Panda Squares Puzzle Fun

My showtime introduction to Panda Squares was from i of my favorite inspiration sources: Twitter!

I saw a tweet yesteryear Jenny Leake that sparked my curiosity.

Image Source: https://twitter.com/JennyKLeake/status/922471305898684418

This curiosity led me to do a google search. I was pleasantly surprised to discovery David Butler's weblog at the conduct house of the search results.

From his blog post, I learned that the puzzle was from a mass titled Ivan Moscovich's Super Games (affiliate link). David asked his fille to rename the puzzle from "Bits." She chose "Panda Squares." When I told my students that the hollo of the puzzle was "Panda Squares," to a greater extent than or less of my students assumed that the pieces would get together to do a panda.

Image Source: https://blogs.adelaide.edu.au/maths-learning/2016/10/19/panda-squares/

David kindly offers a gratis download of the puzzle pieces on his blog. I issue a novel puzzle each calendar week for my kids to function on during their gratis time, together with I decided this would brand the perfect puzzle. 

To begin, I printed several sets of panda squares inward unlike sizes together with laminated them. I used my largest seat for the puzzle table, merely I printed smaller, private puzzles for students to role yesteryear themselves after inward the year. 

I didn't desire to accept to expire along explaining the rules of the puzzle, together with hence I printed upward the instructions together with added a clipart panda for extra cuteness. 

I did regard the occupation of students misinterpreting the instructions a bit. They didn't realize that they had to role ALL of the xvi pieces. Bailey Calloway tweeted close having the same issue. 

Image Source: https://twitter.com/mrscallowaymath/status/926530322321362946

So, to fighting this misconception, I accept reworded my instructions a chip for the future. 

The file for the instructions I typed upward tin live on institute here. David Butler's puzzle pieces tin live on institute here. 

To spark pupil involvement inward the puzzle, I spread out the pieces across the puzzle tabular array at the front end of my room. 

It took a chip of fourth dimension for students to acquire intrigued plenty to try, merely presently I would glance over during gratis minutes of class together with regard things similar this: 

In his weblog post, David Butler mentioned having students "notice together with wonder" based on their diverse solutions to the puzzle. For my high schoolhouse students, finding a unmarried solution was plenty of a challenge. Over the class of the calendar week that this puzzle was out, I exclusively had i twain of students discovery a solution. 

When I took a motion-picture demonstrate of their solution, they insisted on beingness inward it, too.

Many other students tried, merely they would frequently acquire frustrated when the final slice didn't gibe inward nicely. It made me sorry to lookout adult man them scramble the puzzle pieces inward frustration instead of persevering together with trying to rearrange the puzzle pieces to acquire inward work.

Now, it's a novel calendar week alongside a novel puzzle, together with I've already had multiple students comment that they wanted to a greater extent than or less other endangerment alongside the panda squares puzzle. Guys, this is the sign of a practiced puzzle!

This volition in all likelihood live on the showtime puzzle of the twelvemonth to brand a 2d appearance on our puzzle table!

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: