Catamino. Options for Games and Tasks with Catamino Figures

Catamino is a wooden piece that can be used in various ways: as unusual pieces to complement a regular set of cubes, as a puzzle for one person, or as a board game for two. Pentominoes are generally flat shapes,... each consisting of five identical squares connected to each other by their sides. Just as in the game "Tetris" where tetrimino pieces made of 4 squares are used, we have all variations of shapes composed of 5 squares. There are exactly 12 pentomino shapes in total. In the proposed game format, these shapes have volume, allowing you to assemble three-dimensional figures, meaning they are made not of squares but of cubes. The classic set of "pentominoes" is supplemented with three pieces consisting of one, two, and three cubes respectively. Some adults, after purchasing a box with a constructor, game, or puzzle, give it to a child, hoping that the child will figure out how to use them on their own. However, children themselves may not always notice all possible uses for games and puzzles. It is better if you first play a little together with the child. You can come up with tasks for each other and draw them on squared cells or in isometry - on triangular "cells". Didactic games, such as the cubes "Create a Pattern" and catamino, should not be mixed in a common toy box, otherwise, the pieces will get lost, break, and it will no longer be possible to play by the rules with two players. Catamino is better stored separately from other cubes, on a shelf with board games. Here are some tasks you can offer to children: o Assemble a figure according to the scheme. o Create your own figure and draw it. o Build a three-dimensional figure or assemble a cube from the available parts. o Make any symmetrical figure. o For the constructed figure, draw a view from the front, side, and top. o Build a figure according to the view from the front, side, and top. o Build a figure in isometry and color it. o Build whatever you want and draw your construction in isometry. Many children enjoy coming up with names for their pictures or assembling images that seem familiar to them: you can build an arch, a house with windows, a puppy, a giraffe... Invent your own games and tasks for catamino, do not limit yourselves to what we have drawn!