Requirements
Paper (cardstock or other thick paper works well) Scissors Ruler and Pencil or a Printer
Objective
Tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle. This activity is sometimes called “seven pieces of cleverness.” The object of the puzzle is to rearrange the pieces of a square (the puzzle pieces) to form figures (like a picture of a cat) using the tangram pieces.
Description
1. Start by making a square piece of paper. To start making the square, fold one corner of a piece of paper over to the adjacent side. To finish making the square, cut off the small rectangle, forming a square.
2. Fold the square piece of paper in half, then in half again (making a square that is divided into quarters). Repeat this step (resulting in a square divided into sixteenths).
3. Unfold the paper. Draw lines along the red lines marked at the left. Cut along these lines. You will now have seven pieces: a small square, two small isosceles triangles, a medium-sized isosceles triangle, two large isosceles triangles, and a parallelogram.
{An isosceles triangle has two equal angles and two equal sides. A parallelogram is a four-sided figure with each side parallel to the opposite side.} You can arrange these seven pieces into an incredible number of shapes, making animals, people, everyday objects, etc. See how many you can make – invent new ones!
