Category: Math »

Tangram Puzzles is a wonderfully creative and fun educational iPad app. This is a nice companion to the related app by the same developers, MosaicHD. Instead of creating patterns with the use of small colored pegs like in MosaicHD, here the player uses different shapes together to create larger images.

Based on the classic Chinese puzzle game of Tangram, this app uses basic geometrical shapes together to create interesting images, The original Tangram puzzle consisted of seven shapes that together could be fitted side-by-side to create such shapes as a square, triangle, rectangle, as well as objects like a house, boat, or bird. I like that this app contains not only the various triangles, small squares, and parallelogram that were included in the original seven shapes but also includes circles and half-circles.

The interface is very easy to use here, with options including choosing a template, looking at completed work in the gallery, or creating one’s own design free-hand. The templates consist of 18 images that can be copied, ranging from simple to complex. I appreciate the selection offered a great deal as there is a lot to choose from with some very interesting images included such as Clown or Bear in Snowy Forest, as well as some abstract choices like the very ornate Ornament2, giving the player some nice ideas to create their own patterns.

Once the template is chosen, you will have the option to turn on "Help," creating an outline over the template where the pieces fit. It is nice that this option is included, as my son needs this help here as well as in MosaicHD to be successful, but older children and adults may want to tackle these patterns solely by looking at the small reference picture included. The right side of the screen consists of a vertical scroll bar of the shapes to be used in this pattern; tap and drag the chosen piece to where it belongs in the larger image.

It is nice that each shape has a number showing how many pieces of this specific shape are needed to be filled in, counting each piece as it is used being very helpful, especially when the “Help” is off. Like MosaicHD, the templates are based on a grid and while using the Help, the transparent shapes to be filled in do not fully cover up the grid below, allowing the player to see how the various squares of the grid fit into these various shapes to be used, conveying the geometry taught by Tangrams nicely.

The Gallery contains both past finished work as well as the chance to add personal patterns to a public gallery for other app users to peruse, and I really enjoyed looking at other people’s work. One can also share personal patterns by email or Facebook as well.

Freehand gives the player the option of creating his very own patterns. The vertical scroll bar to the right of the screen is filled with every shape found among these templates, and because flipping or rotating these shapes is not possible here, each shape is presented in every possible rotated or mirrored configuration. Ten color choices are available as well, creating complete personalization of any image one can create with the shapes that are offered.

MosaicHD is a favorite app of my son, as he is captivated by creating pictures based on the templates, as well as creating his own images free-hand. Tangrams is equally creative and fun. The music used here is very well done, hypnotic, and relaxing and very pleasant to listen to as one creates an involved pattern. I like that the music volume levels can be changed independently of the other sound effects, specifically the cheering one hears when a template is filled in, as this may be distracting or encouraging - depending on the player.

The use of tangrams with children has long been thought of as a great way to teach geography and math. Younger children will enjoy exploring shapes and colors as they can easily fill in the templates with the “help” feature, encouraging the use of fine motor skills and imagination along the way. I love the creative template choices available, but it would be nice if the classic seven piece tangrams which create the basic square, triangle, or other shapes were also included to help teach the fundamentals of this classic puzzle.

My son owns a few tangram sets himself, and not all of them work well. Many times the pieces slide around the cards he is working from - very frustrating. Other times, pieces are added to the cutouts of a wood puzzle template. This works well, but the images tend to be simplistic. I really like the ease of use and different levels of details involved in this application. It is always an added bonus to have no pieces to lose or to store when game play is over.

I think both Tangram Puzzles as well as Mosaic HD are good choices for families, as children of all ages as well as adults will also enjoy these apps a great deal.

Yoku-Gami is a game that represents, to me as a parent, everything that is right in the app store, in relation to games for kids. It's a puzzle game that looks and plays like a standard match-3 game but is, in reality, anything but.

It is designed by the great mind of Reiner Knizia, a German board game designer heralded for his simple designs that lead for complex gameplay. Being a fan of his, I jumped on Yoku Gami and it's been a game my daughters and I have enjoyed immensely, and I feel happy in knowing that they're not just playing a mindless game, but instead are really working their brains as they play.

