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.
I know I’ve been posting a lot of review posts lately, but it seems like a good time to let new homeschoolers, as well as seasoned ones, know about some of the amazing products that are out there for us to use! Since we all school a bit differently, it’s great to be able to review some physical, hands-on products as well as to review apps that can help your homeschool as well, such as Math Galaxy.
Math Galaxy is a great on-the-go tool to help your struggling math student, as there are several apps available to download on your phone or iPad. Although I’m not usually a big fan of handing over devices to my kids, I know that a lot of my friends need to use apps in their homeschools because they are seldom at home. Being able to work on an app gives them the opportunity to strengthen their child’s skills without being tied down to a curriculum.
For our review, we downloaded Preschool Math, 4th Grade Math, 5th Grade Math, Fraction Riddles, and Times Tables. Honestly, I thought the Times Tables app would be the best one for my older two because they have been struggling to learn their multiplication facts. I do think this app was a great way to get them to practice. Unfortunately, they did not agree. They felt like the app was too simplistic and didn’t really give them anything exciting to do. I played the app myself and have to admit that it wasn’t overly rewarding.
The Fraction Riddles app was received a little bit better, especially since the older two are both learning about fractions right now. While I thought that the fraction riddles would be fun for them, my kids were harder to please. They definitely gravitated to that app more, but they simply did not want to do anything involving fractions!
The apps that were the best received were the grade-appropriate apps. Even the fraction sections on these were more appealing to my fourth and fifth graders. They actually spent a long time exploring these apps and chose them every time if given a choice.
I also had the opportunity to review the Preschool app with my kindergartner. She had a really hard time figuring out the app, even though I sat down with her several times and worked with her on it. I think that this would appeal to a kindergartner who spends a lot of time on a device, but Harmony just isn’t that kid. She doesn’t catch on to apps very quickly. I think that this app was well-done and age-appropriate, but it just wasn’t a good fit for my child.
We also received the ebooks to review. This was perfect timing as I have four extra children at my house right now, and we needed some extra activities for different levels. I have a second grader, fourth grader, and two fifth graders. They were pretty willing to sit down and work on the fun math sheets. We did “1 and 2 Digit Multiplication,” “1-3 Digit Addition and Subtraction,” “Time and Money,” and “Whole Number Division.” These worksheets were a lot more fun as the kids raced to figure out the problems and find the answer to the riddles first.
The kids were all definitely more excited to do the ebooks than they were to get on the apps, which is especially surprising for my son, who is always seeking ways to get on my phone! So, I was encouraged to find him working that diligently over math problems.
Overall, I think that the ebooks provide more value to our homeschool than the apps do. Like I said, I strive to keep technology as much out of our school day as possible. And I know many families who feel the same way. So, it’s great that there are ebooks available to supplement your math curriculum.
But on the flip side, I know that there are many families who thrive on using technology. For those families, the apps are great and can definitely help your student become more fluent in their math skills.
While I don’t believe we would purchase Math Galaxy for our family, I do think that there are some great possibilities for people who are looking for some help in the math department!
To hear from some other homeschool families, check out these reviews from the rest of our homeschool review crew!
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