Izzi is a visual spatial puzzle from Think Fun that I ran across at a thrift store! Those finds are sometimes the best ones. It turned out to be a challenging favorite of some of my GT students. Because of that it makes a great addition to my article Independent Math Activities for GT Students. Students can complete the puzzle independently or collaboratively. It’s a great choice to have out on a table for students to add to as they have time.
The premise is simple: 64 square patterned black and white puzzle pieces must be put together to form an 8 * 8 square where black only touches black and white only touches white. Although there are multiple solutions, solving the puzzle is a lot harder than you would think. However, the kids find it enjoyable, I have seen a 3rd grader spend a full two focused hours on it, not stopping until he had solved it! There are several variations to adjust difficulty. These include using less squares to make it easier, or requiring certain patterns in the final square to make it more difficult. Because of the variations, students can complete the puzzle multiple times. Some of the variable solutions are shown on Jaap’s Puzzle Page.