Book Review: Math and Magic in Wonderland

Review: Math and Magic in Wonderland

*Disclosure: I was given a free book to review but all opinions are my own. 

Are you ready to go on a grand adventure?  A magical journey? Then you have to get this book!    It’s a fun expedition from beginning to end. In fact, you will have so much fun that you will not realize you are learning.  You are taken into this interactive book to help solve riddles, puzzles, and math problems; but, there is much more you can learn from this book.  There is also science, literature, and history.  The vocabulary used in this book is amazing. It is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s poetry, but there are references to other famous books, stories, and people. My favorite reference was the nod to Fred Gauss of “Life of Fred”—especially since this book reminded me of the style of “Life of Fred” math books.

I have two boys.  One is 13 years old and the other is 8 years old, so I was unsure if they would be ok with the main characters being girls. But it did not bother them at all because the girls liked to play with toy swords just as my boys do. I was also unsure if the math problems would be too hard for my younger son or too easy for my older son. It turns out they were neither too hard nor too easy.  Both boys found them challenging, yet not too difficult.

We looked forward to relaxing on the couch every day and taking off on our magical exploration. It was fun to solve the puzzles, riddles, and math problems together. We even earned points throughout the book to become mathematical royalty. What about you? Will you be an Apprentice or The Math Monarch?

 A description on the back of the book says, “Lulu and Elizabeth embark on an exciting journey to a realm inspired by Lewis Carroll’s poetry. The twins must use ingenuity and sagacity to solve classic logic puzzles that promise to uncover the book’s secrets and earn them The Vorpal Blade.”

This book is great fun from beginning to end, but don’t take my word for it. Get the book so you can start the adventure for yourself!

Boy Craft: Action Figure Mini Pillows

My boys really love Life of Fred. We were working in our math books one day and Mr. History said, “I wish I had a Fred toy.”  Mr. Science said, “I wish I had Kingie toy!” So not unlike the boys on Phineas and Ferb, they knew what they were going to do that day. They decided to make Fred and Kingie mini pillows. 

I realized while making these you could draw anything on the material you wanted. Boys could make various kinds of action figures. They could also write their favorite quotations on the material.  The ideas are limitless. 

We used flour sack towels because we had some lying around, but any white material would work. Here are the steps for making the mini pillows:

1)      Fold over your material so you will have two pieces to sew together.

2)      Draw an outline of your favorite character on the material.

3)      Cut out your drawing. I had the boys cut it out in a more circular shape and not worry about cutting in on the line. This made it easier to sew.

4)      Make sure the piece with the picture is face down.

5)      Sew the two pieces together with a basic stitch. Make sure to leave a hole big enough to turn your material inside out so you can see the drawing.

6)      Turn your material inside out.

7)      Use the hole to stuff your pillow.

8)      Then sew the hole up and your mini pillows are done!

I try to get the boys to do all the steps themselves. It will not be perfect when finished but they will be proud because they made it!