Customer Reviews

Leap Frog - Math Circus [VHS]

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Unlike the previous reviewers I thought this video was great. Though it could be longer, it gives kids (mine are 4.5 and 2.5) a good introduction to basic math concepts: association, addition and subtraction.

One of the problems small children have is that they memorize numbers and can "count" but they don't associate the numbers with an actual quantity. This video uses small white mobile cubes called "quidgets" to teach them that numbers `correspond' to a certain number of objects.

My kids are pretty engrossed by this video and I am overjoyed that I can now give my four-year-old simple hand problems and she can solve them.


Video Outline:

--Numbers are produced: "0 to 10".
--Numbers are associated with corresponding numbers of quidgets, coins, fingers, etc.
For example, no quidgets, then one quidget. The white box gets a number 1 which jumps onto it and stays.
Two quidgets stack vertically... the number one jumps off and the 2 jumps on and so forth.
--A song with 1 quidget, then 1 coin, then 1 finger and a 1 "digit" color worm... and so on until there are 10 quidgets, 10 coins, 10 fingers and a 10 segmented worm. The quidgets are piled vertically, and the worm grows horizontally until it is 10 units long: all numbers are shown in their worm segment.
--Then to the circus.
--Review of counting with quidgets stacking vertically.
--Using a high wire act with two swings, the quidget's do addition and then subtraction.
Two quidgets, for example, swing across and are joined by another quidget from the other swing. The numbers 2 and 1 drop off and the number 3 sticks itself to the stack of three quidgets. The reverse is done for subtraction.

--At the end, stacks of ten quidgets are flung into the ring until their are ten stacks of them demonstrating how we can go from 10 to 100 by ten's.

Parents and children who loved the other Leap Frog DVDs about letters, words and reading will find this one disappointing.

Advertised as beginning math, this one is mixed up in its focus, spending quite a bit of time on recognizing the numbers from 0 to 10 (especially zero) and relating them to “quidgets”, then quickly jumping to addition and subtraction without sufficient explanation or introduction of the concepts. Starting with simple counting, by the end of the 35 minutes, they’re showing us ten times tables up to one hundred.

Very young children will probably like the repetitive cowboy “numbers” song, and may even stick around for the “circus” acts and accompanying slapstick routines, but the concepts advance too quickly for this age group. Kids who already know their numbers won’t learn anything new from the beginning of the presentation, but then again, they probably won’t learn anything from the rest of it either.

Clearly one should not expect kids to learn math in 35 minutes, which makes you wonder what they were thinking when they made this one. A more sensible approach would be to have different DVDs for each level, as they did in the reading series, so that they could spend more time going into the nitty-gritty, and making it fun.

This one is a rush job, and was not properly thought out for the intended audience. Definitely not a tool you should count on to introduce your kids to math.



Amanda Richards, May 4, 2006

I am an elementary school teacher, previously an early childhood teacher. For the last 3 years I have been teaching 3rd grade math. One of the biggest problems with children, even in the third grade, is a poor understanding of numbers, what they represent and what basic operations actually do. Mental math is at an all time low. When they reach my class, many children are behind and struggle to catch up. Having a strong foundation in number sense is imperative for future success in mathematics. This video helps young children understand what exactly a number stands for and what is happening when numbers are added or subtracted. The video is 30 minutes long, it has catchy songs, and a story line most kids enjoy. Is it enough to teach a child everything they need to know about numbers? No. However, it helps a student understand these concepts much better, and helps build the foundation they need to succeed.

This video is part of the LeapFrog DVD series, which are the best products LeapFrog has ever released. Other highly recommended videos in the series are the first three phonics videos:

The Letter Factory teaches children the names and sounds of all the letters in the alphabet. The vowels are only given their short sounds at this point, but that is ok for this level of learning.

The Talking Words Factory teaches children how to put letters and their sounds together to make simple words, mostly with the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern and a few consonant blends.

The Word Caper movie goes on to introduce silent E, long vowel sounds, and vowel-vowel combinations.



This video series is highly recommended.

PS REMEMBER - Look at the title of the movies before purchasing. This is the re-release of the older video series (You don't mess with a great thing!) If you have the older DVD's in good working order, then you don't need these titles. LeapFrog has released some newer videos which you might be interested in. None are better than these originals though and they do not target the same skills.

I bought this DVD after my son learned most of his letters from the letter factory. My son enjoys the other 3 Leapfrog DVD's but since day 1 he just walks away from this one. It's boring.. they don't spend enuff time on the numbers themselves (but it did teach him the number 0 wich I'd forgotten about) and the quidgets don't even count out the numbers (ex. they say 3+2=5 instead of 3+2=5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.) If your child already knows his/her numbers than maybe it'll be more interesting to them. My son doesn't ask for this video.. I recommend BumbleBee Kids 123's or Brainy Baby 123's. If all else fails there's Sesame Street's 123 Count With Me (wich my son LOVES and asks for almost every day). This DVD was a waste of time and money, I'm going to try Richard Scarry's 123's and probably will sell this one on eBay..

The Math Circus is a disaster. After a REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE with The Letter Factory and The Word Factory, The Math Circus is not reccommended. It can not be compared with the prior videos of Leap Frog in any way. My child (3.5) never watch it all over. It's very boring to him. Also, I don't like the grumpy and aggressive attitude of Mr. Websley in this video. It doesn't make sense and is not in armony with the teaching process of my child.

I reccommend to Leap Frog to separate the counting from 1 to at least 20, and the recognition of numbers in one video and the addition and substraction techniques in other. They don't mix together for a 3 years old child.

My 3 and 4 year old daughters like it. My eldest is learning addition so she understands it. However I was surprised that the format isn't very clear. It seems to quickly jump from counting to addition then to subtraction (a more difficult concept). I wouldn't recommend it unless your child has had some exposure to addition. And I agree with another reviewer about the attitude on Mr. Websley. This is the first LeapFrog video I've bought; not sure if I'll buy more.

My three-year-old nephew already knew his numbers. He loves watching this video---picks it over Dora and others. He can now add all the single-digit numbers and some double digits. He has some blocks that look like the quidgets in this video and that helps reinforce the concepts when he isn't watching. He loves to stack them up, starting with, say, 2 blocks and 4 blocks, and putting them together to make !!6 blocks!! He gets so excited.

I am a Kindergarten teacher and I absolutely love the Leapfrog videos. I buy them for my classroom and recommend parents to purchase them for their children since they are so helpful in learning some of the skills they need for school. I was not supremely impressed with the Math Circus. I liked how the introduced the numbers but the quidget idea confused my students. We did not watch this one as much as the language Leap Frog videos.

I have to agree it was disapointing. I would not go as far as not teaching anything, But there is definitly a hotch potch of information here. I think it reinforces the visual numerals, and shows there is more than counting to numbers, but I do not think the adding and subtracting in the way they have shown it will teach much to a child without previous adding and subraction knowledge. Maybe a good reviewing tool. However compared to their other products this is not at all comparable. Maybe rent it or borrow from a friend before buying this one...I had high hopes for this product, glad I purchased the video not the DVD!

Like other reviewers I was dissapointed with this DVD. There are too many concepts being introduced in the 35mins. Leapfrog would have been better to make 3 separate DVD's - Numbers to 20, Addition, Subtraction. I am a school teacher and you never introduce number sentences (3+2=5) until children have a firm understanding of basic nember concepts (one to one correspondence, number order, before and after etc...). The DVD is still entertaining for children but I wouldn't recommend buying this one for educational purposes. Maybe Leapfrog should stick to words and letters!!!!!