Bottom Line: A sweet little app to help very early learners master numbers 1 through 10. Uses Montessori teaching methods and contains three levels of difficulty for ages 3-6.
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It’s a jungle out there . . . but lucky for you, you’re here reading about Count up to Ten: Learn Numbers with Montessori from Seven Academy. Four animal friends from all over the globe come together in this early learning app to help very beginning learners make sense of numbers. We first told you about this app back in May of 2013, but it's had some serious updates that we thought you should know about.
When you first open the app you are prompted to create a Sevenly Parent account. This allows you to track your little nugget's progress and select/deselect levels for their specific skill level. Your parent account also allows you to create profiles for multiple children, which is great for parents and teachers alike.
Penguins are here to help your tot discover numbers, Mr. Mole helps sweet chubby fingers trace numbers, a manta ray takes a dive at numbers and quantities, and elephants parade around identifying quantities, all while keeping a close eye on and recording your child’s performance.
Penguins Discover Numbers is a very basic introduction to counting. Your cute counter moves through three levels of counting receptively and expressively (understanding counting and counting out loud) from 1 to 10. Levels 2 and 3 can’t be unlocked until the previous level is completed, and it’s like that with every area. But the user can go back and revisit a skill if the little cherub still needs practice, or to build some confidence.
Mole Trace the Digits: Here your kiddo can dig up some worms (shudder) for the mole in the dirt . . . or trace numbers. Whatever you want to tell them. Either way, the user follows the arrows to trace numbers 1 through 10 with either an index finger or a stylus. If he gets off track, Mr. Owl (the narrator) shakes a disapproving wing and the little number-tracer starts over wherever he got off course. In levels 2 and 3, the dotted lines vanish once kiddo starts to trace, and by the end of the number, she is connecting the worms along the way using only her visual-spatial skills. Eventually even the worms high-tail it out of there and kiddos are left to write with no guide.
A tiny little "Rookie Zone" is available on the main screen by this section which allows for repeated pracitce on any of the numerals, just incase one is a little tricky.
The format of the manta game was a bit of a stretch for me, but it got the point across. A big manta ray appears and on his belly are 10 stars. Beginning from 1, it is the rugrat’s goal to attach a sucker fish to the belly of the big manta. So for 1, he attaches one fish to a star. When on “3,” he attaches three fish -- one to each star. Make sense? From there on, the manta chooses a number at random, and your learner has to attach the appropriate number of fish. They are always given the correct number of fish, so the task is a little “meh.” But here’s to more chances to learn to count.
Finally, elephants galore march onto the screen in 10 groups. Your kiddo's job is to identify the quantity in each group. The elephants line up on top of each other, which is a great way for your visual learner to wrap her mind around more and less.
A fun alernate reality game is available next to the elephant section titled "flash card game." This too requires a Sevenly parent account and some flash cards to be sent you and printed out.
After completing a level in any of the areas, a seed is earned. These seeds can be planted in the Green Academy, where your tot can watch her garden grow. While it was open play before, you must use and sign in to your Sevenly Parent account to access this section. I was a little bummed that they've turned this into a "secret garden" of sorts.
The graphics in this app are good, but the background music on the main screen can drive you a little batty if left to play too long. While this app has a lot of great, basic features, I can’t say I’m totally blown away by it. It only targets concepts 1 through 10, which is important, but is often mastered quickly and the user is ready to move on. Unfortunately, the app doesn't move on.
Each section also contains a bonus screen where kids can learn more about the animal guiding them. This can be accessed by tapping the spinning globe next to each section on the main screen. A mole is helping you trace numbers? Why, here is a photo of a real mole and a little info about his grubby little face. A little bonus biology to go with your counting.
While three stars does not equal a bad rating, there isn't really anything here that I couldn't find in a number of other math apps in the app store (for the same or a lower price). There are some good qualities here, sure, but am I bowled over? Not really.
If you’re looking for a standard app that will get the counting job done, then Count up to Ten is a good place to begin. I am anxious to see what happens in future updates. The developer is off to a solid start, but there is lots of room to grow.
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Rachel has been introducing her cats to musical theater. SmartAppsForKids.com was paid a priority review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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