Academics
TradePals
A first deal-making game for ages 6–8: build a FAIR swap from chips — give a good you have to spare, get the good you're missing, and say what it's for. Barter the badger's Fair-o-meter shows if it helps BOTH islanders. Make all 5 deals! On-device, no accounts, no clock — the game rewards fair, not greedy.
#B45309 Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
TradePals's cast are the pals of Barter's Market — Barter the badger runs the market and the pals show fair give-and-get. Each embodies one idea about a fair swap. Illustrated portraits & chapters are a paid-gen follow-on (STORY-PEND).
Barter
The badger who runs the market — reads the Fair-o-meter and coaches you toward a swap that helps both islanders
Read chapter →
Vera
Loves to swap — never sits on spare goods; shows how a good trade helps both sides at once
Read chapter →
Rafi
The roamer — shows you to ask for a good the pal has to SPARE, not one they're still saving (or the Fair-o-meter warns you)
Read chapter →
Mason
The keen builder — will take a big offer, so he teaches you to keep the Fair-o-meter fair for YOU too
Read chapter →
Browse all chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Learning goal
A first deal-making game for ages 6–8: build a FAIR swap from chips — give a good you have to spare, get the good you're missing, and say what it's for. Barter the badger's Fair-o-meter shows if it helps BOTH islanders. Make all 5 deals! On-device, no accounts, no clock — the game rewards fair, not greedy.
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 Barter — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How TradePals 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
TradePals 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
TradePals 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