Osmo have earned themselves a reputation for creating fun, inspiring and educational iPad games designed to engage kids and make learning enjoyable.
We had the chance to review one of their latest offerings, Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons, which is an engaging resource aimed at children aged 6 to 8 years old. Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons is focused on mathematic skills and particularly measuring length in standard and non-standard units.
Thanks to Osmo who gifted the Osmo base, camera and game. The opinions remain those of the reviewer.
Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons
The game is richly illustrated and allows for self-paced learning. Your kids will be guided through the program via a story style on their tablet and it is easy for them to navigate through independently. The mixture of physical resources and the digital program create a rich, immersive experience where children can find, research, measure and feed the dragons of this rich digital world. They’ll be having so much fun finding their dragons that they won’t even realise that they’re learning!
How it works
The Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons kit comes with a guidebook with illustrations of the different dragons that can be found, 2 different rulers for measuring in centimetres and inches and 62 food tokens. Kids are tasked with finding the dragons hidden in their habitats on the screen, turning to the correct page in their guidebook and selecting the dragon (from 3) that matches the dragon on their screen. Once they have successfully measured the dragon with their ruler, they are encouraged to feed their new friend either by following the food prompts the dragon gives them (that they like oranges for example) or by trial and error and watching the dragon’s reactions when the child places different options on the dragon’s plate.
This Osmo game has clear, easy to follow instructions and will keep young learners entertained. There are numerous badges to unlock and different levels to progress through. Children will get a buzz out of unlocking new habitats, discovering new dragons and finding their favourite foods.
What kids will learn
- How to use non-standard units to measure things
- How to use a ruler to measure things
- Estimating length
- Adding lengths
What you will need to play it
Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons is easy to set up and install – all you need is an Osmo base, a compatible tablet and an internet connection. The instructions in the game box are easy to follow and guide you through downloading the app (if you don’t have it already) and initial set up.
Ipad Compatibility: All iPads except Generation 1, 2, 3, iPad Mini 1, iPad Air 4, iPad Pro 11-inch and iPad Pro 12.9-inch.
IOS Version: The minimum iOS version needed is iOS 10.
Osmo starter pack: If you haven’t already used Osmo, you will also need an Osmo iPad base & reflector.
What parents and kids will love about it
We put this game through its paces with one of our team who is a qualified primary school teacher and her 7 year old daughter, here is what they had to say.
Mum: “I was impressed with the combination of physical concrete materials – children are measuring length with rulers and other supplied objects. The game itself provides immediate feedback to assist and correct children and also reward them when they correctly select the ruler requested and measure their dragon accurately. There is also some subtle information about habitats and other features of dragons that make this game rich, engaging and educational while still being a whole lot of fun!”
7 year old: “I loved feeding the dragons and seeing their reactions to the different foods, especially when I found the foods they really loved! The dragons look so cool when they eat and are happy.”
Osmo’s Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons
Osmo’s Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons is a great resource for building mathematical skills and confidence in young learners. The combination of digital and physical resources is innovative and fun for Brisbane Kids and parents can be confident that their children are engaged and learning.
Osmo have a growing range of resources and games – you can find out more and purchase directly from their website here
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