With the new year approaching I have to share something I am excited to add to my classroom. I am sharing two math-themed calendars or what I will call math themed. I have two page-a-day calendars that will work in my classroom. One is Origami Page-A-Day 2024 Calendar by Margaret Van Sicklen and Workman Calendars, and it will be perfect in my geometry class as well to enterain the kids who visit my room for origami paper. The other one is Original Sudoku Page-A-Day 2024 Calendar by Workman Calendars and Nikoli Publishing, and it is perfect for adding some problem solving and logic skills to kids.
From the Publisher:
Go ahead, get folding!Every day, a fun new fold: a frog that jumps, a beautiful tulip, a pop-up puppy card to send to a friend, a napkin rabbit to add joy to the dinner table. From origami master Margaret Van Sicklen, this brilliantly designed calendar is packed with hundreds of creative models for newbies and experienced folders alike, all on beautifully patterned, full-color pages that double as folding paper. Each model includes clear, easy-to-follow instructions, and a downloadable Origami Key covers base folds, symbols, and other fundamentals. It’s a complete origami kit in a calendar. Printed on responsibly sourced paper and 100% recyclable.
From Me:
When I was just substituting at the school, I discovered that one of the math and science teachers has a Jeopardy Page-A-Day calendar. With one of his classes, he would read the question of the day and they would see if they could answer it. The kids loved it. They asked me to read it when he was out. They love this simple interaction, and it gets them ready to learn for the class. I also have a group of students that come into my room for origami paper and sit and fold origami on a regular basis. I also do an origami project with my geometry classes. With all of this in mind, I am excited to share the origami calendar with them. The calendar has more than 250 projects to fold. The pages have instructions on the front (see above) and then the back of the page is a print. The colors go through the rainbow several times throughout the year.
The projects use the previous day's page to make the new day's origami. There are some projects that are multipage and are done in consecutive days. Saturday and Sunday are one page and have basic folds like square base, fish base, etc. or introduction to facts or ideas.
There are folding projects for other things besides paper. There are some for dollar bills, towels, handkerchief, and napkins as well as rectangular paper. The projects are relatively easy, and the instructions are very clear. There are several notes throughout the calendar about downloading the origami key which shows symbols, folds, and the bases. I tried a few of the projects to show you.
I made the nightingale, crab, and swordfish. I used the previous day's page (and the introduction page) as paper. I picked days we wouldn't be in school to do this, so it won't affect the students. I plan to put this out on my puzzle table so the kids can fold when they want. I will probably leave other origami paper near it too so they don't take the instructions from someone else. I know my students will be excited.
This calendar is perfect for the origami enthusiast, geometry teachers, art teachers, and so many more. It makes a great gift or even a stocking stuffer!
From the Publisher:
Don’t settle when it comes to your Sudoku: Choose puzzles hand-crafted by Nikoli, the Japanese company that invented the game. Every puzzle in this calendar comes from the minds of the best Sudoku makers in the world—not from the computer. And each puzzle hits that sweet spot between toughness and elegant solvability. The week begins with the easiest puzzles and ramps up the difficulty day by day. Just in case you need them, solutions are printed on the back of the pages. Printed on responsibly sourced paper and 100% recyclable.
From Me:
I fell in love with sudoku puzzles many years ago. I brought them into my classroom right away. They teach logic skills as well as problem solving skills and are perfect for any student. I am very excited to add this sudoku calendar to my weekly puzzle table as well. I have a few sudoku books in my classroom and have had students ask to borrow them. I should add that it isn't always my highest leveled students asking. Puzzles are such a great way for the kids to take a break from work but still use their minds in other ways.
This calendar offers 366 (2024 is a leap year) sudoku puzzles that vary in difficulty. Each puzzle is marked with its difficulty on the bottom and also has a place to record the time it took to solve. The back of each page has the answer to the puzzle on the front. This makes it perfect for the classroom in the fact that someone working on it can tear it off and take it with them to their next class to solve later and have the answers to check it later.
The weekends have two puzzles on the same page. Also perfect for the classroom. A sudoku lover can grab the page for the weekend on Friday! Or if they leave it I can take it! I love offering the kids a way to relax and take a break from classes when they have a study hall or downtime. It keeps their brains working but gives them the break from taking notes, etc. that they need. Both of these calendars do just that. They both also have a cardboard stand that requires easy assembly. I know my students will love these in my room and use them all the time. Again this one is makes a great gift for people who love sudoku, love solving puzzles and for the math teacher. I hope you will check these calendars out and add them to your holiday lists!
