Some of you have recommended wonderful puzzle books. Here are a few examples. Click on the book cover for more information or click on any of the underlined links.
The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems by Martin Gardner
www.amazon.com/Colossal-Book-Short-Puzzles-Problems/dp/0393061140
"Martin Gardner has the remarkable ability to state every puzzle and problem in such an interesting way that solving one seems like fun, not like math homework! Thinking about these puzzles is wonderful exercise for the brain." —Solomon W. Golomb, author of Polyominoes
Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles by Martin Gardner
www.amazon.com/Entertaining-Mathematical-Puzzles-Martin-Gardner/dp/0486252116/
Brain-Flexing Balance Problems & Other Puzzles by Ivan Moscovich
www.amazon.com/Brain-Flexing-Balance-Problems-Mastermind-Collection/dp/140272733X/
The Lady or the Tiger? and other Logic Puzzles by Raymond M. Smullyan
www.amazon.com/Lady-Tiger-Other-Logic-Puzzles/dp/048647027X/
If you are introducing puzzles to your students, I suggest the following books, which contain puzzles involving sequences and patterns.
Getting Smarter Every Day by Dale Seymour
Search amazon.com for thie book series
Getting Smarter Every Day is a selection of activities, puzzles, ideas, information, and graphics to excite, enrich, challenge, instruct, amaze, and entertain students. This program aims to broaden student perspectives on what mathematics really is and its application in the real world. Each book contains approximately 100 activities centered on topics such as logic, problem solving, geometric relationships, and visual thinking. Solutions are provided. Book A/Grades 2-4, Book B/Grades 3-5, Book C/Grades 4-6, Book D/Grades 5-7, Book E/Grades 6-8, Book F/Grades 7-9.
Critical Thinking Activities in Patterns, Imagery, and Logic Grades K-3 by Dale Seymour
This book will help "students develop three important elements of critical thinking: the ability to recognize patterns, the ability to use visual imagery, and the ability to reason logically." The exercises in this book are rated at three levels of difficulty and provide experience with: patterns with numbers, shapes, and letters, ordering by size, comparing shapes and designs, symmetry, plotting pictures on graph paper, logic word problems, number sentences, Venn diagrams. This books instructs teachers to "use these reproducible activities as worksheets for individual students."
In this series are also activity books for grades 4 - 6 and 7 - 12.
NumberSENSE: Simple Effective Number Sense Experiences, Grades 4-6 by Barbara Reys, Robert Reys, Alistair McIntosh, and Jack Hope
These 10-minute activities help students develop a sense of what numbers represent and how to use them by, exploring relationships and patterns, encouraging mental computation, recognizing equivalent representations of a number, establishing benchmarks, improving estimation skills, and exploring the idea of reasonableness. Includes activity masters, teacher's notes, and ideas for extending the activity.
Also in this series are activity books for grades 1 - 2, 3 - 4, and 6 - 8.
Zero to Ninety-Nine: Problem Solving on a 100 Square by Janine Blinko and Noel Graham
Please let us know of other books and resources with delightful puzzles.
Nancy Blachman
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