Seasonal Schematics Craft
The Cubic Calendar
Did You Know? In Spain, they don’t just count down to the New Year—they eat for it! As the clock strikes midnight, it is tradition to ram twelve grapes down your throat, one for every chime of the bell. If you can finish all twelve in those twelve seconds, you’re guaranteed a year of good luck. To help you keep track of all that upcoming luck, we’ve engineered a calendar that shifts and turns just as fast as those midnight grapes! When to Celebrate The world hits "reset" every January 1st, but this Cubic Calendar is designed to keep you organized all year long. It’s the perfect desk companion for anyone who thinks a standard wall calendar is just a bit too... stationary. The Toolkit To build your Cubic Calendar, gather these supplies: The amomii Template: [GET THE FREE TEMPLATE HERE] Cardstock or A4 Paper: (Use thicker paper for a stronger, more satisfying "flip!") Adhesive Tape: (Clear office tape works best for the hinges). Double-sided Tape: (Recommended for the box assembly for instant adhesion). Scissors or Craft Knife: (Safety First: Always ask an adult for assistance when using sharp cutting tools.) The Build: Step-by-Step Phase 1: Creating the 8 Blocks Print and Prepare: Print all the cube templates from your ssc_01_calendar_tem1 onto A4 paper. Using thicker cardstock will make your finished engineering much more durable. 2. Precision Cutting: Carefully cut along all the solid lines using your scissors or craft knife. Avoid cutting the dotted lines—those are your fold guides! 3. Apply Adhesive: Apply your double-sided tape onto all the adhesive flaps. 4. Box Assembly: Fold along the lines to form a box shape and press the tabs down firmly for an instant bond. Repeat this until you have 8 perfect paper cubes. 5. The Layout: Arrange your 8 cubes into two neat rows of four cubes each. Ensure the illustrations on your cubes perfectly match the reference photo; correct alignment now is the key to ensuring your calendar flips correctly later! 6. The First Hinges: Apply clear tape to the four locations marked 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the diagram below . You must use four strips of tape and be careful not to stick the rows together. 7. Center Connections: Apply tape to the top and bottom middle sections at locations 5 and 6 as shown in the reference image. 8. The Flip and Secure: Carefully flip all the cubes over as one unit. Apply tape to the two new locations marked 7 and 8 in the diagram. 9. The Fold: Gently fold the left row of cubes over the right row (folding the entire assembly in half). 9. The Final Link: Apply a single piece of tape to the final spot marked 9 in the picture below. Your creation is complete! Now flop and fold your Cubic Calendar around to find each month as shown below. January and February March and April MAY June July August September October November and December Success Checklist Hinge Check: Do the cubes rotate freely? If they feel stiff, ensure your tape hinges aren't too tight. Alignment: Do the illustrations line up when you flip the blocks? "The Loop Test:" Does the calendar cycle through all 12 months in a continuous loop without forcing the hinges? The Science Link: Kinematic Chains The Cubic Calendar is a classic example of a Kinematic Chain. By connecting solid parts (the cubes) with flexible joints (the tape), we create a loop that can move in a predictable, repeating pattern. It’s the same logic used in machines such as foldable space telescopes (look them up... they're insane!)! Get Your Templates Sign up for free weekly templates delivered to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time. [Get Templates] Show us your Cubic Calendar! Drop a comment below or share a video of your "Cubic Calendar" to Instagram or TikTok and tag us with #amomiiSSC. We want to see those calendars in motion! Let Us Know "How many grapes could you eat in 12 seconds? Let us know your build tips below!" PROJECT CREDITS amomii Lead: Shaun SSC Lead & Illustration: Steve Graphics & Templates: Kelly Video & Blog Content: Cindy & Vera
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Engineering the Year: The Launch of Seasonal Schematics Craft (SSC)
Welcome to the grand kickoff of our Seasonal Schematics Craft (SSC) series—a weekly celebration of our wonderfully whacky world! We are so excited to finally pull back the curtain on a project that has been in the works for a long time. The best part? We are making this entire series completely free. Whether you have been part of our journey from the start or are just discovering our particular brand of creative engineering, you likely already know what drives us. We are passionate about making the world of "making" accessible, imaginative, and—most importantly—an absolute blast. With SSC, we are taking that mission global (and a little bit eccentric) by delivering a new, free engineering project to our community every single week. What is Seasonal Schematics Craft? SSC is a weekly series dedicated to celebrating the world’s most vibrant, unique, and sometimes downright whacky cultural festivals through the lens of STEM and hands-on engineering. The world is full of incredible traditions, from the lantern-lit streets of the Lunar New Year to the intricate patterns of Diwali. We believe these moments are the perfect opportunity for children (and "big kids" too!) to learn how the world works while celebrating the beautiful diversity that makes our planet so interesting. How the Adventure Works To make sure these projects are accessible to everyone, we’ve split the experience into two parts: The Blog: This is our central hub. Here, you’ll find the cultural stories, the "whacky" facts behind the festivals, our step-by-step "build-along" videos, and written instructions. Your Inbox: This is where the magic happens. The actual digital engineering templates and printable schematics are delivered exclusively via our mailing list. By joining our community, you get the templates you need to build, while the blog provides the instructions and inspiration to bring them to life. A Global Team for a Global Project Bringing SSC to life is a massive team effort. While our team is truly international, we all work side-by-side in our amomii office in Taiwan. We wanted our internal crew to reflect the "whacky world" we celebrate, bringing together perspectives from different cultures, genders, and ages (ranging from 21 to 45). Here is the team making the magic happen: Shaun (UK): Founder & Educational Lead. Shaun leads the strategic vision for amomii and provides the educational scaffolding for the series, ensuring every craft is a meaningful learning experience. Steve (Canada): Lead Artist & Project Designer. Steve is the primary creative engine behind SSC. He researches the festivals, dreams up the project concepts, and creates the incredible hand-drawn art that brings each schematic to life. Kelly (Taiwan): Graphic Design & Templates. Kelly takes those designs and works her magic with coloring and layout, turning them into the professional digital templates you receive. Cindy (Indonesia) & Vera (Taiwan): Instructions & Video. This duo ensures you never get stuck. They are the hands in the video and the people behind the scenes—making, recording, and editing the builds as well as writing the steps for every project. Our 52-Week Mission (and We Need You!) Our goal is ambitious: 52 projects in one year. We want to build a library of global festival engineering that spans the entire calendar, but we don't want to do it in a vacuum. We want you and your mini-engineers to be part of our R&D team! We thrive on feedback, whacky ideas, and hearing about how your builds went. Your input will directly help us refine and improve these projects as we release them. By the end of this journey, we plan to compile all these community-tested schematics, stories, and builds into a complete physical book—a collection of adventures that families can keep on their shelves for years to come. How to Join the Adventure As we mentioned, SSC is completely free. To get the weekly PDF templates delivered straight to your inbox (usually 24 hours before the blog post goes live!), simply join our mailing list below. Click here to join our community and receive your first template! We can't wait to see what you build. Tag us on social media using #amomiiSSC and don't be shy about sending us your suggestions—let's build this whacky world together! About the Author: Shaun Armstrong is the founder of amomii and a former Head of STEAM with 16 years of teaching experience. He’s on a mission to turn every home into a laboratory for innovation.
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