2nd Grade Splash Math Education Learning Workbook

2nd Grade Splash Math Education Learning Workbook is designed to be an entertaining way to let kids practice Common Core State Standards-aligned second-grade math skills. Skills addressed include Place Value, Counting and Number Patterns, One Digit Addition, Two Digit Addition, Three Digit Addition, One Digit Subtraction, Two Digit Subtraction, Three Digit Subtraction, Time, Measurements, Money, Geometry, and Graphs. Teachers can set up accounts for each child in the class and, within those, choose difficulty level as well as skills that are to be practiced from the above categories. The robust controls enable teachers to customize the learning experience for students who may have learning disabilities or may be struggling with math.

Kids work with problem sets of math skills for the second-grade level, earning little origami fish "friends" for their "aquariums" as they go. As they earn fish, they can play within the aquarium setting, making the fish dance or chase each other, feeding the fish, or dropping anvils on crabs. The app includes on-screen notifications of progress in each area as kids work through the game; teachers can retrieve this information directly from the app in the Parent section, or can opt to receive email notifications of a child’s progress. 

Graphics and sound are whimsical and colorful without being distracting, and on-screen instructions are clear and helpfully visual (for example, kids learn to click and drag via an animated instruction). The range of topics is great, too: This is much more than a drill-and-kill math review app. Instead, Splash Math dives deep into critical topics like number sense and explores them with depth. The origami-style fish are cute, and kids will enjoy solving math problems to earn fish for their aquariums. Parents can choose whether or not questions are read to kids (in a digitized voice), which could be helpful for kids who are pre-readers or who have reading difficulties.

The 13 chapters of math topics are well-structured and allow flexibility to target a single skill or tackle a range of topics. The biggest drawback is probably the feedback: The aquarium reward system is completely disconnected from the learning process. It would be even better if kids got more detailed feedback and more relevant milestones that helped them track their progress more meaningfully.