Brain Training

11 Plus Maths – Preparation and Information

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Tracy
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:28 am
Location: Bexley

Brain Training

Post by Tracy »

I am looking to purchase Brain Training for my daughter's Nintendo DS. Have just noticed that there's a dedicated Maths cartridge. Can anyone enlighten me as to what exactly is on the Braining Training as I don't know which one to get. Trying to tell my daughter that money doesn't grow on trees.....
Thanks
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

The original brain training does have some 'sums' and number ones on it - have not experinced the maths ones.
Sam's Mum
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:58 pm

Post by Sam's Mum »

Hi Tracy

My kids have Brain Training and another one called Big Brain Academy. I'll find the instruction booklets and let you have a bit more info as to what's on them. Don't know anything about the Maths one though.

Just wondered what age your daughter is?

I preferred the Big Brain Academy (I normally can't be bothered with computer games of any sort but found this incredibly addictive). My daughter (age 11) thinks that Brain Training is a bit more grown up but I found it rather boring and thought some of the activities were a bit pointless.

I'll post again when I've had lunch. :)
Tracy
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:28 am
Location: Bexley

Post by Tracy »

Thanks for the replies. Daughter is 8 and already does Big Brain Academy. She is weak on timed mental maths - simple addition and subtraction - although her times tables and square numbers are excellent.
Sam's Mum
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:58 pm

Post by Sam's Mum »

Hello again Tracy

Have had another look at Brain Training. First there is a simple test to measure your brain age - words such as red, blue etc written in different colours - you have to say the colour it is written in (so the word blue written in red, you say red). Instruction book says there can sometimes be problems with voice recognition for young children and women.

You can then move on to training. There are three activities you can do when you start the training - Calculations x 20 (you have to write answers on touch screen, mixture of adding, subtracting and multiplying - nothing too difficult), Calculations x 100 (same as before but 100 of them. :roll: Got so bored I got 1 + 1 wrong), and Reading Aloud (utterly pointless!). I had some problems with it not recognising the numbers I had written properly.

As you do more training it adds extra activities - Low to High where you have a split second to remember the positions of 5 or 6 numbers before they disappear and then have to touch the empty boxes in the order of low to high (quite tricky) - Syllable Count which is probably self explanatory (and quite dull) - Head Count where matchstick men go in and out of a house and you have to write down how many are left in the house at the end (again quite dull but quite tricky as it speeds up). There are a couple of other activities but I haven't got to these yet as I really can't be bothered to play any more. I think there's another maths one - Triangle Maths - , one where you have to work out the time difference between two clocks and another calculation one where you answer sums aloud.

Slightly frustrating as it seems to take a lot of training to get extra activities added. My son's verdict on it was "Rubbish" - he very quickly lost interest (age 14 and very brainy). I think some bits may be quite tricky for an 8 year old and it's just not FUN.

BTW, there's also sudoku that you can do but I didn't notice any puzzles that taught about money and trees!

Hope I haven't put you off too much :lol:
Tracy
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:28 am
Location: Bexley

Post by Tracy »

Sam's Mum

Ok, took the plunge and bought the Brain Training. Daughter loves it. Had a quick look myself and, as you say, there's some stuff which I can see will be quite boring. But the mental arithmetic is good and that's my daughter's weak point at the moment.
Strange thing is if I wrote those questions out on paper she would probably moan about doing them, if I asked her out loud she would probably go off in a huff, but as it's on a Nintendo she's glued to it!

Thanks for your help.
Sam's Mum
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:58 pm

Post by Sam's Mum »

Glad she's enjoying it and hope it helps with her maths. :D
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