iOrnament
By Dana Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Creating beautiful, geometric images fascinates, educates.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
iOrnament
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
To create with IORNAMENT, choose a color dot and begin to draw. There's a tutorial and more than 50 tutorial-like tips on how to use the app's many features. To access Pro features, tap "Get Pro Update" and pay the in-app purchase. From the home icon, users can also read about ornaments and how they relate to math or view a gallery with examples of "classical ornaments." Export iOrnament creations to a variety of social media, or email or text your creations, or contribute them to the World Exhibition by tapping Contribute.
Is It Any Good?
It's hard to imagine how a few simple lines and feature choices can combine to create amazing art on this app, but indeed they do. iOrnament is one of those apps that young kids or novice artists can use to create cool images through trial and error just for fun. Or, artists and digital creation enthusiasts who want to dig deep into the features can take this app to another level using the tutorials and their own creative skill. The more than 50 tutorial tips are brief, and most are easy to understand; still, some users may get overwhelmed with all of the options, which aren't critical to making mind-bending designs. iOrnament also includes some interesting background information and a gallery of historical ornament images created long before any digital technology existed. Especially for kids who love creating and art but don't love to draw free-hand, it's a great tool for making beautiful, geometric creations with fewer barriers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how iOrnament can be viewed as both an art and a math activity. What do shapes, symmetry, and patterns have to do with math? What makes art that is pleasing to the eye? Is there a mathematical reason behind it?
Talk about the use of tutorials vs. trial and error. Many users may find a mix of both to be the best way to approach iOrnament.
Consider reading some of the background educational information provided on the app with kids to help them understand the complexity and history behind their new creations on iOrnament.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Math: geometry, patterns, shapes, Arts: drawing
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: decision-making, hypothesis-testing, part-whole relationships, Creativity: making new creations, Tech Skills: digital creation
- Pricing structure: Paid (optional in-app purchase $.99)
- Release date: December 17, 2017
- Category: Education
- Publisher: science-to-touch
- Version: 2.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.1 or later
- Last updated: February 15, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Download
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate