Mike Byster, a man with an amazing memory and a mission to share his ability with others, particularly children, has created Brainetics so that parents and teachers can get him right in their classroom or living room in an instant. As part of the program, parents and teachers get a five-dvd set, a playbook, parent guide, flashcards, playing cards, and an extra 2-dvds.

For the last few months, our bloggers and their kids have been recharging their brains and tweaking their math skills. We were curious to see how Brainetics worked for their families and kids in 4th - 7th grade.

As far as how the system is set up, here’s how a one of the bloggers described it.

The videos are done game-show style, with kids competing against each other on teams, and the viewers are able to play along too. Between each new game, there are hilarious animations that kept my boys laughing. The black and white graphics, with neon cartoons are first class. 

The bloggers loved Mike’s approach, commenting on his affect and zeal. As one mom put it “Seriously, he NEVER loses his cool, or his sense of humor. Mike displays the enthusiasm of a magician showing us some new tricks he’s mastered; except he doesn’t mind sharing his secret. His excitement over finding patterns in numbers is contagious, really.” Another mom concurred. “Most of all I enjoy Byster’s enthusiasm for learning, his belief that anyone can master his skills, and for his urging to “think outside the box.” One thing is certain - he got my two daughters to enjoy math, if only for a short while. Now that’s a cool party trick.” 

Not only did the kids find it enjoyable and effective, so did the parents! “I was able to catch up, though, by learning how to remember information AND then adding even more information, without forgetting what was in your head, already.”

And best of all, parents saw a change in their kid’s self confidence and interest in math.  ”This program was strong enough to turn the tide the other way very quickly. After the first DVD, my son’s Math confidence shot straight up. The tricks he’s learning will last him a lifetime.” Added another mom “This may be premature, but Brainetics, at least for now, may have piqued my son’s interest in math. As I said, my son’s problem has never been intelligence, his intelligence has actually been a hindrance in some ways because he is easily bored so he doesn’t feel the urge to bother.”

For a complete outline of the program, check out View From the Pants, and stay tuned for reviews by Suburban Oblivion and Get In the Car coming up in April.