The entire goal of the game is similar to match games, clear the tiles. But how Yoku-Gami works is this: "If the greatest number in the group equals the total of all the other numbers in the group, you have a successful turn". So if you select a 3, 2 and a 5, your 3 and 2 equal 5 and you remove those tiles and get a score. That score is based on how many numbers are in the group and if you create groups of 5 or more numbers, you then get a bonus.

There are 3 different modes. Endless is just that, it continues until you can go no further. In Arcade, your goal is to clear a whole role or column of numbers, the game also ends when you can go no further. In Level Mode you try to clear as many numbers in each grid. You start with 24 levels, and at the end of each level when there are no more turns, you lose as many lives as there are numbers left. You gain lives when you create groups of 4 or more. As long as you have lives, you continue progressing in the game.

I was incredibly surprised with how far my 6 year olds got in the game, but for some reason, they were able to go quite far for their age and math skills. I know they are a bit young for it, and it isn't a game they can play for hours, as the difficulty does continue to ramp up, but they have enjoyed what we do play together quite a bit. As well, a nice touch to make it kid-friendly, is that good old "Yoki" is always there to tap on and get a hint from when needed.

If you have a child that might be struggling with math, or one that loves math and just wants a fun way to put his/her skill to the test, I honestly believe Yoku-Gami is a stellar choice. I'd never want to leave a child in front of any gaming system for hours, but this really is an honest-to-goodness learn-while-playing gaming that does exactly what it sets out to do, and I do not doubt that it will certainly be a help to those kids who struggle with math.

I'd also like to make it clear that it is equally great for parents. As silly as it might sound, I've seen an honest increase in my math skills through playing it, and honestly that's worth the price of entry right there. All-in-all, Yoku-Gami is a hidden gem that I wish more people knew about, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

PBS KIDS Videos for iPad is full of fun and a highly educational collection of segments from favorite PBS Kids television shows.

These video clips are all nicely arranged with a simple interface that I am sure kids will have no problems navigating. To the right of the screen is a vertical scroll bar containing many of kids' and parents' favorite PBS kids shows. Tap to select, and one can slide out a menu as well giving the child a choice of many video clips from this TV show. The bottom left hand corner contains parents' information about the specific show and clip being watched as well as other info. The rest of the center screen is where these videos will play; tapping will fill the iPad with a larger letter-boxed version of these clips, removing the other menus.

Kids have the option of selecting many varied choices in video clips, but it also nice that they can relax and watch all the selections from a specific show as they play in order from the menu; the choice is theirs.

I am very pleased with the wonderful shows offered in this app, including our family's favorite show, Sesame Street, as well as other shows my son is familiar with such as Martha Speaks and Super Why, plus many others new to us. I appreciate that there is something for every age of grade school child, including the health- based show Fizzy’s Lunch Lab whose target age range is 6-10, geared to children older than the preschool set whom I commonly think of when PBS kid shows come to mind, primarily, no doubt, because this is my son’s age. Having watched many of these clips, I am sure that older kids will enjoy this app as well, and it can certainly be shared between different-aged children.

There will always be people who think TV is bad for children, and I am sure that the idea of handing your child a portable television per the iPad seems like an even worse idea to some. As a parent, I find that these shows from PBS are undeniably educational, smart, age-appropriate and very socially aware, so I have no issues with my son watching small amounts of his favorite show Sesame Street, unlike unspecific cartoons from a random cable channel, something I would not allow.

This is a wonderful resource for parents, especially when traveling and wanting to keep their children distracted in places like an airport or the airplane itself is of the utmost importance. For at-home use, I do prefer my son to spend his screen time working on puzzles, playing games, creating artwork or listening to a story, much of this time being spend with a parent who is equally involved with the app at hand.

This time with our son is precious family time, but when traveling, I don’t really want to have to entertain my child with “together time” the entire length of the trip, and I think this app would honestly keep him quiet and distracted, keeping my boy happy and not bothering others with the banter that comes along with many of his favorite apps.

We have not traveled a lot as a family yet, one reason being not knowing how good a traveler my sometimes wild child would be, but I think this video player may just be the trick to keep my boy as well as the other passengers sane over a long flight or delay at the airport, as long as I don’t forget to purchase a set of kid-friendly headsets.

