MathPickle Puzzles: Hard Fun!

It's not easy to admit, but there was a time in my teaching when things were getting a bit stale. I think most teachers come to a point in their career when they feel they need a kick in the pants.It was during such a valley when I discovered Dr. Gordon Hamilton's MathPickle puzzles. Using the puzzles breathed new life into teaching for me. Hyperbole-free statement folks.

Not your grandma's puzzles
Don't be misled, when I say puzzles, I don't mean the 5,000 piece jigsaws that you helped granny with. MathPickle puzzles are problem solving exercises that sneak in learning...rigorous learning, and the kids have no idea. Hard Fun!

The master behind the math
Gordon Hamilton (Gord, as he is commonly known), is a mathematician turned education enthusiast from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Several years ago he discovered a passion for mathematics education, and began creating fantastic math puzzles that are not only rigorous, but relevant and respectful to the audience for which they are intended. I also need to mention that the puzzles are flat out gorgeous!

Addition Boomerang: a puzzle about operations

With Gord's mantra of "kids learn best through hard fun" as the inspiration of his designs, he has created numerous puzzles that promote problem solving in a fun way.

Every student is challenged at their appropriate level. That is one of the most astounding features of MathPickle--every student can find satisfaction from solving portions of the puzzle. From the strongest math students to those students needing more support, Gord's puzzles reach them all. Remarkable!

Kajitsu: a puzzle about symmetry

He takes care of teachers
Gord includes a video tutorial that explains the puzzle for teachers to watch. The videos include the math reasoning behind the puzzle, and how to get the puzzles into the hands of their students. Most of the videos include segments that the teacher can show his/her students. The student portions of the videos are entertaining and scaffolded beautifully to lead students into independent problem solving.

Cartouche: a puzzle about operations

It is also worth mentioning that the vast majority of the resources on his website, are...wait for it...FREE!

I am convinced that Gord has a special gift for making mathematics accessible to students. His puzzles make problem solving exciting and engaging. The puzzles are a work of pure genius!

Please consider visiting Dr. Gordon Hamilton's website: MathPickle.com and his Teachers Pay Teachers page where he has created several more beautiful puzzle packages for a very affordable price.

Hard fun! Isn't that what every teacher has been waiting for? Wait no longer...it's here. Go get 'em!

Until next time,

Play!