Thank you for trying Math Orchard. Math Orchard is designed as a learning experience for young children (K-6), teaching them simple math as they help a farmer harvest his crops. They are "paid" for each correct answer and may print out their wages. The printouts consist of pictures of money that the child may cut out and play with. This document serves as a brief instruction guide to orientate a child's learning partner with the program.
•Starting out
When you first run the program you will then be given a brief help screen describing the objectives of this program. This screen is also displayed whenever you press command-H during the program.
After the program first draws its main screen, you are presented with a dialog box that asks you to enter a name. You may enter a name here. You may then mouse-click on OK, or press either the enter key, or the return key to continue. If you wish, you may choose to enter nothing here. The data entered here will be displayed on the screen as well as on the printouts. This name dialog box is also presented whenever you press command-N.
•Main Program
The program's main screen is where most of the action takes place. The object is for the child is to pick the farmers fruit before it falls from the tree. The amount of time before each fall can be adjusted in the setup screen. To Pick the fruit, the child may either mouse-click on a specific
fruit or press the enter key to take the next fruit.
After the child picks a fruit, a math problem is presented. The type of problem and it's difficulty can be configured in the setup screen. The answer can be typed in on the numeric keypad or with the numbers above the letters on the keyboard. If a mistake is made in entering the answer, the child may mouse-click on the trash can to erase it, and then re-enter the correct answer. The delete key may be used to erase the last character entered.
If "Input: By Columns" IS selected from the Setup area, input for Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication, is by columns from right to left. This can can be confusing for some younger children (7 plus 7 would be entered: 4 1.). Having "Input: By Columns" NOT selected, is excellent younger children and for "sight math".
Once a child feels that the answer entered is correct, she may then click on another fruit, or press either the return or the enter key to go on. Note that after the last fruit on each tree is picked, the child may either press the enter or return key, or mouse-click on the empty tree. If the answer entered is the correct one, a "good" tone will sound and the program will continue. If the answer is wrong then a "bad" tone will sound and the correct answer will appear on the screen for 3 seconds before the program continues.
Each correctly answered math question is worth ten cents. One special fruit (announced by a unique tone) on each tree is worth fifty cents. The total wages earned as well as the total fruit picked is displayed on the main screen above the math problem area.
If the child takes too much time (as configured in the setup screen) in answering a particular question, a fruit "falls" from the tree and is out of play. It can not be selected or moved and is treated as a wrong answer in the percentages field.
At any time when the child has wages on the screen, she may click on the bank to send them to the printer. Two standard Mac dialog boxes appear to "page format" the output. Printing wages resets all wages, percentages, and totals to zero.
After a tree has been harvested, a dialog box is presented. If the child presses enter or return, or mouse-clicks the continue button, the program will continue with wages accruing and percentages in tact. If the child mouse-clicks on the Quit button, the program will end immediately. If the child mouse-clicks on the New Game button, a new game will begin with the "enter your name dialog box", and all wages, percentages, and totals will be reset to zero. If wages have been earned and not printed, and New Game is selected, a dialog box will appear asking if you want to visit the bank (make a printout). A mouse-click on the Yes button prints out the wages, a mouse-click on the No button starts a new game with zero wages.
•Jot Spot
The Jot Spot is a scratch pad area where the user can work out all or certain parts of a problem. This scratch area can be reached by mouse-clicking the heart on the tree trunk, or pressing command-J. The Jot Spot is a window with Mac text edit fields, and as such it obeys most text edit rules. Text is right justified except if division is selected, then it is left justified. The Jot Spot consists of one large text edit field with six small text edit fields directly above it. These small fields can be used for regrouping information. When the Jot Spot is first selected, the current problem is displayed in the large text edit field. The trash can icon can be used to throw away user input information and redisplay the original problem. The hand icon can be used to "move" SELECTED text over to the problem area.
•Regrouping
If "Input: By Columns" AND "Auto Regroup" are selected from the Setup area, Math Orchard automatically regroups in Addition and Subtraction modes.
If "Auto Regroup" is de-selected from the Setup area, Math Orchard will allow the user to do manual regrouping. Manual regrouping is done by mouse-clicking on topmost set of numbers in the question. Each mouse-click "cycles" through a list of possible regouping numbers. When manual regrouping is turned on, a rectangle is drawn around the question's operand.
