PBS Kids Launches Free Augmented Reality Math App

PBS Kids has launched Fetch! Lunch Rush, an educational augmented reality app for iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

Designed for students in grades 1-3, the free multiplayer game uses the device's camera and overlaid graphics to create 3-D imagery designed to "reinforce the early algebraic concepts, helping kids to make the connection between real objects and corresponding numeric symbols," according to information released by the company.

The object of the game is to feed a crew working on Ruff's movie. To play, users print out game pieces from a downloadable PDF and distribute them around the game area. Ruff then gives orders for food and users choose the game piece with the number corresponding to the correct answer by looking at it through the phone and tapping it.

Funded through a Ready to Learn grant from the United States Department of Education, the app was created by WGBH and based on Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, a PBS Kids Go! series also produced by the member station.

"The Fetch! Lunch Rush app is designed as a 3-D game, which helps kids visualize the math problems they are trying to solve," said Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president of children’s media at PBS. "At PBS Kids our goal is to use media to nurture kids' natural curiosity and inspire them to explore the world around them; we can’t wait to see what this new app will mean for furthering that exploration."

The iTunes page for the app currently warns that the game may not work on the iPhone 4S. "Users of the iPhone 4S may experience a blue screen when trying to play the game," according to information on the site. "The app does work on all other iPhone and iPod touch devices, and we are currently working to fix this issue as soon as possible."

More information about the app is available at itunes.apple.com. Visit pbskids.org for more information about PBS Kids.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • school building split in half, with one side collapsing into a dark hole

    Office of Educational Technology, National Center for Education Statistics Fall Victim to ED Cuts

    The U.S. Department of Education has announced cuts of nearly half of its staff, numbering more than 1,300 workers, according to AP reporting. While official details on the cuts are not available, early commentary on LinkedIn has revealed drastic cuts in the areas of educational technology and data.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Host of Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major cybersecurity advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.

  • students using digital devices, surrounded by abstract AI motifs and soft geometric design

    Ed Tech Startup Kira Launches AI-Native Learning Platform

    A new K-12 learning platform aims to bring personalized education to every student. Kira, one of the latest ed tech ventures from Andrew Ng, former director of Stanford's AI Lab and co-founder of Coursera and DeepLearning.AI, "integrates artificial intelligence directly into every educational workflow — from lesson planning and instruction to grading, intervention, and reporting," according to a news announcement.