Special Interest
LabSmith
Virtual science lab where kids run real physics simulations — mix chemicals, build circuits, test buoyancy — earning mastery ranks through hands-on experimentation, not quizzes. Hypothesis-first loop: predict → run → observe → reconcile.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, praises, and patiently scaffolds learning. On-device AI personalizes the mentor's responses to your kid's progress — never connecting to a server, never collecting data.
Mentored by Smithy
#FFA726 LabSmith is a science experiment sandbox RPG for curious kids ages 9–14. You play as an apprentice "Smith" at the Grand Laboratory, conducting interactive physics and science simulations to earn mastery ranks and unlock new experiments.
Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
LabSmith-app's 10-character cast IS the scientific method — the OHEL core loop (Observe / Hypothesize / Experiment / Learn = See / Guess / Check / Reflect) plus six lessons-layer primitives every young scientist practises: Query (ask a good question), Model (build a stand-in), Meter (measure precisely), Again (replicate), Because (argue from evidence), Explain (the mechanism). Each cast member is an anthropomorphic animal apprentice whose defining act IS its primitive; Reflect is the cast's warm human mentor. STRONGEST 1:1 primitive-to-cast mapping in the portfolio. (Note: LabSmith-app is the science-experiment sandbox RPG product, not to be confused with internal tooling of the same name.) Smithy preserved as Socratic mentor. Cross-app cameos: See ↔ TerraWatch+CuriosityQuest (patient-observation cluster load-bearing); Guess ↔ ChanceForge (probability-as-hypothesis); Check ↔ MakerForge+LevelForge (iteration cluster load-bearing); Reflect ↔ ResearchQuest+MindForge (meta-cognition cluster). NO real-scientist mascotization (Newton/Curie/Einstein/Feynman in static kit metadata ONLY).
Query
Ask a good question — sharp + answerable; 'Where science starts.'
Read chapter →
See
Observe — gather raw data first; 'Look first. Talk later.'
Read chapter →
Guess
Hypothesize — frame a testable guess; 'What if…?'
Read chapter →
Model
Model it — build a small stand-in you can poke; 'Learn the big thing from the little one.'
Read chapter →
Meter
Measure precisely — a number and a unit; 'How much, exactly?'
Read chapter →
Check
Experiment — design + run the test; 'One test at a time.'
Read chapter →
Again
Replicate — repeat to be sure; 'One result is a maybe. Do it again.'
Read chapter →
Because
Argue from evidence — back a claim with the reason; 'I think Y, because I saw X.'
Read chapter →
Explain
Explain the mechanism — the how-and-why that connects cause to effect; 'Know THAT, then know WHY.'
Read chapter →
Reflect
Learn — interpret results + revise; 'What did we learn? What surprised us?'
Read chapter →
Browse all chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
First Launch
1. Open LabSmith and enter your name to create your scientist profile.
Your First Session
Your first session takes about 10–15 minutes and covers one experiment in the Mechanics Lab. Here is what to expect:
The Hypothesis Loop
Every experiment follows the same four steps: Observe, Hypothesize, Experiment, Learn. This structure mirrors how real scientists work. The most important thing
The Lab Domains
LabSmith is organized into science domains. Each domain is its own subject pack with multiple experiments:
Mentored by Smithy — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How LabSmith 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
LabSmith 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
LabSmith 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