Having an older model iPad, I do not know how these videos play on 3G. For us, the use of this app is only in areas that offer WiFi, but I am happy to report that these video clips play effortlessly, which is nice because I do have problems loading clips from other apps that take the viewer directly to youtube.

In all honesty, this is an application that I have not asked my son to test for me, because if I did, I would never hear the end of his asking for this app and I really want his iPad experience to be as varied as possible. We went through this when we first go the “Netflix” app which I had to finally bury in a file, telling my son it stopped working. I know this app would be an even huger hit, which is wonderful in some ways and problematic in others.

I really appreciate the info provided in the parents' section. Here, the name of the show and specific clip are listed, as well as a basic premise of the show, its goals, and age range. If you like a specific clip, you can email yourself a link or post it to Facebook or Twitter. Options for buying the video associated with specific shows as well as info and links to their PBS Kids Apps are included. I am not a fan of in app purchases, but nicely tucked away in a parent's info section is acceptable to me, as well as something many parents may find helpful. You can “favorite’ a show, bringing them higher on the list of shows available, but it would be nice to have a section on the app of previously watched and chosen clips as well. I would also love to see all the names of celebrity guests from Sesame Street as part of the info given about these clips, as not all of them have this information. I know most of these faces but when I can’t place one, I would really like to be able to reference the clip’s info to see who it is. I also like that one can look up local listings for favorite shows as well, very helpful to those staying in hotels away from home.

In the end, it will be the parents' decision regarding when and how much access their children will have to this app. Having said this, this free app is a simply wonderful collection of very special video clips from children’s shows. I think that this would be my son’s new favorite app, something I will keep in mind when I am looking for the ultimate distraction.

The controversy whether or not to rely heavily on results of the Scholastic Aptitude Test for college applications continues, and increasing numbers of schools are either not requiring SAT results or are giving greater weight to other criteria. That being said, SAT scores are still important for many colleges and universities. This is why there are so many SAT iPhone and iPod apps. Some of them focus on mathematics or vocabulary, others have a more general approach. Mark Anestis, a tutor for the last 13 years at a test preparation company and author of several test prep books, has jumped into the app market with the SATLadder.

Recognizing that many teenagers are not into the standard SAT computer learning programs because they are too much like schoolwork, Anestis decided to make an app that would turn the learning into a game. It was also important for the students to determine and enhance their strengths and identify and work on their weaknesses through practice and review. “I wanted to produce a test preparation product that capitalizes on the fact that teenagers like to compete and at the same time help them accomplish their goals.”

Users can play the solo mode and participate in five-round matches against the SATLadder app. Each of these rounds consists of questions in mixed areas of math, reading and writing, and all questions are automatically kept on the student’s profile page at www.SATLadder.com for later review. Students are told when they answer incorrectly and which answer is right. They are also see the length of time it took them to answer each question.

Students can also play in the head-to-head mode and have either friendly or SATLadder matches against specific or randomly chosen competitors and then be ranked on the SATLadder on performance level. The students can work toward making their way up the ladder to get up to the #1 spot. The SATLadder app includes more than 2,000 questions with answer explanations and definitions to over 1,000 high-frequency SAT words.

Admittedly, when I was reviewing the app, I kept on saying, “I’ll stop after the next set of questions…” and found myself wanting to see if I would get the next and then the next series right or wrong. Although I always had high grades in school, I never was a good test taker. I wouldn’t have minded having an iPhone game that I could play off and on during the school day to prep me a little. I don’t know if my score would have greatly increased, but every new thing learned would have been in my favor.

Splash Math - Comprehensive 3rd grade math workbook is a very nice interactive math app which re-enforces the math lessons typically taught to 3rd graders in the U.S. Parents have the option of being emailed their children’s progress through these questions if they choose.

This app is pleasant to look at with a nice aquatic theme and a lovely view of blue sea and ocean bottom used as the backdrop for these math questions. A friendly origami crab congratulates players after each correct question answered. Kids will enjoy answering math questions in this interactive fashion, many times choosing answers at the bottom of the screen, as well as dragging and dropping shapes, popping balloons, or moving the hands of a clock in the “Time” section, my personal favorite.

