Shape Lab is a geometry app for children that completely focuses on shape. You start with a blank canvas and a 1cm grid that stretches across the screen (other grid designs are included too). When you begin to draw, the app recognises your lines and understands what you were trying to achieve. So you don’t have to struggle trying to create the perfect circle — everything gets joined up automatically.
In addition to freehand drawing you can choose to load a preset shape. Here you have many options: triangles, rectangles, squares, diamonds etc. that are loaded into your drawing with a simple tap. When selecting a colour for your shape, there’s the option of making it slightly transparent — perfect for calculating area as you can see the grid through it.
Regardless of how you created your shape, you have the ability to adjust them very easily. When a shape is selected, you can move any of its anchor points by dragging it across the screen. Unfortunately, shapes don’t snap to the grid and it makes it difficult to calculate exact angles and measurements. Hopefully this will be included in a future update.
For teachers, the app has numerous lesson plans that explain exactly how to use the app to meet learning criteria. There’s even a manual on the iBookstore which covers everything the app is capable of.