Hungry Fish by Applicable2U

Hungry Fish

by Motion Math

Come swim along the shores of Wave Reef as you test out your addition skills.  From the developers of Motion Math and Motion Math Zoom, young mathematicians will not be disappointed with their recent addition – Motion Math Hungry Fish.  Designed for all Apple devices running iOS 4.0 or later, this initially free educational app will get your gills wet as your student or child ages 4-12+ feeds their very hungry fish with numbers.  For those educators or parents whose state is now or soon will be following the Common Core Standards, it is important to note that Motion Math games are designed with such standards in mind.  Hungry Fish is applicable to children just learning the concepts of numbers and addition to adults looking to brush up on their brain stimulation. With wonderful graphics, easy to navigate tutorials and playful modes of creativity, users will want to unlock more.  Additional levels can be added to your device through an in app purchase of $3.99 for each of the following: Subtraction and Negatives or purchase the whole fish tank for $6.99.  Luckily, these fish won’t die as quickly as those from the pet store.

Upon entering the application users will want to observe their “fish tank.”  In the bottom right hand corner, users will see four icons: a fish, musical note, trophy and a question mark.  Each of these icons will support and guide the user as they go fishing. If this is your first time playing, users will want to tap the fish icon.  Upon tapping this icon, it would appear that an unlimited amount of fish “users”  can be added to the application.  Through exploration and gaming, users will be able to associate a creatively designed fish of their own to their account. If at any time, the sound effects or music becomes a distraction for students, simply return home and tap the music icon to off.   Based on your successes, the trophy icon will store your high score as it relates to other fish in the sea.  Within the question mark icon, users and parents will find a great deal of resources. With a how to play, a parent guide, and options, each users experience can be customized for them.  In addition, this home tank provides positive reinforcement to those playing, in the bottom left hand corner a very basic reporting system of your points, a multiplier, the number of colors you have unlocked, and how many fins styles your fish can have.  Once your fish has been dropped into the tank, it is time to play.  Play can begin in two ways: tapping the play arrow in the top right hand corner or interactively.  With your fine motor skills, tap and drag your fish across the screen and watch it follow your finger tip.  After a little playtime, it is time to get academically playing, drag your fish up to the play arrow.

Your first experience with Hungry Fish will require you to begin with the introduction.  Here narrators will explain how to play.  Feeding occurs through number recognition and combining numbers to make new sums so as to feed their fish.  Hungry Fish is visually explaining the concept of mental arithmetic as it shows multiple ways to make the same number.  With this free version of Hungry Fish, users will have access to 18 levels of difficulty as they explore the Wave Reef.  Levels of difficulty can range from simple number matching, to faster gameplay, to even challenging for the most math savvy individual.  Regardless of which level you choose to play, your goal is to feed your starving fish.  In the tank, you will see your fish will have a number on it, it is your goal to drag and drop a floating bubble of that same number into your fishes mouth.  At times, there are no bubbles with the exact number and it is now time to do a little combining.  If combining is required, then you must overlap bubbles to form a new numbered bubble.  It is important to note that your fish only likes to eat one bubble at a time, it’s matching number on its stomach. As you strategize combinations, don’t panic if you accidentally combine the wrong number, the surrounding sea life will blow out new bubbles so that you can fix your mistake.  Luckily no time will be eliminated from your score, however, with every mistake or lack of feeding, your fish will get smaller. No person or even fish likes to starve.

Overall, Applicable2U would give Hungry Fish two thumbs up! From the standpoint of a teacher, knowing that my students can actively be meeting the Common Core Standards in math at a variety of grade levels in one app is worth the download.  Yes, there is an added expense to extend the learning with subtraction and negatives, but for $6.99, it seems rather minimal.  Seeing my own addiction to it, I can only imagine how my students might feel.  If you would like to learn more about Motion Math, please visit their website here.  To begin feeding your virtual fish today, access Hungry Fish in your iTunes library by simply click here.  You will not be disappointed!

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Review of Operation Math by Kathy Burdick

Name of App: Operation Math by Spinlight Studio

Fee or Free: 3.99 when reviewed

 Rating: 5/5 stars

Operation Math makes you feel like a mathematical James Bond completing missions using your math skills. As Agent Prime, the user goes on missions to defeat the evil Dr. Odd by solving a set of math problems to gain access through security doors. Each door presents Agent Prime with a math problem and if it is answered correctly you move to the next door. You have 60 seconds answer all the problems correctly or you fail the mission. Each mission completed unlocks the next mission and as missions are completed you are given options for different attire and different types of watches for Agent Prime. There are 15 missions for each operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division or all 4 operations) and each mission becomes increasingly difficult. There is also a training facility called Base10 Training. Base10 Training allows the user to practice problems they will encounter during the missions. The practices, as well as successful missions, are recorded making it a great way for teachers to check a student’s progress. Data for up to three players is saved which is perfect for the classroom or household that has fewer iPad than students. I also love that the missions happen in cities all over the world and there is an objective that gives information specific to that location. For example, there are missions at: Big Ben in London, Mount Everest in Nepal, an oil rig off the coast of Houston and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. This app is excellent for many different levels and ages. It’s a fun way for students to practice their math skills and gain a bit of geography knowledge. Mobile iEducator gives Operation Math 5 stars!

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