Jumbo Learning Dice

Are you a school teacher or a home school teacher who can also sew a little bit? Have you ever seen those jumbo dice which can be used to teach young kids about numbers or other things? Instead of paying 20 bucks or more for the classroom dice just whip them up yourself. Its a lot of fun to make the jumbo dice which can be rolled like regular dice, sat on, or even turned into fitness dice.

Youll need 12 squares of fabric to make two dice. The fabric should be lightweight; a good type of fabric is the type which is used to make garden flags. The dice will look especially nice if each square on each dice is a different color. You can make the dice as large or small as you want; a good size for the fabric squares, if you want the jumbo version, is 15"x15".

Decorate each square the way you want. You can sew on felt numbers, write on the squares with paint markers or otherwise embellish them. After each square is made the way you want, you can then sew them together. Stack two squares on top of each other so that their right sides face and sew down the right side. Open these up and set them so that one square is on your left and one on your right. Lay another square on top of the square on your right and sew down the right side. Open this up; you now have three squares, side-by-side. Lay a 4 th square on top of the one which is on your right, and sew down the right side, so that you have four squares which are stitched together, side-by-side. Bring the ends together and sew them to create a band. Place a square of fabric on a table and pin the band around it. Position a 6 th square on top of the band and pin all the way around it. Sew around the bottom square to attach the band to it. Sew around the top square - all but a small area - to attach the top of the die. Assemble both dice in the same manner. Turn the die shape right-side-out through the un-sewn opening and stuff the die with tightly-packed, chipped foam. Sew the opening shut and the die is finished. The set of dice can be fitness dice by writing "push-ups", "sit-ups" or other exercises on each square. On the same square, right a number, like "4". When that side of the die is up, the person must do 4 sit-ups, push-ups or other exercise. The dice can be learning dice by simply gluing felt dots onto each one to resemble real dice. The jumbo dice are a lot of fun for a child to play with but they also make great stools for little kids. Theyre a fun way to learn, exercise or just sit down and rest.