ETA hand2mind Student Math SAFE-T Compass, Set of 12

Frágil para el uso de niños menores de 10 años

I fell in love with these things in school in the 90's. I still have my original one from school all the way back then -- who knows, I might have even stolen it from class... Shh! But only because I loved using it so much. And it still works, even though most of the markings have rubbed off, the center grommet fell out ages ago, and its color has faded. These things are so easy to use and actually fun, especially for geometry since you can always get back to the same size hole any time and get consistently-sized circles. I never understood why people like classic compasses with the sharp needle point, they leave holes in your paper!So one day I wondered if these things were still being sold... and to my surprise, they were! And not just one, but a twelve pack?! I actually said out loud, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! Love these things.

This is SO much better than a regular drawing compass. Plus, being flat it stores easily in a binder. The plastic is thin, but for the price we now have plenty of replacements if needed in the future.

These compasses are a great design for classrooms! It helps the students understand the basics of using a compass, creating angles for various geometry concepts. No sharp points for safety reasons, no lead to replace, no scales, slides, or wheels to wear out. My only negative comment is that I wish they were more sturdy. Students can easily pop the circle out and one compass was broken the first day where the orange plastic is around the circle.

My students and I love these compasses. They're easy to use, and they make fantastic circles. No, they're not going to be the most precisely measured circles, but for most student exercises the lack of frustration and excitement garnered from seeing a smoothly drawn circle is far more important than truly precise measurement.To make the circles smooth, you must FIRMLY hold the compass down with one hand and then draw with the other. If using the outer portion for larger circles, press down on the rivet in the center of the wheel. If using the wheel for smaller circles, either hold the outer portion down, or hold the wheel for the pre-punched circles.I would not recommend these for drafting or anything requiring precise measurement. However, I do highly recommend them for young students who want to be able to draw circles with reasonable measurement accuracy.