Academics
HeritageQuest
Family oral-history for ages 9–14: interview cards (who × topic → warm-up / story / reflect, each teaching a good-question move) + on-device notes + record-to-device (nothing uploaded) + a printable family book. Together-primary, on-device by definition.
▶ Play it nowScreen-light: about 5 minutes on the screen. Most of the play happens off it, with real things and real people.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, asks, and patiently scaffolds learning.
Mentored by Elder Maple
#B4692F HeritageQuest helps a child interview their own family and keep the stories. Interview cards pair who with a topic and walk warm-up → story → reflect, each teaching one good-question move; notes stay on the device (nothing is uploaded; the elder keeps any recording on their own phone); and it prints a family book at the end. Each cast member is one interviewing skill. Together-primary, on-device by definition. Ages 9–14.
Characters who teach
Meet the cast
HeritageQuest's cast each embody ONE good-question move the child practises with an elder; mentor Elder Maple is the family keeper of stories who guides the interview. Cultures are honoured by their own memories and symbols — never a flag or caricature.
Ola
Open questions — ask 'tell me about…' so the story can grow
Read chapter →
Probyn
The follow-up — 'what happened next?' keeps the story going
Read chapter →
Lenne
Active listening — nod, wait, and really hear before the next question
Read chapter →
Keeper
The story-keeper — write it down so it isn't lost
Read chapter →
Warmly
The warm-up — start with an easy, friendly question
Read chapter →
Reva
Reflect back — say it in your own words to check you understood
Read chapter →
Tessa
Timeline — put the memories in the order they happened
Read chapter →
Senza
Five-senses detail — ask what it looked, sounded, and smelled like
Read chapter →
Pausa
The kind pause — silence gives an elder room to remember
Read chapter →
Elder Maple
Keeper of stories — guides the family interview
Read chapter →
Browse all chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Learning goal
Family oral-history for ages 9–14: interview cards (who × topic → warm-up / story / reflect, each teaching a good-question move) + on-device notes + record-to-device (nothing uploaded) + a printable family book. Together-primary, on-device by definition.
Mentored by Elder Maple — no data leaves the device.
How HeritageQuest handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages
For you, the grown-up
The grown-up side of HeritageQuest on Spark & Whetstone, our free site for grown-ups: The Told Book. They ask the family questions; you tell the stories and keep them, recordings included, on your own device.
It also tells what HeritageQuest teaches in 3 short courses.
HeritageQuest 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
HeritageQuest 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