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The story needs your kid’s math to keep going.

Comics for ages 9 to 12, where your kid’s math gets the heroes unstuck. Each choice gives your kid a reason to use math.

Approach informed by: Cordova & Lepper, 1996

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  1. Comic panel. The Rounder, a round orange robot, pulls the glowing power core out of the pier’s machine: “This will power my whole scrapyard.” Leo: “It was running that.”

    Read

    In SLICE!, a thief steals the pier’s power.

  2. Comic panel at the Sky Wheel. Alexa: “I can stop him.” Leo: “Alexa. We can help here.” Tally the robot: “The brake holds. The crew needs a way to lower the cars.”

    Choose

    Your kid picks the plan.

  3. Comic panel. Tally points at a cover split into four equal sections; a selection that reaches a wired section is crossed out in red. Tally: “That reaches a wire.” Alexa: “I see it. Just the empty section.”

    Solve

    Each plan needs a fraction.

  4. Comic panel. Alexa’s tool lifts the clear quarter out of the grate while a crew member reaches in. Leo: “Clear!” Alexa: “Go ahead!”

    See what happens

    The story follows the answer.

A comic they want to keep reading, with a plan they pick.

Your kid picks the plan, works through the problem, and sees what happens.

Approach informed by: Spiegel et al., 2013; Patall et al., 2008

Comic panel at the end of the pier. The Rounder, a round orange robot, struggles to clamp the stolen power core onto his cart: “Fit. Fit.” Leo: “He should have brought a bigger cart.”

Your plan

What should Tally do first?

  • Scan the cartGet an inside view and record the stolen core.
  • Send Tally to the dock crewAsk them to guard the boat as a backup.

Wrong answers change the story.

Before answering, kids can ask Tally for up to three hints. A wrong pick leads to a different scene, followed by an explanation.

Approach informed by: Metcalfe, 2017

Comic panel after the pick 3/4. Three wired sections of the cover are marked with red crosses. Leo points: “Those are the parts we need to keep.” Alexa, adjusting her wrist tool: “Right. The other part.”

They picked 3/4

Check the parts.

Three fourths is the part with wires. Alexa leaves it in place and removes the clear fourth.

4/4 − 3/4 = 1/4

About 15 minutes an episode. You see what they practiced.

Members get a new episode every week. After each one, a short report shows what they got right and where a hint helped.

Example report

SLICE! · Episode 1

Ending reached
A Promise Kept
Endings found
1 of 4
Story choices made
3 of 3
Fractions right
2 of 3
Hints asked for
1, on 5/6 − 2/6

Practiced: a fraction of a group, subtracting fractions, equivalent fractions.

Try next: subtracting fractions with the same denominator.

We built Ahaboom on one idea: a story your kid steers can be fun and useful at once.

Kids practice math by making choices and seeing what happens.

What we never do

  • No ads
  • No chat, no strangers
  • Kids never type a name or an email
  • No in-app purchases

A grown-up holds the account. Children’s privacy

Tally the robot waving hello.

Get your kid’s free episode.

SLICE! Episode 1 is free with a parent account. No card. Send it to your kid’s tablet or read it together. It takes about 15 minutes.

Get your kid’s free episode
Get your kid’s free episode