Home-Made Games from Recycled Materials: Tangram Puzzle

Camel

From toddlers to seniors and everything in between, nowadays we all have our noses stuck, not in books but in our electronics. Computers, video games, TV, cell phones, tablets, laptops, even many of our more modern cars has a “smart” computerized system embedded in it. In SDCHM’s efforts to help everyone be more energy-conscious, we will be sharing a series of easy-to-prepare games made from recycled materials and everyday objects found around the house. So put down that hand-held device or game controller and get hooked on one of these fun games -- no batteries necessary! The first installation of our Home-Made Games series: Tangrams.

Tangrams 七巧板

Bear

A tangram puzzle is a geometry game that originated in Ancient China. There is no recorded history of its true origin but the earliest known mention of Tangrams was found in China in 1813, which was already a very old and well-known game at the time. During the 1800s, Tangrams became popular in Europe and America in conjunction with increased trade with China and the prevalence of amusing souvenirs brought home by sailors.

The game is played with seven pieces that are put together to form shapes of different objects. Today, children are still playing versions of this “dissected puzzle” as educational tools in classrooms and as brain-stimulating games for adults. Traditionally made with thin pieces of wood, this puzzle can easily be made at home using recycled paper.

The tangram pattern results in 7 geometric pieces

Materials Needed:

Recycled Paper, Ruler, Pencil, Scissors, Crayons, Markers or anything else you want to use to decorate your tangrams.


Steps:
1. Use your ruler to create a square, 5x5 inches, on recycled paper.
2. Cut out square.
3. Following the pattern on the right, draw out the shapes.
4. Cut out pieces and start playing!


Check out all the things you can make with Tangram Puzzles and see if you can figure out all of the puzzles or make up your own! Send us a photo of what you've made with your puzzle and we will post it on our Facebook!