Kamau.io

What is Kamau.io app?

The best way to think of a Kamau.io is as a simplified four-function calculator that shows what's happening with the numbers it is manipulating. Once you've entered two numbers and an operation and clicked submit,  a high-contrast animation helps viewers see what happens to numbers put through the chosen operation.

Tidier and quicker to access than number cubes, more responsive and quicker to create than written examples, Kamau.io is an excellent app for parents and teachers to help their kids understand arithmetic.

What we love about Kamau.io app.

The old saying goes that a picture speaks a thousand words, and Kamau.io is proof. Its animations don't use words but expertly convey how the arithmetical operations work and how to carry them out effectively.

Each animation is generated from two numbers (up to 100) and one operation. They respond very well to the size of the numbers when moving through the animation, as you wouldn't want the smaller numbers to go too fast or the larger numbers to take too long.

Kamau.io's animations provide a natural backdrop to a teacher's or parent's explanation of what happens to numbers during arithmetic and make excellent references to working with tens and units to aid mental and written reasoning.

The app's convenience as a free web app can't be underestimated. Even in lessons or teaching situations where you don't plan to use Kamau.io, it is easy to access, letting you call upon its explanatory aids in an instant.

What age is it appropriate for?

Kamau.io will be useful at different stages of kids' education. During early math education, the animations will help kids visualise what happens when they do arithmetic.

Later, this can still be useful because once kids start using written methods, they can forget what is actually happening to the numbers. At this point, using Kamau.io with larger numbers can help remind students of this to help them build up to new skills, such as working with fractions.

Is Kamau.io app easy to use?

Kamau.io has a short instructions page, but with only three input options and a submit button, everybody can understand how to use it. The animations' explanations use a high contrast, making it easy to follow and view from a distance on a large screen.

How will students benefit?

Students sometimes need reminders when they return to a topic, such as when completing homework. Unfortunately, they can't always access the reminder in the form that their teacher used. As a web app, Kamau.io is compatible with virtually any device kids might have, and they don't need to pay or register to use it.

If kids realise they need to refresh their understanding at home, they can access the website and watch a few animations. They might even start increasing the size of the numbers to exceed their objectives, which can only be a good thing.

How will parents benefit?

Apps like Kamau.io are helpful for parents to help kids overcome difficulties in understanding. Being free and simple to understand, parents can easily use this app on an occasional basis to help their kids.

Parents who homeschool their kids should definitely bookmark it as it provides excellent visual support for explanations. If you use this app, you'll have limitless examples, won't have to prepare your own, and your kids can use it independently to remind themselves.

How will teachers benefit?

Kamau.io uses the entire web browser screen, which makes it ideal for displaying on a classroom display. The user chooses which numbers and operators to select, making using it for examples appropriate for the students easy.

Using Kamau.io will also speed up lesson planning when teaching arithmetic. Rather than make a few pre-prepared examples that might end up being too few or too many, Kamau.io will always have the right amount and will take no time.

What can Kamau.io app improve on?

Kamau.io does what it does exceptionally well, but it has only a small feature set. Its about page indicates that the developer hopes to expand its visual examples to many other topics and we hope it does.

We'd like some extra accessibility options for the animations to support kids with colour vision difficulties. As the app stands, people with limited colour vision could use it as colour is not used solely to communicate information. However, an option to use a pattern or texture in place of colour, where it adds extra clarity, would give a more equal experience.

A tiny typo on the about page instructs users to hit 'submit'.

How much does Kamau.io app cost?

Kamau.io is a free-to-access website. At the time of this review of Kamau.io, it was entirely free of cost with no extra payment options.

Is Kamau.io safe to use?

Users do not have to log in to use Kamau.io or provide details. The app does not display any advertisements. The app did not ask for approval to use cookies which is unusual in countries that follow GDPR legislation, but it may indicate that the app does not use them. Without any persistent storage or advertisements, this is likely the case. However, the app does not have a published privacy policy explaining this, and regardless of conformance to GDPR should be present.

Overall rating of the app.

Deciding on a star rating for Kamau.io is very difficult. It offers a practical, well-designed and intuitive teaching and learning aid. It is free and not plastered with advertising. It doesn't push users towards paying for anything. It can support learning through an almost limitless number of examples.

However, these examples are confined to four operations, and while the app is expected to grow in functionality, the current app is the one under review. We hope the app does grow because we are awarding it four stars with the expectation of adding a fifth as it expands.

We recommend anyone with kids of suitable age or teachers covering basic arithmetic to bookmark Kamau.io and look into using it with their kids.