Motion Math: Cupcake!
© 2015 Motion Math
We always love a good simulation that helps children make sense of math. And what product is more interesting that a cupcake, especially when you get to put on the sprinkles? In this math sim, you run the show -- ordering the ingredients, running the cash register by carefully listening to customer requests, baking and decorating the cupcakes, and driving the delivery truck, using a coordinate system. There are a lot of steps, and the illustration style doesn't do enough to help you find the different locations. For example, if you accidentally stumble into the bakery, it's possible that you could be greeted by an unfriendly message that looks like an error, telling you to delete one of your cupcakes. We also would've liked some hints (aka ZPD elements), or at the very least, a way to escape from a problem that is too hard. But, as teachers, we loved the play pattern and the content, which includes basic economics, reading word problems, thinking about proportions and the coordinate system -- all while doing mental math. For example, you learn that a lower price may sell more cupcakes. But then ingredient costs get greater. Your business is saved automatically, and there are different accounts. Find the best price, evaluate your costs, place orders correctly on the coordinate map, and drive quickly to satisfy your customers. The math moves into mixed numbers, fractions, negatives, and tricky word problems as players succeed.
$3.99, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 6.1 or later)
Teaches: story problems, math, fractions, coordinates
CTR Rating: 84%