Academics
GardenPals
A build-a-garden game for ages 6–8: Sorrel plants a garden and waters it for blooms — the more she grows, and the more Suns she plants, the more each watering gives. Draw three plants, pick one to grow, then watch where every bloom comes from. No losing. On-device; nothing leaves your device.
#b45309 Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
GardenPals has a tiny friendly crew who make engine-building something a six-to-eight-year-old can hold: Sorrel plants a garden and waters it — the more she grows, the more blooms each watering gives; Fennel is a seedling you plant (each one blooms every time you water); Sunny is the Sun, who makes EVERY plant give one more bloom (her bonus traces to every plant — the Engine Rule); and Marigold is the blooms Sorrel gathers into the basket (their illustrated storybooks are on the way).
Sorrel
(Hero) the gardener — plants a garden and waters it; the more she grows, the more blooms each watering gives (engine-building: more built → more output)
Fennel
A seedling you plant into the garden — gives its blooms every time you water (the engine piece: adding raises the output)
Sunny
The Sun — makes EVERY plant give one more bloom each watering; her bonus traces to every plant (the engine booster / the Engine Rule made vivid)
Marigold
The blooms Sorrel gathers each watering — the output you build toward, filling the basket
What's inside
Learning goal
A build-a-garden game for ages 6–8: Sorrel plants a garden and waters it for blooms — the more she grows, and the more Suns she plants, the more each watering gives. Draw three plants, pick one to grow, then watch where every bloom comes from. No losing. On-device; nothing leaves your device.
Question kits
16 curriculum-aligned kits × 25 questions = 400 questions per app, mapped to recognized standards.
On-device AI mentor
FoundationModels-powered hints, feedback, and adaptive difficulty — all running locally.
Mentored by Sorrel — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How GardenPals handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ No ads, no in-app purchases — you pay once
- ✅ COPPA compliant under the 2026 FTC amendments
- ✅ Parental controls + session limits + content filters built in
GardenPals runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
GardenPals is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch