Crazy Gears
© 2014 Edoki Academy
This leveled problem solving physics game lets children freely manipulate gears, chains, rods, pulleys and more to pull themselves to the next level. There are 61 puzzles, each with the same objective -- to pull up a cover over screen. This is the sequel to Busy Shapes (CTR Editor's Choice Award March 2014). There's plenty of opportunities for making mistakes (also known as debugging) to see how different mechanisms affect one another when constructing a machine. For example, you find that adding a third gear will change the direction of rotation, and larger gears have less force. The parts snap together easily and there are often multiple ways to solve a problem. According to parent guide materials, "Crazy Gears was conceived as a tribute to mathematician and educational technologist, Seymour Papert, in hopes of providing children with the inspiration to discover and understand the physical properties of mechanisms found in their everyday lives. As a young boy, Papert fell in love with gears. Their movement fascinated him in every way and inspired his career." Note that it is possible to play through all the levels in about an hour, and every challenge is the same, which decreases the likelihood that a child will return to this app once it is mastered. This is a minor issue. If they make it to level 61, it's well worth the investment.
$1.99, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 8.0 or later)
Teaches: math, creativity, problem solving, logic, gears, physics, physical science, torque
CTR Rating: 98%