I just have to share the new-to-me-app that I purchased last night.   It may win the prize for the best educational app I’ve ever purchased.  We’ve tried a few apps for math facts, and so far none have been a hit with my daughter.  I sat down yesterday to try and find another app for my daughter to practice her multiplication facts.  I am still a big fan of XtraMath, but I wanted a fun way for her to practice multiplication facts so when she gets to that level in XtraMath she will be able to progress quickly.  I happened upon Mathopolis, and I am in love.

Mathopolis is a firefighter-themed app for practicing all math facts.  We have an iphone, iPad and an iPod touch (all hand-me-downs, thanks to my husband’s tech-loving family) and this app works on all of them.  On each device we can create multiple “firefighters,” which is especially helpful because you earn medals as you complete levels.  You begin by choosing “play” to work on timed levels and earn medals, or “training” to be able to practice without being timed.

I love the many options in this app:  just one operation at a time, or combinations of operations.  Great practice!

This is the “training” menu where you can choose which operation, which facts, and whether or not you want to be timed.

This playing menu shows any medals already earned.  I like that there is a choice to practice all multiplication facts together.

Here you see the screen while in play:  a math fact appears, you touch the window with the answer before the clock runs out.  Wrong answers mean you won’t earn a medal that round.  You can even ask to see the missed problems at the end.

What we love:

This is an easy to use app that still provides lots of options for practicing math facts.  The basic game is simple and nearly all the time is spent practicing facts.  No time is wasted on other aspects of a game, or only doing the math facts to earn a separate, non-educational game.  It is simple but both of my children love it.  The biggest surprise:  my daughter, who never chooses math as a “spare time” activity, picked up the iPad today to try to earn a few more medals.  I’d have done a cartwheel if I didn’t worry I’d pull a muscle!

What we didn’t like:

Nothing.  That’s a real rarity for me, as I’m usually quite picky about apps.  I often don’t buy the in-app upgrades, and delete apps on a regular basis.  Mathopolis is only 99 cents and is worth every penny!