A+ TutorSoft - Charitable Homeschool Math Giveaway & Review

During the months of November and December A+ TutorSoft held a Charitable Holiday Giveaway, donating $6,250 worth of A+ Interactive MATH to families. You could nominate yourself or another deserving family. After filling out all the basic info you had to give a story/reason why you or this family deserved to win. Approximately 400 - 500 families entered, and our family was 1 of 50 lucky winners! Once I received the email that we had won, and put two and two together I became worried. See, I had downloaded a free trial of the same program from currclick.com and we had only used it once. I had actually forgotten I had downloaded it.

Once we received our disk in the mail it actually sat on my caddy for a few weeks before I installed in on my laptop. To be honest, the only reason I installed it was because Yang wanted to learn multiplication. It wasn't available for her grade level in the current program we are using (or at least that I had seen), so I wanted to see if it was covered with A+ TutorSoft. I went through the setup, after having to go back and retrieve what I thought was just a packing slip from the top of the trash! Setup wasn't difficult but the instructions are necessary!! Once I had everything set up, I went exploring, and with every click I was becoming more and more impressed. I liked that while each topic is outlined under different chapters, you do not have to work the lessons starting with chapter 1. I was able to skip right to chapter 6 for multiplication.

I really like is that A+ Interactive MATH Curriculm goes beyond and isn't just another computer/internet program. There are actually worksheets that go along with each lesson, and not 1-2 question worksheets either. You can either print them off individually as you go or everything in one sitting. Another option is purchasing the workbook, which includes all the worksheets and exams - close to 400 pages! This may even be a more economical option if you plan to print everything. I do believe this may be the route we take next year, as it will be easier to have everything in one workbook vs lose papers.

 

I LOVE that there is a pause button. That is a big thing for us. Nothing is more frustrating than having to having to restart from the beginning, and for us that would be several billion times! Between two other kids calling whenever they need help, dogs running around barking, needing out, phone ringing, restroom breaks, etc. it is just something that is essential for us.

Yang is wanting to become more independent (which I am having mixed feelings about) so it is nice that she is able to work alone on the A+ Interactive Math Curriculum since there is audio for everything. She is even able to work on the worksheets alone after I give her the directions.

One thing I would like to see is some kind of way to mark a lesson as complete at the end once the student has mastered that lesson, and for it to be reflective on the left sidebar of the chapters. For example, a password must be entered to mark the lesson as complete. Once it has been marked as completed, the lesson turns a different color (from the whitish/blue sheet to a green sheet) or has a check mark on it. Once the entire chapter is completed change the file folder from yellow to green or a check mark. 

I also find it somewhat time consuming to have to enter the progress in myself vs the system automatically doing it for me. Of course this is optional. However, I already keep a lesson planner, so I would be marking it has completed with results and notes in two locations. 

At the end of the interactive Q & A you can print a certificate. You can also print weekly certificates for work completed the previous week and progress reports. However, both of the are contingent on you entering the progress in manually.

A+ TutorSoft offers general and technical support through their website or by phone. There is even a facebook group that was created and moderated by the A+ TutorSoft, Homeschool MATH. The group was created for families to share success stories, tips, or anything MATH! I have not had to utilize A+ TurtorSoft support, but I did contact A+ TutorSoft for some info and screen shots for my review, and everyone was super nice and super helpful!

A+ TutorSoft is graciously offering 50% off with code SPOFFER50 valid on any A+ Interactive Math Curriculum through 3/31/13. Still wondering if this is a good fit for your family? Check out a free one month trial here. But hurry, this offer won't be going on for long.

Don't forget to enter a chance to win 1 or 2 Starbucks e-Gift Cards. 

Share this giveaway, tell you friends to like our facebook page and comment that you sent them. Whomever brings the most most people to our facebook page will also receive a $10 Starbucks e_gift Card.

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DISCLAIMER: I won a free copy of the aforementioned with no mention of doing a review. I decided to do a review so that others can make an informed decision. I received no monetary compensation, and all opinions - good, bad or indifferent are solely my own.