9 Pumpkins Puzzle
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This 9 Pumpkins Puzzle is sure to provide your students a fun Halloween themed math challenge. Without lifting your pencil, draw 4 straight lines that pass through all nine of the pumpkins.
Looking for more food-themed activities and puzzles for your classroom? Here’s a few examples of the other food-related activities I have created.
History of the Puzzle
This is a Halloween-specific version of a classic brainteaser known as the 9 Dots Puzzle. The original puzzle is often attributed to Sam Loyd, but that fact is debatable.
Using the Puzzle in the Classroom
Recently, a blog reader asked me if I had any Halloween math puzzles available to download. This question got me thinking about what puzzles I have used with my students in the past that could be modified for Halloween.
This is a classic example of a “think outside the box” brain teaser. As long as students are thinking “inside” the grid of the nine pumpkins, they will be unable to find a solution to the puzzle.
When I have used this puzzle with my students in the past, I like to give them the puzzle in a dry erase pocket. This lets them try multiple solution methods without having to do a lot of erasing on their paper or redrawing of the grid of nine dots/pumpkins.
MATH = LOVE RECOMMENDS…
I cannot imagine teaching math without my dry erase pockets! They instantly make any activity more engaging and save me countless hours at the copy machine since I can use the same class sets of copies year after year.
Here are my current go-to recommendations:
If you don’t have a classroom set of dry erase pockets, you could also use heavy duty sheet protectors. But, I highly recommend investing in a classroom set of the pockets since they are so much more durable.
Activities That Pair Well with 9 Pumpkins Puzzle
Free Download of 9 Pumpkins Puzzle
The downloadable file for the 9 Pumpkins Puzzle includes two versions. The first version assumes that students are solving the puzzle with a pencil. The second version assumes that students are solving the puzzle with a dry erase marker inside of a dry erase pocket.
Click here to Download
9 Pumpkins Puzzle (PDF)
7455 downloads – 80.69 KB
Click here to Download
9 Pumpkins Puzzle (Editable Publisher File ZIP)
2797 downloads – 156.04 KB
Be sure to check out my other Halloween math activities for middle school or high school math classrooms.
Puzzle Solutions
Puzzle solutions are available on a password-protected solution page. I do not openly post the puzzle answer keys because one of my goals as a resource creator is to craft learning experiences for students that are non-google-able. I want teachers to be able to use these puzzles in their classrooms without the solutions being found easily on the Internet.
Please email me at sarah@mathequalslove.net for the password to the answer key database featuring all of my printable puzzles and math worksheets. I frequently have students emailing me for the answer key, so please specify in your email what school you teach at and what subjects you teach. If you do not provide these details, I will not be able to send you the password.
Not a teacher? Go ahead and send me an email as well. Just let me know what you are using the puzzles for. I am continually in awe of how many people are using these puzzles with scouting groups, with senior adults battling dementia, or as fun activities in their workplace. Just give me enough details so I know you are not a student looking for answers to the puzzle that was assigned as their homework!
