THE CASE OF THE PICTURE PUZZLER

 

Detectives solve puzzles.  (“Mystery” is another word for “puzzle.”  Really.  So are “enigma,” “conundrum,” and “problem” – not to mention “stumper.”  We looked it up.)  So let’s create a picture puzzle and then be detectives and solve it!

 

First of all, making a picture puzzle is easy.  All you need is:

 

• A piece of cardboard (the front or back of a cereal box is perfect)

• A photograph you have printed, or a picture that you have drawn, painted, or printed on paper – heavier paper would be an excellent choice, because you are going to glue it from edge to edge to the cardboard

• Glue – spray adhesive works best, but Elmer’s is just fine too although then you will also need a …

• … 1” paint brush

• Scissors

• Pencil or pen

• A bag or box to keep the puzzle pieces in 

 

Steps:

 

1.  Create the puzzle picture.  Here’s ours:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2.  Decide if you want to leave the printed side of the cereal box visible.  If you do, you will have a two-sided puzzle.  We decided that would be fun, so here is what the back side of our puzzle will look like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3.  Glue the picture to the cardboard, making sure every edge is sealed.  Spray adhesive makes the job easy.  We used Elmer’s glue, spreading a very thin layer on the cardboard using the paintbrush.  (Smoothing the picture out and avoiding wrinkles is the tricky part.)  Allow to dry thoroughly.

 

We dried ours picture side down, with some books piled on top of it to keep it flat.

 

4.  Then use the pencil or pen (we used a Sharpie) to draw puzzle pieces all over your picture.

 

5.  Finally, use the scissors to cut the pieces out.  Straight-edge pieces will be easier for younger children to cut.  But depending on the thickness of the cardboard and paper, an adult may need to do the actual cutting.

 

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And there’s your puzzle!  Can you put it back together after you mix all the pieces up? This is where the detective work comes in, using clues to solve a mystery:

 

• Colors that go together

• Shapes that fit together

• Bits of picture that should connect

• Bits of pictures that do NOT belong because it may be a double-sided puzzle

• A straight side that might mean the piece belongs at the edge of the puzzle

• A piece that may be a puzzle corner because it has a 90 degree angle – looking like this:

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Lots of clues to use.

 

You can keep the puzzle pieces together in a box or bag, and see if a friend or family member can be a detective too and solve it!

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