•Setup
The setup screen can be reached by mouse-clicking on the sun's face, by pressing command-T, or selecting "Setup" from the preferences pull down menu. There are six different parameters you may set: type of math, maximum questions per tree, whether items fall and how often, the kind of fruit to display, decimal places, and the largest numbers to present. These parameters are self explanatory.
Note that the largest numbers field effects math types differently. In addition and subtraction, the largest numbers field is the largest possible answer. In multiplication and division, it is the largest possible question (numerator or denominator). The largest number you may use for Addition and Subtraction is 9999, for division is 999, and for Multiplacation is 99.
Mouse-clicking on the cancel button cancels setup changes and returns to the program as you left it. Mouse-clicking on the OK button changes parameters, and resets all wages, percentages, and totals to zero.
•To Market
Each question answered correctly is one more item that can be sold at the "market". To get to market the user may press Option-M, or choose "To Market" from the File menu. The market has lots of audio information, so it is best if the sound is set to digitized and mid volume or better. The first time a new user goes to market, a help screen appears setting up the scenario.
The market starts out loosely based on the old game "Lemonade Stand", where you set the prices of your merchandise by judging the weather and current market demand. These two factors are presented on the "newspaper" screen.
There are three types of weather: sunny, cloudy, and rainy. The probability of cars driving by the market is related to the quality of the weather (where sunny is high traffic). There are two types of demand: "Hot item" and "Who needs 'em". The probability of cars actually stopping is related to the demand (where "Hot items" is high demand).
If the conditions are not what you want to use, you may mouse-click on Cancel to go back to the orchard. Remember though, each time you go to market counts as a new day. The number of days comes into play a little later on. Sometimes if the conditions aren't just perfect, it may be best to "tough it out" rather than using up a new "day".
Once a car stops, you must set the selling price. Demand is a factor again here, a high demand may warrant higher priced goods. You may choose one of four prices: 15 cents, 35 cents, 60 cents, or $1.10. After a price is chosen, you mouse-click OK. Mouse-clicking Cancel sends you back to the orchard. Remember, the farmer already paid you ten cents for each fruit picked. His profit is based selling price minus the ten cents he has already paid you.
The customer then decides if he wants to accept your offer. After thinking for a couple seconds, he will either accept your price, or say "sorry" and you go back and wait for another car to stop. If your customer accepts the price, the program prints how many are being bought, and the total selling price. You then mouse-click on the various pieces of change until the total selling price is met. You are "thanked" and you go back and wait for another car to stop.
The items left to sell are always displayed on the newspaper screen, along with the farmers profit, the "Market Index", and the current day. The "Market Index" is (profit / number sold) / days.
After you have been to market, and then go to the bank (print wages) you may just see your name in the paper. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes not so good (don't let your Market Index fall below 15.0).
I suppose what I am after here is a little bit of rational thinking and planning, but most of all how to put different kinds of money together. At least that's how this section got started. It's not as involved as it sounds. My seven year old took to it right away and had a great time explaining it to her high school classmates (just kidding...).
•Other Stuff
Sounds and volumes may be adjusted from the preferences menu bar. Sounds are defaulted to DIGITIZED sounds ON at MEDIUM volume.
Starting with release 2.10, the file "MO.SND" must reside in the same folder as Math Orchard for Math Orchard to use DIGITIZED sounds.
Selecting Learn from the preferences menu bar, displays the answer to each question. No credit is given for problems done or wages earned. It is defaulted to OFF.
At this time, when running Math Orchard on a network, each node must run its own copy of the program.
Math Orchard is System 7 COMPATABLE.
Math Orchard likes a "Suggested (memory) size" of at least 365k in it's "Get Info" box.
Known Incompatibilities & Bizarre Behavior Dept.:
1- Will not print under System 7 and Rival 1.1.6.
2- Sometimes static text and graphics fields do not appear in Dialog Boxes.
•ShareWare
This program is distributed under the "shareware" concept. You are free, and if fact encouraged to distribute this to your friends, to BBS's and to user groups. Companies that provide software duplication services may include Math Orchard in their catalog and provide copies for a reasonable duplication fee. All copies must include this file and the program file with it's "About..." Dialog box text. You are not allowed to modify this or any accompanying files in any way, this notice must be kept intact. The author, Rudolph Helm retains all other rights to the program.
Non-registered users of this software are granted a limited license to make an evaluation copy for trial use on a private, non-commercial basis, for the express purpose of determining whether this program is suitable for their needs. At the end of this trial period, you should either register your copy or discontinue using Math Orchard.
I'd be happy to hear of any improvements you would like to see, as well as any BUG reports.
