So often kids look at math as a drudgery rather than looking at it as a fun class. Sunya Publishing is trying to change that perception with their new card games. They have two games:
- Sunya – The Magic and Wonder of Math and Science Adding & Subtracting
- Sunya – The Magic and Wonder of Math and Science Multiplying & Dividing
These games are so new that as of this post the only place to purchase the game is through their website.
We received the Multiplying & Dividing game for our review. There are sixty cards with the numbers, wild cards and the multiplication/division signs. There is also a deck of thirty cards with math and science facts and riddles on them. (The facts and riddles are quite interesting!)
Sunya (soon- ya) is a a Sanskrit (ancient language of India) word. Sunya means empty or void of any quantity. The goal of the Sunya game is to be the first player who runs out of cards and says “sunya.” Our numerical system was developed in India about 1,500 years ago.
What Did We Think of The Magic and Wonder of Math and Science Multiplying & Dividing?
We really had fun playing Sunya! It is a fun way to help with the kids multiplication and division facts.
Rebekah learning the basics to playing Sunya while waiting at drama practice.
To start the game, the dealer makes a true math sentence. So for instance, 2 x 4 = 8. The dealer then deals four cards to each player. Each player then has to make at least one change to the number sentence on their turn, while still keeping it a true sentence. So player 2 might have a 9 and 1 in his hand. He could then make the new sentence to be 2 x 9 = 18. The 9 would be placed on top of the 4 and the 1 would be put in the tens position for the answer. If a player is unable to make a play with the cards in his/her hand then they can draw from the deck. Play continues until someone runs out of cards and says Sunya. Then they can draw a card from the deck read the math riddle or fact.
The players are encouraged to work together if someone gets stumped which encourages teamwork. This makes it even more fun for the younger kids who are not as familiar with their facts. For this reason, there is no reason to hide the cards in your hand.
The directions are not the easiest to read and understand. However, once I understood what the directions were trying to say, it’s not a hard game to play. There are also variations in the way the game can be played. We found Sunya to be a fun game and a good way to encourage practice with multiplication, division and critical thinking.
I encourage you to read what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have to say about both games by clicking on the banner below.
Jennifer