There are 16 chapters to choose from, with subjects like addition, fractions, and decimals. A parent decides which of these subjects are added to the Play mode, which will quiz the player on the knowledge of these math concepts. At first, only the easy questions will be available, but medium and hard questions will be unlocked through the app as well. I appreciate the varied questions offered and that the parent has options about how broad or narrow the focus of this play section is.

Maybe times have changed, but I was a bit surprised to see topics such as geometry or data and probability included as I remember that these were subjects for older kids, but parents can easily pick and choose which subjects are right for their students. Kids earn points from correct answers they can later redeem in their personal aquarium. I do wish that when a question is wrongly answered, the player could have a chance to try again instead of continuing to the next question.

After gaining some points from correct answers one can visit the aquarium, but I am a little confused here as to how to use these points. One does not use these credits to decorate the aquarium but to interact with the two crabs who live in the aquarium. Points can be used to see them dance to music, as well as hiting one with an anvil - something I was not able to figure out how to do. Later in the app one can obtain other fish as well, and points can be used to buy angel fish food once an angel fish becomes part of the aquarium. I wish that one could use the points to beautify the aquarium, enabling one to look back with pride at accomplishments turned into tangible objects decorating the space instead of spending credits on momentary interactions that should, in my opinion, simply be part of the aquarium experience keeping this math game light and fun.

My favorite part of this app is the Practice Mode where the players themselves can choose subjects to study, and it is really nice that these subjects are broken down into specific areas of interest, focusing on a specific skill such as “properties of addition” and later working up to “four digit addition” as well as a section on “mixed review” questions. In Practice Mode, the player gets to try again if he answers a question wrong, but it would be nice if info were given to explain why one answer is correct over another.

This app is very educational and has a vast amount of content. It would be a nice app for those studying 3rd grade math. I also think it would be an excellent app used over summer break for those who have completed 3rd grade, as students typically lose more than 2 months of knowledge over this extended holiday. This app could also be used over the summer by kids entering the 3rd grade, possibly giving them a chance to practice the lessons they will learn in the coming school year. Parents of other grade school students, do keep these developers in mind as they will be adding grades 1 - 5 apps in the future. I would make these apps available to my son when the time is right for him in the years to come, but I do this app is on the pricey side.

123 Pop is a fun and interesting space-themed math game for children as well as adults. Players tap a first number, then a second as these numbers float through space. Adding these two numbers together, tap on a third which corresponds to the sum of the first two. For instance, if one taps “1” and then “3,” the third number tapped is “4.” This seems easy, but these numbers can move quickly, and the third number you are looking for may or may not be visible when you need it to be.

I enjoy this game more than I expected, but I do look at this as a strategy or educational action game, not one that is good to help teach basic addition. Kids who are new to adding will not get very far in this game and may feel either rushed or frustrated, as you need to be fast and a lot needs to get done before your time runs out.

I do think, however, that this is a really fun game for grade-schoolers who have a solid foundation in addition to adults as I find myself using my mind and doing a lot of plotting about what numbers added up to a third that was in easy reach to tap, coming up with with strategies that I will keep to myself and not spoil the fun. There are also special objects to tap to gain points such as rockets and magical stars, and numbers can get sucked into vortexes sometimes as well. Included are three difficulties, but I never felt comfortable past “easy” as the numbers in “normal’ and ‘hard” moved too fast and simply were not fun for me, but “easy” was just right.

The music which accompanies this game is very good here, beautiful, relaxing and maybe even a little melancholy. I enjoyed listening to it very much and was encouraged to keep playing long after I needed to for the sake of review purposes. This game got my mind working more than I thought it would, and I appreciate this a great deal.

I recommend this app for those grade school and up who enjoy number puzzle games and math in general, but not for those who are new to addition as this game is simply too hard and too fast for them to succeed at, but a good game for older kids that they enjoy. I think this will be a hit with adults as well, especially regarding the music which is, by far, my favorite part of this application.

