LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - JULY 19, 2020 by Lynne Belluscio When I was a science resource teacher in Rochester, many, many years ago, one of my summer activities was to work with “Head Start” teachers during the summer, to give them some ideas for hands on, manipulative activities for the kids. One of the activities was to introduce them to “Tangrams” a very old game, that is played with seven pieces. The kids can arrange the pieces in any shape they want. There is a lot of spatial learning. But there are also pattern cards that they can use to make shapes of animals or boats, or other things - - but they can only use the seven pieces. It’s always interesting to watch the kids to see who can accomplish the task. But it is more interesting, to watch adults try to put the seven pieces back together in a square. Some do it immediately. Some try to visualize everything in their minds. Others are very methodical. Some take a long time to arrange the pieces. Others are totally frustrated and have no patience to continue, much less go further to try the animal shapes and pattern cards. I’m sure there is some kind of psychological study that has been done on this, but I am convinced that how people try to solve this puzzle, gives a glimpse into their approach to life. At the time I was in Rochester, the school system had a very limited budget for making these puzzles. We couldn’t buy the wooden tangrams or the stone ones that were very beautiful. I had to make hundreds of puzzles, so I acquired linoleum tiles, and cut them on a big paper cutter. I’m proud to say, I never lost a finger. There are so many stories about the origin of tangrams. Some may be true, and others are just a good story. According to the Wichita State University Department of Mathematics and Statistics, they discovered a story about a huge square of glass that was ordered by a king, but it was dropped, and amazingly, did not shatter, and broke into seven perfect pieces. When they tried to put the pieces back together, they discovered they could make many different designs, and when they gave it to the king, he was fascinated with it. According to one Wikipedia story, the tangram can be traced back to the Orient before the 18th century and it became popular as it spread westward. It was brought to the Western World by Chinese and American ships in the early 19th century. The earliest example known was made of ivory and was held in a silk box and given to the son of an American ship owner in 1802. Probably the most preposterous story was written by Samuel Loyd, an American puzzle expert. He wrote a series of books called the “Seven Books of Tan.” Each volume contained over 1000 puzzles that illustrated the creation of the world. He claimed that the seven tan pieces were taken from the sun, the moon, and the five planets of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Venus. (The elaborate story was later declared a hoax- as were many of Samuel Loyds other puzzle stories.) One way to play tangrams, is to challenge a friend to see who can correctly finish the puzzle the fastest. Each person has the seven tans, and the design is placed in the middle of the table. At the start of go, you see who can solve the puzzle the fastest. If you have several sets of tans, you can play with several people. The Historical Society has a large collection of reproduction games, and some are pretty fancy, but in a small wooden box, are the seven tans, ready to be assembled. Right now, LeRoy House is closed, and all the games have been put away, but you can use the pattern on this page and make your own set from construction paper or cardboard. You can also find a variety of patterns to try on the internet, and there are some great books available. Tangrams Make your own Tangrams at home with this template! What shapes can you make?