Learning Resources Dino Math Tracks Game
The Dino Math Tracks game (winner of several prestigious awards,  including an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal) is a race around the  rainbow with a pack of pintsize, prehistoric pals. An unusual spin on a  typical roll-the-dice-and-move game, it spotlights the mathematical  concept ofplace valueand gives kids reinforcement in what makes  our base-10 number system tick. Each player is allotted one dinosaur for  each of the four tracks (the tracks are labeled 1s, 10s, 100s, and 1000s).  To play, a player rolls four dice to create a 4-digit number and  then moves his or her prehistoric posse to the appropriate 1s, 10s,  100s, and 1000s places. Problem-solving strategies are honed as players  scurry to get all four miniature mammoths or tiny triceratops into the  dino haven, ahead of the other players' thundering herds. But look out!  In the race to dino utopia, it's easy to get bumped by a baby  brachiosaurus!The Dino Math Tracks game provides multiple levels of play for a variety  of ages. At the simplest level (perfect for a first-grader who knows  Arabic numerals and one-to-one correspondence), kids use only the place  track for the 1s. Later, cards with simple problems are introduced  ("Stuck in a tar pit! Move your 10s dino back two spaces!"). At the most  advanced level, players might encounter a question like this: "Your 10s  dinosaur forgot its pants, so it went back 15 to get them. Then it  hurried forward 25. How far did it get? Move that many." Young players  will find the 2-inch, spunky vinyl dinosaur playing pieces irresistible.  The game offers plenty of opportunities for friendly competition and  brain bending--not to mention lots of nonthreatening practice at  addition and subtraction.--Julie Ubben