Summer Fun Day 4 - Sudoku Floor Puzzles

I thought I was giving the children a pretty simple challenge yesterday, with our 4x4 Sudoku sugar cookies. However, when a couple of the puzzles proved to be surprisingly difficult, even for the older children, I decided our logic skills could use more practice.

So, this morning, inspired by a large sidewalk chalk pattern puzzle I'd seen over at The Usual Mayhem, but forced inside by the threat of rain, I taped out a 4'x4' Sudoku grid on the living floor, using masking and painter's tape to mark off the squares.  Neither tape is very sticky, and can be pulled back up from the carpeting without any trouble.

I cut eight sheets of construction paper (two pieces each of four different colors) into fourths.  Then, I placed some of the paper pieces into the grid, using tape donuts to secure them, following the pattern of an online puzzle.

I taped the rectangular pieces of paper into the grid vertically.  Then as the children used the rest of the pieces to solve the puzzle, they could place their pieces in horizontally, making it easy to spot the original pieces, that could not be moved within the grid.

Once all of the children had solved each puzzle, I re-positioned the taped pieces (masking tape can be pealed from and re-stuck to the back of construction paper a number of times) for the next puzzle.  And, I left plenty of enough room on the floor to expand the grid for more difficult puzzles, as the children's deductive skills improved.

It's amazing how much easier it is to solve the puzzles in the larger, hands on, format.

It's great to be a homeschooler.