World of Safari 123 is an educational app that encourages math practice as one earns the ability to add animals to a safari landscape, customizing it further with objects such as flowers, rocks or a jeep. There are 15 animals to ultimately add, and it is fun to be able to change the color of these aniamls.

It is interesting how this app is designed to keeps track of the time of day that one is playing with this game, the color of the sky corresponding in turn. One can also shake the device or tap a button to changes the sky background, going from darkness at night and a full moon to a bright day with the sun in the sky as well as a few sunset choices, each nice to look at. These skies, combined with the ability to also change the color and texture of the safari's grass from green to yellow, including choices in between create many varied possibilities for your personal safari.

Tilt the device or scroll with a finger left or right, making the landscape move in either direction as you look for your animals, and do tap an animal to see what happens. One also has the option of taking photos of the decorated landscapes. Continued math activities earns more animals and objects to personalize the space. All of these choices are thought out nicely and add something to this app's gameplay in general.

There are five levels involving counting, adding and subtracting as this app which is geared to preschool and kindergarten children, and it is nice that my my three year old is able to answer the earlier sections. I really enjoy the African beat that this app’s music has, but it would be nice to have control over the congratulatory sound effects one hears after answers these questions, as their encouraging cheers can be loud and may be distracting for some.

I like the choice of math questions used here, and I appreciate that a hint button is available for when a child feels stuck, a nice touch. I think the acquisition of these animals is a good way to encourage children to practice their math skills, but my only issue is that the animals and other details seem small-looking on the screen, at least on the iPhone version of this game, as it is available for both iPhone as well as iPad. This may be a concern for only those in middle age, but I get the sensation of needing to put on my glasses when looking at this app, even when I am wearing my glasses. However, I have heard no complaints about the size of things from my son.

I understand that the smallness of these details in the landscape is in part done to create a lot of space as one can add up to 15 animals roaming around the screen at once, plus many decorative choices as well, but for me, it is very hard to see the details in each animal - something that I typically enjoy from animal apps, but this is probably less of an issue in the iPad version.

Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic brings the Bob Books series to life as a fun, engaging and very educational interactive application that helps pre-readers become early readers as they practice letter recognition, phonic sounds and beginner spelling. As with other Learning Touch apps, do check out the options as many thoughtful choices are included, personalizing the experience. Versions for both iPhone and iPad are available.

I really enjoy using this application with my three year old son. In a creative and fun way, this app uses short and simple words as well as sight words that make up easy sentences which become animated scenes acting out what is being described, such as “Mat sat” or “Sam has a cat.”

The various objects or persons used in these sentences also become the focus of a very nice word game where one matches up the letters that make up the spelling of the word in question, dragging and dropping these letters to their rightful places in letter boxes that together make up this specific word.

I think it is especially nice how the illustrations used in these word games are black and white but turn to color when the word puzzle is solved, and I appreciate how an animated scene which follows the puzzle completion also turns from black and white to color, as this scene nicely follows through on what has been learned.

This delivery would make this app not only a nice learning letters-and-phonics exercise, but also an exercise for learning basic vocabulary, object as well as verb comprehension, and as a useful as a tool for kids learning English as a second language, as well as for kids with special needs as it teaches not only the principles of reading and spelling, but also the basics of how to communicate with words.

I am happy that one gets to choose either letters or phonics to be used during these word games, as either the letter names or phonic sounds are spoken when a letter is tapped during these exercises and again when the game is complete to emphasize what has been learned. These options make this app appropriate for kids new to letter recognition as well as for early readers familiar with phonics, and it is great that this app will grow with a child taking them through many levels of literacy development. This app is content-rich, with 12 scenes and 32 words - just the right length for my son who showed signs of not being 100 percent focused only as the last scene was finishing up. Until then, he was very engaged and eager to play this game.

This app includes four levels of difficulty, ranging from being able to copy the letters as one drags and drops letters to their rightful places, as one it able to match the spelling seen in the letter boxes. Later, one can still copy the spelling, but the words must be completed from left to right in correct spelling order. The difficulty progresses to where one cannot copy the spelling, and finally, one must choose the correct letters as well as extra letters that are mixed in, adding difficulty to these puzzles. I also really like that these last two levels use other words from these sentences as puzzle words as well, including the use of sight words. These levels can change automatically, or one can choose a specific level for all 12 scenes, adding many options for game play and much newness each time this app is used.

