Math Galaxy publishes many math resources in different formats, but this review focuses on its 30 math riddles books, which cover topics from whole numbers through algebra. The books are available as printable PDFs or interactive Google Slides. They are designed with lots of color on the pages but are still attractive when printed in black and white. I didn’t spot any instances where the lack of color made a worksheet unusable.
The books vary greatly in length. I didn’t check the number of pages in all of them, but those I checked ranged from 43 to 164 pages. You can buy the riddles books individually or in bundles. Before listing the bundles, I want to explain how they work.
How They Work
Every book follows the same format. A riddle is presented on one page, and an answer key page follows immediately after showing the complete solution. (The riddles are good enough that your kids will probably want to try them out with people they know.)
For instance, page 9 in the Length & Area Riddles book asks, “Why can’t you tell pigs secrets?” Above the riddle are numbered boxes for entering the solution. On this page, children have to identify measurements in inches, while on other pages they solve math problems, identify fractions, name properties (for algebra), solve word problems, or provide another type of answer. Sometimes the boxes are “numbered” with the actual answers to the problems, but more often students need to choose the correct answer, and then write its corresponding letter in the numbered boxes as in the image above. On page 9 of Length & Area Riddles, students identify nine measurements, find the corresponding letters, and enter the letters in the boxes (using one letter twice) to come up with the answer, “They Squeal.”
Grade Levels and Topics Within Books
Most books cover several topics. For instance, the 164-page Length & Area Riddles book covers these topics:
- English Lengths
- Converting English Lengths
- Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide English Lengths
- Metric Lengths
- Converting Metric Lengths
- Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide Metric Lengths
- Area
- Converting Area
The range of difficulty within many of the books is broad enough that they will be used over more than one grade level. For instance, you might have a first grader solve riddles in 1-3 Digit Addition & Subtraction Riddles that require one- and two-digit addition but save three-digit subtraction in that book for second grade. Similarly, children in the early elementary grades can determine measurements on rulers in the Length & Area Riddles book, while middle school would be a more suitable time to use that book’s riddles on determining the areas of triangles, circles, and parallelograms. This is even more true of the bundles, which cover a much broader range of skills within each area of math.
The four bundles are:
- Math Galaxy Whole Number Riddles (This 11-book bundle includes the off-topic book Spelling Word Jumble Grades 3-5.)
- Math Galaxy Fraction Riddles
- Math Galaxy Decimals, Proportions, Percents Riddles
- Math Galaxy Algebra Riddles
The bundles are so inexpensive (from $10 to $22 for each bundle) that I suspect that most homeschoolers will purchase bundles rather than individual books. Still, there might be situations where you want to focus narrowly on a topic like division and choose to order the individual book Whole Number Division Riddles ($4 or $5). Note that the Time and Money Riddles eBook can be downloaded for free, so you can try it before buying.
Summary
Math Galaxy Riddles books are an inexpensive way to make math more fun.