Learning Resources Sum Swamp Addition & Subtraction Game

We have a rising 2nd grader who is struggling with some basic math concepts. Her first grade teacher recommended tutoring in the summer before school starts, which we are doing. I bought this to supplement the summer practice with a fun game we could all play. We are using tiles to aid in calculating the answers but in just a few days we have seen her basic comprehension improve. We love card and board games in our house, so it was easy to slide this one in the rotation. A winner.

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

This game is great for kids to learn math Adults like it to.

I homeschool my daughters ages 5 and 7 and they both absolutely LOVE this game. It’s quick, easy, and great for review while not feeling like you’re learning or doing work.

This quickly became a favourite game and the novelty doesn’t seem to have worn off. They are quickly able to look at the dice and figure out the sums which has really helped with fast recall in homework. I tried using our own 20 sided dice to make it more difficult but the numbers were too high for the board. A 12 dice and a regular sized dice were best to level it up.

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!

The game is attractive, my kids like it and request it. Sum Swamp does stimulate the kids' thinking. My 7 y.o. strategizes and knows exactly what rolls of the dice he needs at critical points on the game board...limited and not the objective, but still problem solving. Our four y.o. is reinforcing the concept of counting when reading the dice and moving the game piece; he is also grasping addition from this game and has not been introduced to it elsewhere. I think it is high priced for what it is and there is not enough repetition in the time it takes to play for it to get the learning done. The little variation in the game board landing spaces and their rules are neat. The down side, if you don't guide the children they can count moving the game piece by individual number on each dice and not learn addition or subtraction. Not one of my favorite teaching/educational repetition tools, but is certainly acceptable. Best for introducing basic math concepts, i.e., number identification, counting, addition and subtracting, and simple rules to preschoolers and kindergarten students. Shipping and timing were satisfactory! Thank you! Almost 2 years later and our kindergartner is loving addition and subtraction and seems to be ahead of his peers. Still not my favorite, but it is my kids and it works. Our oldest is entering 4th grade and he does not seem to be negative about such a simple game. For these reasons, I've bumped my 2012 review up another star to 4.

I am a math interventionist. I’ve used this with pre-K all the way to third grade. It’s is a great practice for addition and subtraction. Great way to practice the math vocabulary I modify this game by using a dice seven through 12 for those who are able and need a greater challenge.

Love this game! Good quality game, great concept. Rules can be simple or a little more complex. Great for early primary school aged children (or advanced preschoolers)

My kid loves playing this game!

Es entretenido, ideal para niños que se están iniciando con las matemáticas, lo compré para mi hijo de 6 años, hemos jugado toda la familia, nos encanta, muy contenta con la compra

Kleindochter vond het een leuk spel.

This game is a huge hit in my household. Bought for my 6 year old as a way to help her build maths facts fluency and I'm pleased I purchased it. She loves playing it, and often. I love games that are both educational and fun because they hardly know they're learning. My 11 year old enjoys playing this game with her little sister too as do I. Highly recommend!