Common Sense Media Review
By Jenny Bristol
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Practice math skills and launch a rocket ship into space.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Mathmateer
What's It About?
MATHMATEER is an educational arithmetic and basic math game. Kids earn money to build rockets by solving problems -- choosing from addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Each operation has questions at three difficulty levels -- easy, medium, or hard -- with more difficult problems earning kids more money. When they've earned enough money, kids design and build their own rockets, which can then be launched into space on missions. Kids help guide the rocket on its trajectory by tilting the device. Missions cover such topics as odd and even numbers, money, shapes, telling time, the four operations, fractions, decimals, and square roots, at six levels of difficulty, from novice to genius. When the rocket reaches space, kids tap numbers or answers that fit the mission as quickly as possible before the rocket reenters the atmosphere and lands. Kids are awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals if they reach a certain score for the mission.
Is It Any Good?
Mathmateer is a unique game with a variety of math concepts and skills to learn and some creative elements to play with. The many difficulty levels and topics make this app useful for a wide age range. Since there are medals and in-game money to earn, and a variety of rockets to build, this app can be played and replayed, providing a different experience each time. The interface is very attractive and futuristic. Before enjoying the game play and rocket building, however, learning how to use the app presents a challenge. There's no introduction explaining how the game works, so a bit of trial and error is required.
The general idea is to solve four types of arithmetic problems to earn money to build a rocket. The rocket must be designed to actually fly. One rocket booster asymmetrically placed, or an underpowered rocket, for example, won't launch the rocket into space, and the mission can't be performed. There are plenty of cosmetic and quirky options for rockets, including an English phone booth for a rocket body and a smiley face for a decoration. When a rocket is well designed, it can be launched into space to complete one of many math missions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Explain to your kids that they need to answer math problems to earn money to build a rocket before they can launch one into space.
Discuss that strong math skills are the basis for many careers, including astronaut and rocket scientist.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Math : addition , division , multiplication , subtraction , Science : physics
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : problem solving , Creativity : making new creations
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : September 18, 2013
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Dan Russell-Pinson
- Version : 2.3
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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