Learning Resources Sum Swamp Game, Homeschool, Addition/Subtraction, Early Math Skills, Math Games for Kids, Educational Board Games, 8 Pieces, Ages 5+, multi-color

This has been the best game to sharpen my 5-6 year old's addition and subtraction skills. He does Right Start Math curriculum which includes a ton of games, but this is hands-down his favorite game. His 11-year-old and 8-year-old cousins enjoy playing too. I wanted to write this review to give some ideas of other ways to use this game to get the most out of it.First of all realize that this game incorporates many mathematical skills - number recognition, numeration (counting), evens/odds, addition, subtraction, and even an introduction to negative numbers (when you land on a number on one of the spaces, if you roll a "-" then you move backwards). This all not only makes it more fun, but gives them more practice on other skills as well.So how do you get maximum benefit from this game? First all be sure that they have some kind of math manipulative to find the answers. The absolute best I know of is the Right Start Math Al-Abacus. It is ingenious in many ways, but mainly because it encourages subsitizing (recognition of up to 5 objects without counting) for more efficient computation. Finger counting works too for some children, but having tools to find the answer is helpful until they have done it enough to memorize the facts. Also, if you have a child that hates competition or does not have anyone to play with, you can have them play by themselves! I know that may seem boring as an adult, but my son was so much happier playing by himself. He would just roll the dice and move along the board until he finished the game. If you only have a younger child that isn't ready for addition and subtraction yet that can play with them, then you can have the younger child just roll one of the 6-sided dice and move forward that many spaces without the computation. If your child struggles with writing or equations, have them either say or write down their equations as they play the game (dry erase boards work especially well for struggling writers). Once your child has pretty well mastered number facts up to 6, buy a couple of sets of D&D dice and you can switch out the 6-sided dice for 8-sided, 10-sided dice, 20-sided dice, and more. Have them play a couple times of week at least and I am sure you will see major progress, hopefully with much less fight than using flashcards or other, less engaging games. My son is now using two 10-sided dice to work on higher numbers, and this is still his favorite math game. Happy playing!

I really enjoy this game. Both my kids at home and the kids I work with have all really enjoyed playing it. It is simple and easy to grasp the concept. I like that other reviewers noted that if you purchase dice with more numbers on it you can make the game more challenging. I like the theme, the set up and the game pieces. As for the endless loop, it can be frustrating to get out of, but it also functions as a way to balance the race so if one player makes it to the endless loop faster, they might get stuck, allowing the other player to catch up. I really like that feature of the game, because some kids get defeated if their opponent gets higher numbers while they get stuck with several 1, 2, and 3s. The game does not take long to play even if you get stuck in the endless loop for a couple or more turns.

This game is very easy, fun and exciting. My 5yr old and 8yr old absolutely love playing this game. The math facts are 5yr old friendly. They woke up early just to play this game before school starts. I noticed just having it one day, my 5yr old was remembering math facts from the night before. I had fun and great laughs playing it with them! Great game buy it!

My son, who I call SmartyPants, is working on addition and subtraction. I didn't want him to have to do a million worksheets. He'd start hating math! So, I went on Amazon and found this fun game. Sum Swamp is a game for kids who understand how to add and subtract already, but just need to practice and or memorize the math facts.Inside the box is a large colorful game board, 4 game pieces, and three dice. The game pieces are shaped like little swamp creatures: a yellow turtle, a blue snake, a red frog, and a green snail. They are cute, but seem a little cheaply made. They almost seem like pencil toppers, but not the eraser kind. To test this theory, I had SmartyPants try to put one on a pencil. Yep, it fit perfectly. So, I don't know if they were just trying to cut costs by buying pencil toppers, or if it's just a coincidence that they fit a pencil perfectly. It doesn't really matter to me, as long as SmartyPants likes the game, and learns his math facts.There are three dice. Two of the dice are green with white numbers, one through six. The third one is white with plus and minus signs ( + and - ). Therefore, the student will practice addition facts with answers up to 12, and subtraction facts with answers 0 to 5. Subtraction was a little tricky at first. The greater number must come first. Negative numbers are a little too advanced for young children. This was only a problem the first few times we've played it. Now my son knows to put the greater number first.It is possible to roll a zero and not get to move at all. SmartPants is always so sad when that happens.Dispersed through out the board are squares with the words evens and odds. When you land on one of these squares, you roll a numbered die. If the number is even, and you are on an "evens" square (like in the picture), you get to advance that number of spaces. If you roll an odd, you stay where you are. When you land on a numbered square, roll the plus/minus die. If you roll a +, you advance the number of spaces written in the square, if you roll a -, you go back that number of spaces.The last unique aspect of the game is the endless loop. You keep going around and around the loop unless you land on the exit square. This is easier than it seems. The most I've ever gone around the endless loop is four times. Most of the time we get to exit on our second or third time around.Overall, Sum Swamp is a fantastic game. It is fun, and educational at the same time. Here are the pros and cons:Pros: Teaches addition and subtraction and odds and evens, fun, colorful, much more fun than a worksheet. durable. Pretty good price, around 15 dollars.Cons: Are the game pieces pencil toppers? I'm still not sure. The subtraction can get a little confusing if the lesser number is placed before the greater number.Here is a youtube video of my son reviewing this game:http://youtu.be/-YfHQ2cTDuc

Bought this for my grandchildren to play while learning at the same time. The are 3 and 6 ad his is perfect for us t spend time wit them and to teach them in a non stressful environment.

My kids and I love to play this game! I like that it’s educational and fun.