STEM

MicrobeLab

Microbiology Adventure for Tweens — microscope-zoom core loop, microbiome simulator, named microbe characters (Lacto, Bif), immune-response minigame. Beneficial microbes foregrounded; COVID-trauma-sensitive (Vee).

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.

MicrobeLab mascot demonstrating — demonstrating

MicrobeLab mascot encouraging — encouraging

In planning Swift 6 · SwiftUI · FoundationModels NGSS MS-LS1-1 NGSS MS-LS1-2 NGSS MS-LS1-3 NGSS MS-LS2-3 Hero color: #33CCBB

Engagement: Learn · primary Play · secondary

Distributed-narrative cast

Meet the cast

MicrobeLab's 6-character microbe-archetype cast formalizes the CLAUDE.md 'named microbe characters' core feature. Cast: Lacto (helpful bacteria) / Yeast (helpful fungi) / Photo (photosynthetic microbes) / Net (mycorrhizal networks) / Spore (pathogens, opt-in gated) / Guard (immune cells). UNIQUE COVID-trauma-sensitive burden: beneficial microbes foregrounded (kits 1-4), pathogens opt-in (kit 5), immune-response as cast story (kit 6), NO COVID-specific scenarios. Per `microbelab-app/Docs/HANDOFF_FROM_LABSMITH_DISTRIBUTED_NARRATIVE_RETROFIT.md` Wave 32b 2026-05-22. MENTOR RENAMED in Wave 32b: previous 'Dr. Quark' (HARD collision with AdventureHub Wave 27 zone-host Dr. Quark Science Labs) → 'Cilia' (microbiology-domain-specific register; clear in registry). Multiple cast collision-renames applied (Sun→Photo / Soil→Net). Labsmith generates ~$1.62 cast assets + $500-800 pediatric-microbiology-pedagogy + COVID-trauma-aware sensitivity reviewer RECOMMENDED. Cross-app cameos: Net ↔ NexusForge+OriginForge (network-systems cluster load-bearing); Lacto+Yeast ↔ SaffronLab (fermentation cluster); Photo ↔ EcoSphere+BiomeForge (photosynthesis cluster); Guard ↔ BodyForge+HealthForge (immune-system cluster).

Lacto

Lactobacillus + helpful-bacteria — 'Friend in your food. Friend in your gut.'

Yeast

Saccharomyces + helpful-fungi — 'I make air inside bread.'

Photo

Cyanobacteria + photosynthetic-microbes — 'Sunlight. Then air. Then everything else.'

Net

Mycorrhizal-fungi + nitrogen-fixers — 'Forests talk through me.'

Spore

Pathogens (opt-in gated) — 'Some friends. Some not. All real.'

Guard

Immune cells (T-cell / macrophage / B-cell) — 'I check IDs. Patient + careful.'

What's distributed-narrative methodology? →

What's inside

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Learning goal

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Question kits

16 curriculum-aligned kits × 25 questions = 400 questions per app, mapped to recognized standards.

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On-device AI mentor

FoundationModels-powered hints, feedback, and adaptive difficulty — all running locally.

Mentored by Cilia — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.

How MicrobeLab 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

Full parent privacy guide →

Built with ForgeKit

MicrobeLab 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

MicrobeLab 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