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Addicting, but yet educational, Marble Math is an entertaining app for 9 to 12 year-olds to practice their math skills.
Guiding the marble through the maze makes this educational app feel more like a game. Whether you drag the marble or roll it, avoid the obstacles and pick up the bonus items. Kids in this age group may prefer rolling their marbles which is done by tilting the device. Rolling the marble is much more challenging than dragging it. Choosing how to move the marble is just one of many options available in customizing Marble Math.
Choosing whether or not obstacles and bonuses appear in the mazes is another option; they can be turned on or off. Many of the obstacles make the app more challenging; they also add an element of fun. We had fun bouncing our marble between the boxing glove and rubber duck, sliding on the banana peel, using the transporters, or moving around in the dark after running into the flashlight. The kids enjoyed picking up the ghost bonus, which allows you to move freely through the walls of the maze. Don’t forget to pick up the stars for extra lives, crown for extra points, free ticket to remove one wrong answer or magic wand that removes one obstacle.
Fifteen additional marbles may be earned by accruing points. Marble designs range from a beach ball, various sports balls or some that look like objects you might find in the solar system.
Music and sounds add to the game atmosphere of the app. The sounds of the obstacles and bonuses can cause a great many giggles. Both the sound and music can be muted if desired. The vivid colors used for the backgrounds, text and objects add a lively energy to the learning environment without being a distraction.
Marble Math is a multi-user app; along with the ability to create a unique avatar for each user and basic reporting functionality. All of these features are local to the app, which is one feature I especially like. Creating the avatars is so much fun for the kids and adults.
This universal app performs similarly on either device. There is a slight difference in the content of the learning objectives. Due to the difficulty in seeing the difference in the coins and bills (notes) that objective is not available on the smaller screen devices.
The design of the app makes it easy to navigate, customize or play. An in-app information section provides information regarding the objects in the game, instructions on playing or customizing the game, and much more. Marble Math does not offer narration of the math problems.
Two features that make this a great educational app are the Show Me button and the area on the screen that shows the objects collected during the maze. The Show Me button is available if the problem is not answered correctly and the user wants to see the correct answer. The area on the screen that shows the objects collected thus far is helpful in the mazes that require multiple objects to solve the math problem.
Marble Math does not contain in-app purchases, ads or social media links. Most of the external links are found on the parents menu and prompt the user before exiting the app. The More Apps button on the main screen also prompts the user before exiting the app.
Learning objectives
Three learning levels are available. Within each level parents or teachers can customize the objectives to be included in the game; objectives such as addition (two digits), subtraction (two digits), fractions, decimals, multiplication, division and so on. You can choose to include all objectives for the level, any combination of them or just one. An example for Level 1 might include the addition of double digit numbers with no carrying, addition of coins and dollars (notes) to $50 or simple fractions to 1 (with or without the use of diagrams). For Level 2 it might include the addition of double digit numbers with carrying, sequencing of decimals to .01 and subtracting double digit numbers with borrowing.
Bottom line
Marble Math, great for the classroom or at home, offers many learning objectives and customizations.
Marble Math is a fun, engaging way to practice core math concepts that your kids are learning in the classroom.
The object of the game is to solve a variety of math problems by collecting numbers as you roll or drag your marble through a series of mazes. Earn new marbles and collect bonuses while reinforcing key concepts in pursuit of a high score. But watch out math whizzes! You’ll need to be focused and nimble to avoid the obstacles in your path.
Wrong answer? No problem! Marble Math gives you the option to Replay the question or Show the correct answer in a game simulation, before moving on to the next problem.
Multiple users on the same device? Add as many custom profiles as you like. Individual game settings, including problem types by level, and scores are saved in each user profile. And the profile avatar creator is so much fun, it’s like its own game.
Along with high scores and three separate difficulty levels to suit different ages and abilities, there are 16 unique marble styles to choose from. Parents and teachers can customize gameplay to concentrate on specific math concepts by selecting problem types for each player and level or just let the game roll with random problem generation for unlimited practice and play!
Marble Math concepts include:
• addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• adding and sequencing fractions with different denominators
• sequencing roman numerals
• factoring
• sequencing decimals
• adding and subtracting negative integers
• adding US coins and notes
• comparing number values
• simplifying equations
Regular Price: $1.99