Mood:  a-ok

Okay, okay, it's a play on words. The excellent math program that we got to review is called Math Galaxy from the company Galaxy of Education but, it really is "out of this world". You won't believe everything that is available, and it is fantastic! Now, when you see the screen shots that I'm going to show you, you may think that it looks technologically blase, but, never fear, it really isn't. My kids love it.

The folks on the Crew were able to download anything that we thought would be helpful to our kids. I chose to download their Whole Number Fun program for Joshua and the Pre-Algebra Fun for John Allen. Since it would take too long to explain both programs, I'm just going to focus on the Whole Number Fun program that Joshua tried out. Now, just because they have the word "fun" in them does not mean that the programs are all fun and games. Each program is actually a tutor that you can use with your child for a whole year. Here is a list of the rest of the great computer programs that you can download:

• Decimals, Proportion, % Fun
• Fractions Fun
• Whole Number Fun
• Pre-algebra Fun
• Word Problem Fun
  

The followin is a picture of all of the different things that are included in Joshua's Whole Number Fun program. This is an actual screenshot of what you first see when you enter their program.

As you can see, this program covers everything. And, it's fun to use! I wanted to begin Joshua on basic adding because I wanted to make sure that he had the basic concepts down pat. When I clicked on the "adding" button, I expected the screen to go straight to some problems for Joshua, but there was yet another screen with more choices. We could choose Addition Tables ~ choosing a number and practicing all of those single digit number facts either in order or randomly. Or we could choose adding on a number line, 1, 2, or 3 digit addition, or if your child is having problems learning addition using the traditional method, you can even choose an alternative method. They had it all covered! That was just what you could choose after clicking on the addition button The other buttons had similar choices! Here are a couple of the screen shots from one addition problem that was given. The first shot is of the problem as it first appears on the screen. The second shot is of of the completed problem. When completed, the program automatically regroups and numbers appear to help cement the process in the child's mind. I really like that.

It may be a little hard to see because I had to resize the pictures in order to fit them in my blog, but I think you get the idea.

But that is just the regular program we are talking about here. There is so much more that Math Galaxy has to offer. There are reward programs that students can play that are just as fun. Joshua loves the Riddles game. Here is a screen shot of it. I think you can figure out how to play. Give it a try!

But, that's not all!!!! If your kids can't get enough of the computer games, there is a worksheet maker where you can print more riddles out to take with you or use during non-computer school time. What fun! There are worksheet generators for Decimals, proportions, %; Fractions; and whole numbers. 

Okay, are you ready? That's not all that Math Galaxy has to offer! They also have workbooks that you can download! Presently there are two ebooks that you can download - Math Galaxy Fraction Riddles; Math Galaxy Whole Number Riddles; Math Galaxy Decimals, Proportions, %; and Math Galaxy Pre-Algebra.

This company has everything and everything is well done. By this time you are probably asking how much all of this cost. Well, it isn't as bad as you think. Each stand alone computer program and worksheet generator is just $24.95. Remember, they are stand alone programs, so there is no monthly on-line fee or anything like that. Once you buy them they are yours to use for years to come. The ebooks are only $12.95. They as well can be printed out for multiple children and used for years to come for your whole family.

There are some online games and sample things for you to try before buyint on their site, so just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. Different TOS Crew members focused on different programs, so you might want to click here to read what they had to say about Math Galaxy. As always, since this is something that can be used by all students homeschooled or not, Happy Home Educating!

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