Stair Climbing App Review

Here is a fun, free app to add to your iPhone or iTouch - Monumental.  It keeps track of how many stairs you climb using the phones accelerometer.  Holding the iPhone at your hip, you hit the GO button.  Start climbing the stairs. It will keep track of how many steps you climb.  When you have climbed the correct number of steps you reach the top of your destination and then you can see the view.  The first level is the Museum of Art in Philadelphia (Rocky Movie stairs).  So when you reach that level it shows you a view from the top.

This adds a little bit of extra fun to stair climbing.  Since many children work on stair climbing during therapy sessions this freebie app can help keep track of their progress over time.  

I give this app a huge thumbs up.  I have tested it out with some kids and they were motivated by it especially to get to the next level.  Personally, I enjoyed checking out the views but the kids seemed to want to just achieve the next level.  You can share your status on the social networking sites although I did not use the app in this manner.  The only downfall is that I wish you could create different accounts.  I have the kids just adding on to eachother's accomplishments rather than each climbing their own monuments.  The feature of counting the steps is still convenient though to track progress in therapy session notes. 

Why not give it a try?  Can't beat free and maybe one of the children (or yourself) will be motivated to climb the monuments of the World.  Hey this even relates to the Common Core Standards right? More on that another time.