Solve Toothpick Puzzles!
Topics: Math, High School
Looking for a way to engage your family over dinner? What if you could practice some spatial reasoning skills as well? Here are some fun puzzles that are easy to set up at the dinner table with nothing more than a few toothpicks and a coin. You'll be challenging your teen to think geometrically while still having fun!
What You Need:
- A copy of the toothpick puzzles (see below).
- 24 toothpicks
- A coin
What You Do:
- Pick one of the puzzles
- Lay out the toothpicks in the pattern you see on the paper.
- Tell your family how you want them to change the pattern.
- Watch them go!
- The answers are included, but it’s more fun if you leave them at home so you’re not tempted.
PUZZLES:
ANSWERS:
Cindy Donaldson, BS Mathematics, taught Math, Business, and Computer Science at Menlo-Atherton High School for seven years. She has also worked as a tutor for SAT and SAT II test preparation. She is the mother of two young daughters.
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