It is also very nice to see that even when this app was closed, it re-opened to the scene last played, and one can also scroll through a section of this app to choose a specific scene to start from as well.

I am very impressed with this creative learning app, and I am very impressed with Bob Books in general after playing with this application. I will be on the lookout for a set of Bob Books for my son, as I want him to experience these types of educational activities as apps, but in their classic form as well. For more information, please look at bobbooks.com, and iTunes for more info about this app, as well as the other very good learning apps from Learning Touch.

Jellytoons Toddler Skills: Bobo's Birthday Challenge is a really fun app consisting of six mini games designed to develop specific skills among the toddler and preschool age children. I really like the mix of activities that support critical thinking and fine motor skills, as well as working on basic counting, colors, and shapes. A version of this app is also available for iPad as well.

Jellytoons Toddler Skills is an app that my three year old son is asking for a lot these days, calling it his “jelly” game. He really enjoys the fact that this app has a nice mix of narrative as well as multiple activities. As you see, today is Bobo’s birthday. Help his six party guests earn gifts to give Bobo on his special day. Choose one of Bobo’s friends with a tap, and complete his game to choose a prize which is kept in the prize room. My son has quickly learned what friend is associated with each game, and he has a lot of fun telling me their names as he chooses what game to play. Activities include things such as shape-matching as you help blow up balloons, toy sorting by color or shape and a ball and cup / three-card-monty-style game with a good difficulty level for kids is included. It is fun for me to see my son’s face as he tries to focus on the cup with the ball in it as it gets mixed back and forth between two other empty cups. Sometimes he gets it on the first try, sometimes not. It is nice that kids can play these games until they succeed, even if it takes them a few tries to do so.

My son quickly mastered the art of “tap and drag” a long time ago, but his fine motor skills are still being developed. He has some difficulty with game where he needs to drag a character who is balancing on a ball, circus style, down a “S” or similarly shaped path without going off the path. I am glad this game challenges him, as this means he is learning something new in an area in which he could use some help.

My boy really enjoys this app a lot, and I know he has a sense of accomplishment as he navigates through these games on his own, has a lot of fun choosing presents and seeing what is inside, and sometimes goes into the present-room to see all the gifts earned - represented by stickers, as these are saved throughout the different times he has played. He likes to moving these stickers around a bit as well. It is nice that this info is kept from one game to the next, but can be reset easily if one chooses. This app also tracks the child's progress through these games.

The look of this app is quite colorful, and I like how Bobo and his friends are amorphous, colorful blobs, each with his own name and gameplay. The world created here is equally colorful, fun and unique. This app both opens and closes with a short video clip explaining the story, a nice addition, but after my son had completed the six games, it would be good if he could bypass the video clips and continue playing instead of starting from the beginning introduction.

Do look at this developer’s related site as it gives more information on each character, as well enabling access to extras that one can print from their own computer. This is a great game to help with toddler and preschool skills in a way that will keep them engaged for a long time to come.

Math Easy HD is an iPad app which teaches math concepts both for beginner and beyond in this interactive application. It is nice that there are ten different exercises to choose from that range from teaching basic counting and number sequencing to beginner multiplications and double digit subtraction as well as counting by twos and the concepts of odd and even. This app can also be personalized with the picture, name, and age of the child - something children may enjoy.

This app has a lot to offer children as it contains ten interactive activities that are fun to explore, as well as many other objects that one can tap in order to see and hear the names of these objects as they are narrated, a nice touch. I also appreciate the basic look and color scheme of this app, with an appealing pallet of soft blues, greens, and purples as well as other colors. I also like that this app takes the player from the beach to a train theme as well as many other different locations and many animals are included to further the learning experience and to bring a bit of whimsy to this application.

