I built TinySolvers (https://tinysolvers.com) as a side project to make math more engaging for kids.

There are plenty of generic math worksheets online, but I wanted something more personal to help connect the math to the student. TinySolvers generates customized math word problems using a child’s name, favorite nouns (dinosaurs, pizza, unicorns), verbs (jumping, exploring), and a selected operation and difficulty level.

For example:

“Emma found 7 dinosaurs in the forest. She discovered 5 more hiding behind a tree. How many dinosaurs did Emma find in all?”

You can download printable PDFs or use an interactive mode where kids solve problems one at a time with immediate feedback. It’s currently focused on early elementary arithmetic (K-5).

Initially, I tried a large library of predefined word problems with string substitution, but that hit limits quickly. I experimented with Word2Vec to expand vocabulary (e.g., dinosaurs → T-Rex, Triceratops), but eventually landed on carefully constrained LLM generation. The AI only generates narrative text and all math is validated deterministically before being shown to kids.

Tech details:

- Go backend with Gin, HTMX frontend - Supports local LLMs via Ollama or OpenAI - Single binary deployment - PDFs rendered via Cairo

I’d love feedback, especially from parents or educators. What other problem types would be useful?