How to Make a Sudoku Magic Slate

Sudoku Puzzle

Sudoku is a game where you fill in the missing numbers on a 9 x 9 grid. It's rapidly becoming as popular a past time as the crossword puzzle. One of the frustrations of solving this puzzle, however, is the need for frequent erasings of the guessed numbers. Sometimes the paper has been erased so many times, it is in danger of tearing holes in the paper. To avoid this issue, make a Sudoku magic slate; it solves the problem, allowing you to try different numbers without ruining the puzzle.

Things You'll Need

• Dry erase board
• Ruler
• Dry erase markers
• Permanent ink markers, broad and fine point

Instructions

1. Buy a dry erase board. Although any size will work, it is easier to use a dry erase board that is at least 8 x 11 inches. This will give you plenty of room to work on the Sudoku puzzle easily.

2. Turn the dry erase board so that the long side is going upwards. With a ruler and using the dry erase marker, measure and mark a rectangle with 9 squares growing across and 9 squares going down. Check to see that the rectangle looks straight before moving on to the next step. This is when you need to correct any mistakes.

3. 

   Use the fine point permanent ink marker and the ruler to go over the rectangle and the individual lines inside the rectangle. Then go back and, using the broad point permanent ink marker, draw a broader line rectangle around every three squares, making the smaller sections of the Sudoku puzzle. This is the Sudoku Magic Slate. Allow the ink to dry completely.

4. 

   Take the Sudoku puzzle you are attempting to solve, either from the newspaper or a puzzle book-and use a dry erase marker to write the numbers from that puzzle onto the Sudoku magic slate exactly as they appear on the puzzle. It doesn’t matter what color marker you use for these numbers.

5. 

   Use a dry erase marker that is a different color to work out the puzzle on the Sudoku magic slate. You can try out different numbers and erase them easily until you have the correct number for that square of the puzzle. When you have determined the correct numbers for the puzzle, then you can transfer them to the paper puzzle.