Customer Reviews

The Mega-Fun Multiplication Facts Activity Book (Grades 2-5)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had high hopes for this book when I ordered it. I was looking for fresh ideas to teach my second and third grade students multiplication. The book is cute and has many ideas for memorizing multiplication facts (flash cards, poems, games). However, it is light on ideas to teach students concepts of multiplication. The book is good, but didn't have enough substance for me.

While the ideas and concepts presented are solid, they definitely fall short in the entertaining department. As the title sys, the focus is on facts, not fun. Homeschoolers will not appreciate the hodge-podge of traditional classsroom-oriented activities that involve more than one or two students, while classroom teachers may find some of the "same old stuff" presented in a new way. However, there are some clever ideas and interesting games for presenting multiplication tables; they just borderline on the mundane, in my opinion.

The bottom line is this: If you buy this book, your kids will learn multiplication without a doubt. They will glean some very helpful hints and they will be able to tackle even the most difficult problems...they just won't have alot of fun doing it, and you may have to spend more prep time that you want. I don't know about you, but I already work with a math curriculum, so I don't want to use a supplement that calls for the same amount of prep time as my curriculum calls for. I also want something my kids can grab onto in a fun, meaningful way. If you are just looking for something to reinforce multiplication at home (whether or not you are not a homeschooler) I would definitely look elsewhere. The activities presented here are for classrooms, not home learning environments.

A better choice is Meish Goldish's Making Multiplication Easy - absolutely one of the best supplements around on this topic.

3 Stars. Could have been better for both teacher and student.

This book has it's uses but what I wanted was more reproducibles. After 4 years of hand writing multiplication sheets for various children (max class size is 4) I wanted to be able to scan and copy. Guess what... There is only 12 reproducibles in this book. TWELVE!!!! Out of 71 pages... Are you kidding me!!! I know how to play multiplication bingo. I know how to set up multiplication problems with beans. I even know how to make flash cards. What I wanted was the reproducibles. I am flat disappointed. Do not buy this book expecting to find the Holy Grail of multiplication. Only buy this book if you can not think of one single multiplication idea. The only reason I gave this book 3 stars is for the person who doesn't have a clue where to start. This would be a good book for them. For people with an imagination or some experience this book is a dud.