Another version of SPEED! that the boys can play on their own is what we call SPEED! Cross-Out.
For this game the player has to write the sequence of numbers he is working on. Here Douglas is working with the SEVEN SPEED! cards. So he writes the numbers 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70 three times in columns on a sheet of paper.
Then he shuffles the cards and flips one over at a time. Working with only one column at a time he crosses off the number turned. If the number has already been crossed off, he simply flips another card.
When a player has crossed off all the numbers, he counts how many cards he flipped and that is his score for that round.
Douglas
Charles
After he has completed three rounds, he figures his average and that is his score for the game.
In this way, Douglas, age 8 and working on the SEVENS, and Charles, age 6 and working on the THREES, can compete. Douglas gets the extra practice of the skill of figuring averages.
Because I am working with 4 - 6 children each day, I find it necessary to find ways for the children to do work independently. SPEED! works well for some fun drill that they can do on their own.
Following the basic rules of play, the children can play by themselves.
Douglas shuffles the deck.
He keeps all the cards for himself. He places four cards face up to be his playing cards and two cards to the center to be the cards he plays on.
Then following the rules of the game he places cards from his playing cards to the center. He places cards that are one higher or lower in the skip-counting/multiplication table he is playing with. Here he is using the SEVEN SPEED! cards.
He replaces any of the four playing cards used with new cards from the deck he is holding. If at anytime, NO card will play on either pile, he takes one card from his deck and places it on one of the center decks.
The object of the game played this way is to have as few cards as possible remaining in his playing spaces, having played them all to the center. Having zero cards remaining would be awesome. However, if they have 1 or more left, it is easy to encourage them to play again to see if they can have fewer the next time....so MORE DRILL...we all win!
Here Charles is playing with the THREE SPEED! deck.
See his joy at getting ALL the cards to the center. A perfect game!
I found some math cards at Goodwill. They were in like new condition and selling for only 49 cents. So I purchased them. I knew the boys would love playing with the colorful cards which have addition and subtraction facts.
For the first game, we played the way the directions intended. Wesley and Charles played. Wesley, 4, is just learning his addition and subtraction facts, so he needed a slow paced game which would allow him all the time he needed to figure out the answers. He even kept a package of counters handy in case he needed some help. Charles, 6, knows most of the facts fairly quickly, so he would not be an even match for Wesley.
The cards were shuffled and then dealt out evenly between the two players (more players could play). The players place their decks on the table in front of them. Each turns over their top card and states the addition or subtraction problem and then states the answer. The player with the largest answer collects both cards. In case of a tie, each player places out another card, giving the new answer. The player that has the largest new answer wins all four cards.
Wesley has to think for a minute to find the solution to his math card. Sometimes he used counters to help him for the answer.
"Speed" is a math card game designed to teach children to multiply and how to multiply faster. Once familiar with the numbers in a game, multiplication becomes simple.
The game consists of eight decks of cards (2's-9's) in which children learn skip counting. Two people play against each other to see who can get rid of all their cards first."
Here is a video where Julie and her daughter play a game of SPEED!:
I was concerned when we first received the game and read the directions.
Now you have to remember that I make almost all of the educational games that we use. Because I make them, they cost very little. I also know the types of games the children enjoy. I truly believe in the benefit of games, so I contacted Julie to discuss my initial opinions.
My concerns:
1. The cost ($17.75) plus shipping ($5.10) was more than I like to pay for one game.
Julie responds: There are EIGHT decks of cards. The cards are of a nice quality. They come in individual boxes and then in a box that holds all of the decks for easy storage. The cards have a unique center image that aids the player in the course of the game.
Julie called me from Germany to discuss my concerns after I had emailed her. She is a sweet homeschooling mother who has developed her first game. She did an awesome job taking her game all the way through production and making it available for sale. Way to go, Julie!
My new thinking: She is right! If I were to make these cards myself, it would take a lot of my time. It would also cost me the price of the paper, printer ink, and laminating or clear Contact paper.
I would have realized all this had I attempted to make the cards myself. But at the beginning, I didn't see enough value to the game to make the time. Also, it would have been very difficult/time consuming for me to try to replicate the information in the center of these decks. This information gives the player help in deciding the next lower or higher number in the skip counting sequence. He can see the entire sequence and exactly where the current card fits in.
2. So, now, I had to face my second concern - the play. My question was if the cards would actually teach multiplication tables or aid a child by increasing his mastery of the facts. For me, this is the larger of the two concerns. Like most teacher/parents, or in my case grandmother, I am willing to spend my money on something that really helps the children.
In a simple answer, yes. The cards work. It took a little while for me to come to an appreciation of the cards.
We began wrong. Since Douglas, age 8, knows his multiplication tables, I was hoping he would increase his speed. However, every game we played we used a different deck. He wanted to play them all. I had not thought this through. Because he was not focusing on a particular multiplication table for any length of time, he was not making much, if any, progress.
Charles, 6, on the other hand, was just beginning to learn about multiplication so we were only using the 2 Deck and the 5 Deck. I began to see the learning that he was gaining.
So I made a change with Douglas - we started concentrating on only one deck (table) at a time. We also came up with some variations of ways to play with the decks. (NOTE: I will share these variations in another post.) Finally, Douglas beat me twice on the 7 Deck even though I was playing my hardest. It is NOT that I am slow or giving him any break...it is just that he has gotten this good.
3. My last concern, another big one, is: Would the children enjoy the game? I knew that any game is a winner as we begin, mostly because it is different and it is time with an adult. My concern was more: Would the excitement last?
The answer is a definite YES! The boys love the play, both for the original rules and with the variations of play.
So...would I recommend this game? The answer is YES!
The price is good for the quality of the cards and number of decks.
The children do enjoy playing the game. The original game rules are fun.
Learning happens! This is what it is all about. We all want our children to master this important math skill. SPEED! definitely is a great option for providing some of the necessary drill for mastery.