I enjoy many of these sections. I like that when one plays a “connect the dots” themed game, only the numbers in sequence need to be tapped instead of dragging a finger to physically connect the dots, something that would still be hard for my son to do. I also really like an additional activity involving elephants where parents can change the colors of these animals back and forth between blue and brown to keep the game engaging and problems new. It is also nice that children scroll through number choices, tapping and dragging the correct numbers into their corresponding boxes.

I do think, however, that asking kids to count letters in a specific word in one section is more confusing than it needs to be. I as an adult missed a few of these questions when the words got very long and it seems a bit overwhelming, counting letters in a 10 letter word vs. 10 objects like balls or other things that kids are familiar with. Even if this game is not my favorite, there is a lot here to enjoy and learn from. Gold stars are included as rewards and this app praises right answers, which is nice, but I do wish the app would not use the phrase “you are so smart” which is sometimes used, but instead “you work really hard,” as praising a child for being smart has a way of backfiring and causing unforeseen issues. Other than these issues, this is a nice math app kids will enjoy.

Rocket Math is a new universal game involving rocket-building and launching, where one plays math games to earn the money that is used to buy rocket parts. Once your rocket is built and makes its way to space, 56 math based missions can be played with medals that can be won for completed missions, including concepts like square roots and advanced multiplication and division, as well as basic math concepts, making this game great for the entire family.

This is an absorbing game, very involved in terms of the building and launching of the rockets, with both altitude as well as air time being factors for a successful flight. Playing math games in the interest of earning money towards rocket parts is a great motivator, and I am glad that there is not a specific time limit here. The missions are very stimulating and can have an almost frantic pace, a player being able to play only as long as one’s rocket remains in orbit.

I hope that a page of building tips can be added to this app soon. As of now, there is no real explanation as to how to build a successful rocket, and for a long time I was not able to leave the earth’s atmosphere in order to go on the missions.

After watching the YouTube video associated with this game and at first copying their rocket design, I was able to go on a mission, but I wish that I did not have to go hunting for information not supplied in the app to make this game a successful experience. There is info on building the rocket in terms of how to make rocket parts bigger or smaller, as well as other adjustments and other options, and I like the very gracious option that lets the player sell back rocket parts at full price after one tries them out. However, I would really like to see a tutorial added explaining what the basic parts of the rockets do, and what it takes to make a successful rocket, and some basic principles of physics that are used in propelling the rocket.

I do think kids of all ages, from pre-schoolers to adults will enjoy this game very much once they fully understand how the different rocket parts are used. When fully comfortable with how this game works, it is addicting as well as educational.

Tam & Tao in Numberland is an iPad app which teaches the Montessori method of learning math in a way that is creative and engaging. Numbers one to ten are taught as you visit Numberland, a series of landscapes where there is lots to touch and interact with. Your hosts are twins Tam and Tao, and tapping them will bring you to other pages to learn the numbers in more depth, including tracing the number as well as having a chance to draw it freehand. A blank drawing page is included, as well as the classic Montessori counting exercise of putting the correct number of spindles in each numbered box.

I like Tam & Tao's ability to mix some Montessori elements with something so fun and creative to interact with. Every page is unique and beautifully illustrated, with themes including a jungle, a city, and an ocean.

There is a lot to tap on here, including hidden animations, but I do think the interactivity could have gone a bit further. Each page has clusters of objects, all of which have the same number that is being illustrated, such as “four trees,” “four rabbits,” or “four snowballs.” I would like to be able to count these objects individually, with the narration counting along as well. There is a lot to look at in these pages, including fish and sharks swimming as well as birds or bats flying, but their quick movements make it difficult to count them as they go by, and I wish they would slow down or stop if tapped. My son’s favorite page is number nine - exploring a cave - an environment I have not seen before in any other app. He loves the “nine-eyed monster” and taps over and over again, but the monster was never on the screen long enough to count the eyes or for my son to see that he had nine teeth as well.

I appreciate the choice to include zero here as well - a number that is many times overlooked. This number page is space-themed, and my son loved to touch the stars until all he has left is zero, a very engaging way to teach this concept, but I wish the number ten was also represented, and I wonder if the number zero coming after nine in the sequence can be confusing to kids new to numbers. All in all, a good experience from this interesting and educational application.

