Sum Swamp: A Fun Math Game!

I recently ordered Sum Swamp for Rose. She is just starting out with addition and subtraction and I thought something hands-on would help her with the concepts she is learning in her math book. She really loves games and I have not been that good at setting aside math game time for her.  I will admit that I am not always eager to play a board game, but this one is short, sweet, and really helps cement those addition and subtraction facts. She loves it!

Sum Swamp comes with a game board, two number dice, an "operator symbol" die, and four swamp animals.

On your turn you roll all three dice. Then you put them in order- bigger number first, operator die next, then the smaller number-and figure out your answer.  On this turn you get to move six!

The game pieces are so much fun....you can choose a frog, snake, snail, or turtle....

There are a few little twists that add interest to the game. Several squares are marked "odd" or "even". If you land on "even" you roll one die, then advance that number if the number you rolled was even. There is also an "endless loop" that you need to keep traveling around until you land on the "exit" by exact count. And if you land on just the right square, you get to take a shortcut over the alligator's back or a hollow log.

The whole game takes about 10-15 minutes to play, so it is easy to squeeze in a game here and there.  This is a great game for an older sibling to play with a younger one if they finish their work early....which is one way we have been using it around here. The only downside I see to this game is that it's useful life span is fairly limited to 4-6 year olds. But it is pretty inexpensive, so that doesn't bother me.

We give it two thumbs up!