Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
This month my kids and I had the opportunity to try out a new resource to supplement our math curriculum. Math Galaxy has created a large collection of ios apps and eBooks for students to practice math skills. My boys each had the chance to try out several of their eBooks for some extra math practice.
Math Galaxy’s E-book Collection
Math Galaxy has 30 different eBooks ranging from elementary math to Algebra. Each of the eBooks are available to purchase individually or in 4 different bundles. (Whole numbers, Fractions, Decimals, Proportions, and Percents, and Algebra) The eBooks are all organized in a similar fashion. The pages are bright and colorful, but the thing that my kids like most about them are the riddles. Each activity has a riddle at the top. When your student solves all the problems, they then put the correct letters in the corresponding boxes. Then they have the answer to the riddle.
The eBooks also have two different options for use. You can get them in PDF format and print them out or get them as a google slides file. With the google slides option you receive a link to download a copy of the file to your google drive account. You are also given instructions for how to share a copy of the file with your student through their google classroom account. The file also explains how to open google classroom accounts for your students. When your student opens up the file using their google classroom account they are able to solve the problems directly on their computer. They share it with you when they finish and you can check it. If you need math practice that your student can complete online through google classroom this would be an excellent resource for you.
How we used our EBooks
My 8 and 10 year old boys each enjoyed using several of the Math Galaxy eBooks for extra practice in math. First of all. Daniel, 10, practiced more with several of the eBooks from the fractions bundle. He worked in the Reducing, and Improper fractions on google slides. Later, we printed and worked through some of the the Add and Subtract fractions eBook. Caleb, 8, worked on the online google slides versions of the Identifying Fractions eBook. He later reviewed addition and subtraction of 2 and 3 digit numbers in the printable PDF eBook. My boys enjoyed these activities for a change in their regular math practice. They loved the riddles and enjoyed telling them to each other, and their dad and I, after they found the answers.
A 5th Grader’s Experience
Daniel really enjoyed working through the eBook on google slides. He enjoyed being able to complete his math practice on the computer. He did pretty well with it, although, I found the view of the worksheet on google slides was a bit small on our laptop. We were able to zoom in and he didn’t seem to have much trouble scrolling up and down to put in the correct answers. He did most of the work on his page in his head, however with some of the more advanced pages I would recommend students have some scratch paper to work out problems as needed. When we worked in the adding and subtracting fractions eBook, I chose to give him the printed PDF. This way I could see his work and how he solved the problems.
A 3rd Grader’s experience
Caleb did not do as well using the google slides edition of his eBook. He became frustrated several times because text boxes are not locked in place. He accidentally moved boxes several times and would become frustrated trying to get the answers in the correct places. Because the view of the worksheet on google slides has to be zoomed, it was a little tricky for him to continue scrolling back and forth to fill in answers. He definitely did better using the PDF versions. With this he was able to simply focus on the math and enjoy the riddles, instead of getting frustrated with clicking around and keeping everything in place on a google slides document.
What I liked about Math Galaxy’s eBooks
The content in the eBooks we used was excellent for practice. It is important to note that these do not provide instruction in the concepts, but they are great resource for review and practice. The google slides online versions is a great tool for older students. It added some variety to our normal math routine. Also, the google slide versions are the same worksheets as in the PDF versions though so you are able to pick the option that works best for you and your students. I am glad my family has had the opportunity to use Math Galaxy and that we now have another fun tool to help us practice and review math skills!
Want to hear more about Math Galaxy’s eBooks and games? Click below to read what other member’s of the Review Crew thought.