Didakto is board game-styled app for iPad which is fun and educational for the whole family. Multiple categories are included, specifically math, language, logic, and geography, with questions gauged to age groups from four to twelve years, but in my experience, adults will find these games fun and challenging as well. First, a photo is displayed which is then sectioned into pieces that are further transformed into one half of a matching-style game. Below are the corresponding answers, the object being to drag and drop the top question pieces to their corresponding answers below. When finished, the picture is brought back together and the pieces out of place are those which had not been correctly answered. A personal photo can be used, as well as many options which are included, further personalizing this game. I am impressed with the choice of six different languages as well.

I like that this is a true family game, that there are levels that will fit the needs of a large age range, and that there is no timer here or high scores - something that I greatly appreciate. Four basic categories are included, each subject giving four more specific choices to narrow down interests as well as specific questions for different age groups. All of this makes for a very content-heavy application, and I never feel as though I have played the same game twice, even if in reality I have. The questions are educational and can be very thought-provoking, especially those involving logic.

I did not know if my son, almost three, would be interested or be able to participate in these games, but as I was looking at the four to five year old logic section, he pushed my hand aside and began completing these questions on his own, much to my amazement. He was able to answer these questions himself, but he still needs a little help getting the pieces in the correct areas to hear the satisfying “click” of a tile tapping against a game board.

This is a great game, especially for families who enjoy spending time together playing classic board games, but who also want to embrace the technology of the iPad. I think this would make an especially nice travel game as well, all nicely contained in the iPad with no pieces to keep track of, as well as many variations to choose from.

Park Math is a wonderful iPhone app from one of my favorite developers, Duck Duck Moose. This app helps kids ages 1-6 explore math concepts in a way that is bright and cheerful and above all else, never seems like work. I am impressed with how content-rich the app is, having 7 activities to choose from as well as two levels of difficulty, all with a lovely theme of animals having fun, playing at a park. Recently, an iPad version, Park Math HD has been released which also includes a 3rd level as well.

I really like how children get to choose to either follow a roller-skating blue bear as he leads them through the park to different games, or simply choose a section by tapping one of seven kite icons the sky above which represent each activity. I also appreciate how different levels of knowledge are covered, from the basics of counting in sequence to more advanced math like addition and subtraction which are very interactive, tapping to add ducks as they take their turns down a slide, and learning by subtracting apples as they fall from trees. Best of all, kids can take their time learning these concepts, working at their own pace without feeling rushed. It intrigues me how focused my son is when he is working with this app, and I do see these experiences transitioning into his daily life. He has become very interested in counting the objects of his world, now we add as well as take things away from his piles and I am happy to say he can keep up. This app is educational, but more importantly, it is fun. My son really enjoys all the animals this app has to offer, having lots of fun interacting with them.

I would love Duck Duck Moose to do for basic reading what it did for math. A lot of apps teach the alphabet, but I would love to see one go further down this path to including both the letters and phonics as well as sounding out words and ultimately sentences. If anyone can do this, it is Duck Duck Moose.

This is a great math study app suitable for the entire elementary school spectrum. Mathaliens covers addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and has two play modes: Mathaliens Bingo and Hunting Mathaliens, with three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard).

In Mathaliens Bingo, a Bingo field is presented with an array of twenty numbers. A math problem is presented, and the player must select the correct answer from the field while striving to get a "Bingo", a horizontal or vertical line of correct answers. Each time a correct answer is selected, the number is replaced by a spunky-looking alien. Scoring depends on how quickly the correct answer is selected; 50 points are attainable within the first second and 5 points are subtracted every second thereafter. Incorrect answers deduct 50 points from the totals. High scores are retained in a list accessible from within the app.

Hunting Mathaliens consists of five levels of progressing difficulty which must be passed through by correctly answering math problems. Two initial lives are given; one life is deducted when a question is answered incorrectly, and an additional life is granted each time a level is completed. In each subsequent level, answer times are shorter and the number of available answers increases. The minimum time for answering in the final level can be adjusted in the settings. A Mathalien is caught and stored in a Mathalien gallery accessible by the My Mathaliens button.

I highly recommend this app as a fun way to practice and sharpen "head math" skills.