "stealth pre algebra" because our son didn't even realize he was learning math principles, he just thought it was a cool game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yeah, i got it as an app for my ipad for my rising 4th grader. he LOVED it. He didnt think it was math until they replaced the pictures with numbers. its basically a visual way to learn about solving equations for 'x', but the 'x' is a glowing box, and the other things might be pictures or letters instead of numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've played the game and it left me scratching my head. dd12 went though the whole program and didn't seem to learn anything. She said she didn't understand what she was doing and just kept trying different moves until it said she got it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Wow, this looks cool guys, thanks!!! And they have an Android to. :D I think I'll have to buy this fun looking app. I wonder a bit about scope however? I couldn't find much on their website about areas covered. So its a little hard to gauge if it would be too easy for some a bit older or hard for others younger. It just says for 8 y/o and up. Edited August 28, 2012 by dereksurfs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 So it's an app. I didn't know that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 my 8 yo played it independently - i THINK it only covers adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing to simplify equations, but i could be wrong, since i only watched some of the earliest levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 So it's an app. I didn't know that. Yes, here is a good review of it: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/06/dragonbox/all/ I think I may try it out. Its a pretty small price and nice alternative to Angry Birds. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) I like it well enough, especially now with the update that allows multiple players, but I seriously wonder about how well it applies mathematically when my 4 yr old is somewhere on level three, and my 7 yr old finished the main levels in a few hours. It is still fun. :) I agree with the review, the challenge will be in moving it into real mathematical application. Edited August 28, 2012 by melmichigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 My 6 YO and 12 YO have both played it. It's not a substitute for actual instruction, but does a pretty good job of introducing the ideas of isolating a variable and doing the same thing to both sides in an equation in a simplified and easy to grasp form. It does seem to carry over at least a bit - we did a little Hands-On Equations with my 6YO last week, and as I was trying to explain to him that he was supposed to isolate one X, he just reached out and did it. I asked him how he knew what to do, and he told me, "Mom! It's just like Dragonbox!" It's not really in-depth, but I think it's great for really getting kids to understand those two basic ideas. I know from tutoring that these are two concepts that a lot of kids really struggle with. A lot of kids just stare at an equation and can't remember what the goal is - to isolate that variable. And then once they get that, forgetting to doing the same thing to both sides is one of the most common beginning errors. I think most kids who are introduced to those two concepts by Dragonbox before encountering them in actual instruction would find it a lot easier to tackle beginning equations. At the very least they should be less anxious about it :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes, here is a good review of it: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/06/dragonbox/all/ I think I may try it out. Its a pretty small price and nice alternative to Angry Birds. :D We have no app devices. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calendula Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 As an adult who hasn't done very much algebra in the past 20 years, I found it to be a great reminder. I would say that if kids are having a hard time with a concept, going back to that point in dragon box and talking about it more explicitly might be helpful for some kids. That said, my rising 4th grader thinks it is a fun puzzle, and seems to get it (in that she understands what she needs to do - and it isn't just trial and error on each level). She doesn't understand exactly why it works - I'm hoping it will be helpful when we get around to algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 We have no app devices. :) Ok, then it would definately be more expensive to use. We already use Nooks for our kids' eReaders among other things. Now with the new tablets coming out such as Google's Nexus 7 other competitors are really dropping prices. For example my son's Nook Color which cost $249 initially now sells for $149 and certified pre-owned are only $129. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abigail4476 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) I love Dragon Box. We bought the + version because it's relatively inexpensive and we defeated the free levels really fast. It isn't intended to really *teach* your kids algebra. It's more of a sneaky way to learn the principles and rules of solving equations. I don't use it in tandem with a math lesson; ds9 plays it for about 5 minutes a day along with 10 minutes on a music theory app. In the future, I can see myself saying something like, "Oh, look! This works just like Dragon Box." :tongue_smilie: I also didn't tell ds9 that Dragon Box+ had anything to do with Math. To him it's just another game and he likes it. I'm sure he's noticed the symbols here and there, but I think saying "Play this math game and it will teach you about Algebra." would remove the fun factor. I prefer to be sneaky. :D Edited August 28, 2012 by Abigail4476 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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