At first4magnets.com we love to educate young people about the fascinating world of magnets, probably because we are big kids ourselves! Magnets are great for making learning fun and I’m sure we all remember fondly the days in the school science lab conducting experiments with bar magnets, horseshoe magnets and iron filings!
With new products becoming available all the time learning with magnets need not be confined to the school science lab – our magnetic tangram puzzle is great fun and just by playing with it children can learn about shapes, maths and geometry without even realising!
What is a tangram?
The tangram is a puzzle of logic and creativity. Each puzzle consists of seven geometric pieces called tans that when put together make a square. The object of the puzzle is to dissect the pieces and form one of thousands of possible designs from just a silhouette, using all seven pieces with none overlapping!
Where do tangrams come from?
Tangrams are believed to have been invented hundreds of years ago in China but didn’t become popular in the western world until the 1900s.
How many shapes can you make with a tangram?
The number of shapes you can make with a tangram is infinite. Every tangram contains a square, two large triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 small triangles and 1 parallelogram. No cheating! Remember, every shape needs to be used without any overlapping pieces to create a proper tangram design.
At first4magnets.com we’ve added our own unique magnetic twist to this highly-addictive ancient puzzle of logic creating each tangram out of premium die-cut foam pieces with flexible magnetic rubber backing. This means that our tangrams can be stuck to a fridge, noticeboard or filing cabinet to be enjoyed by all the family.
We recently sent one of our tangrams to Jen Walshaw who is a mum of two and blogger who kindly put the tangram to the test and reviewed it on her blog, muminthemadhouse.com. Jen said: “When I received it I put it on the fridge and everyone in the house has played with it, including Maxi’s friends who have come to visit. I decided to set some challenges for the boys to follow some patterns using the tangram and it was great fun for everyone.”
Read more about what Jen and her boys made of the tangrams. Or browse our shop to find out more about the tangram, including the four stylish colours available.