Bottom Line: There are many good features in this comprehensive math app for kids from about 4-7. There’s room for improvement with the app structure, but the price is good for a comprehensive math app.
If you'd like to download Grade 1 Math: First Step Zoo Picnic (iPad/iPhone, free with in-app purchases) please support smartappsforkids.com by using this link:
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Only external link is to App Store to rate the app and it is in a math-problem protected area.
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The zoo theme is a lot of fun, and I know my own first grade daughter loved to learn the little facts that are interspersed throughout this app (such as the fact that some monkeys live on the ground). She also enjoyed looking at the animals in the virtual zoo, and earning coins by answering problems in order to buy the animals little treats.
I was a little disappointed that the zoo items to buy weren’t a little more realistic. What zoo really feeds the giraffes lemonade in a glass with a straw? Can a sea turtle really use a scooter? Also, after purchasing the items for the animals, they are simply added next to the animal in the zoo — there is no opportunity for interaction with the items. It is fun to be able to “purchase” new animals for the zoo, though, and I assume most children won’t be bothered by the silliness of giving an ostrich a basketball.
The app can be set up with profiles for up to four individual learners, which is a great feature for a family with multiple students at this level. However, it’s not much help for teachers (unless they are fortunate enough to have multiple devices in the classroom).
The questions are reminiscent of questions on
my favorite Study Pad Splash Math apps — a variety of styles are used in question
types, which helps to keep the app from feeling like a glorified worksheet.
Some questions require typing in the answer, others matching cards together,
and still others identifying the right choice to answer a question.
The sequence of problems didn’t seem right within each section, however. I expect to see a very clear development of skills, starting with the easier questions before moving on to more difficult. Instead, it seemed they were all lumped together: a question asking the user to count the number of objects (a total of seven) and choose the correct numeral was followed by a question requiring the child to arrange weights from least to greatest, with options of 3 pounds, 7 pounds, 15 pounds, 17 pounds, and 20 pounds. This is a much more difficult skill than simply counting.
This was not true in every section, however. In the geometry section and the time section, the questions seemed to progress appropriately. This could be because there is much less that is required to learn in these areas in first grade!
Teachers and parents should also take note that the app requires assistance from an adult if the child is not a proficient reader. The questions themselves are read by the fun zoo guide, Dinah the Dinosaur, and can be repeated just by tapping Dinah. However, there is text on many answer choices with no auditory support. For example, some questions ask, “Are there more squares or triangles?” The choices at the bottom are only text, with no visual support of a picture or a triangle. Another style of question requires the student to drag items into buckets to sort, but again there is no visual support — only the text of the options (such as “less than 5” and “greater than 5”). The app would be strengthened by providing either visual or auditory support for the many six-year-olds who cannot yet read that text.
There were also some poorly worded sentences — for example, every question asking the student to count was phrased: “Count how many elephants are there?” If it’s a question, as the punctuation implies, it should be worded as such. If it’s a simple statement, then there should be no question mark.
I would also like to see the app provide some teaching
feedback. If the wrong answer is selected, there is no explanation, or even
verbal prompt. Instead, there is a
“boing” sound and the problem can’t be completed. I prefer apps that teach,
either by an auditory explanation (“No, that’s a square! Try again!”) or by
visual help such as pointing out the correct basket.
The app is free, which makes any parent or teacher happy! However, some of the content requires an in-app purchase in order to use. Currently, the entire app content is available for an in-app purchase of $4.99, giving access to all five sections. Alternately, the individual sections of Subtraction, Counting, and Addition can be purchased for $1.99 each. (It doesn’t take this app to realize it’s a better deal to get the full access!) The Geometry and Time sections are always free.
In-app purchases are often problematic for the educational environment. At least in my school system, it would require that I purchase the app with my own funds — I cannot get a code for an app with an in-app purchase, and I cannot get an iTunes card to make purchases for an in-app purchase with school funds. Families may prefer it, however, so that just the desired sections can be purchased, instead of the full app.
Overall, First Step Grade 1 Math Zoo Picnic is a solid math app to help students get more practice with their math skills. It’s not going to teach the concepts, but if the concept has already been taught or the app can be used with adult guidance, the student can practice in a way that is much more fun than a worksheet. At the very least, kids will likely have fun playing it, and any chance to make math fun encourages kids to keep working hard.
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Heather H. would like to own a sea turtle, just to see if it could really appreciate a scooter. SmartAppsForKids.com was paid a priority review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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