Description

This unique puzzle is a pentomino, made of 12 animal shapes, cut by hand, out of 12 different natural woods, giving a modern, rustic touch to this math puzzle.



**FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY IN THE US: ORDER BY TUES., DEC. 20**



ABOUT MY PENTOMINO PUZZLES



Everyone loves our pentomino puzzles! They are heirloom gifts that can be loved, abused, and still work as beautiful, hard, and fun puzzles. Men, women, and older kids love the difficulty of my pentomino puzzles. They make wonderful toys for older children and adults, built to be keepsakes for generations.



Each of my pentomino puzzles has MANY solutions inside the frame. In fact, mathematicians have proven that there are over 2,000 ways for these 12 animal pieces to go back into my rectangular frame!



And once you are bored with those 2,000 solutions, you can play with the 12 animal pieces OUTSIDE of the frame, making three-dimensional shapes, playing games with two players, and making up your own games and ways to play. The booklet I include with each pentomino puzzle describes its history, gives examples of ways to play inside and outside of the frame, and provides 12 of the 2,000 solutions ... for those days you need some help to solve the puzzle.



ABOUT MY NATURAL PURPLE WOOD GRAIN PENTOMINO PUZZLES



The collection of woods you see here features a naturally purple hardwood called Purple Heart. These high-quality, totally undyed, extremely durable hardwoods evoke ideas of a simpler time when all objects, even toys, were made to last and to be beautiful. This particular collection of woods bring a balance of vibrant color and subtle wood grain variation to the composition of this pentomino.



This pentomino, featuring my naturally purple hardwood, uses the following woods:



Beech

Cherry

Holly

Lacewood

Limba

Mahogany

Mesquite

Osage Orange

Padouk

Purple Heart

Red Elm

Walnut



MY DESIGN PROCESS



Long before I designed my hexiamond puzzles, http://www.etsy.com/shop/scrollwoodshop?section_id=11397577, I developed my own design and pattern for my pentomino puzzles, http://www.etsy.com/shop/scrollwoodshop?section_id=11402574.



I only saw a photo of someone else’s pentomino at first, and I wondered, “Could I make that? That looks cool!” After some research, I designed a puzzle that would feature my 12 unique animal shapes in the presentation of 12 pentomino pieces, with each piece made up of five cubes. You can learn more about pentominoes here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentomino.



DETAILS



This pentomino is framed by my simple rectangular design, only available for my pentomino puzzles. The pentomino is not only a toy puzzle, but also a beautiful wood sculpture that is well-suited to any modern decor. It brings symmetry, a touch of woodland Zen, and the beauty of unfinished hardwoods to your space. The entire puzzle, in the frame, measures 4" by 6" by 3/4" deep.



My pentomino puzzles come with a booklet of their history, ideas for play, and a few solutions as well. Each is branded "Handcrafted by Clifford Nelson" on the back of the frame. The frame is made of light, unfinished wood to complement the variety of colorful animal pieces contained within. My pentominoes arrive in simple, wrapping-ready packaging; for upgrading gift wrapping, convo me! I have several options available for any occasion.



My pentomino puzzles are arranged with many different selections of colorful hardwoods, and you can see them all here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/scrollwoodshop?section_id=11402574. We also offer hexiamonds, another kind of math puzzle, which are similar in their mathematical basis and their natural beauty--check them out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/scrollwoodshop?section_id=11397577