by Dave Youngs
Riders of the Jungle Cats is an adaptation of Trick Mules which was produced by Sam Loyd, America's greatest puzzle creator. Loyd sold his original design of two mules and two riders to P.T. Barnum in 1872 for $10,000, a huge sum in those days. Barnum marketed millions of copies of Trick Mules, making it one of the most popular puzzles ever.
The challenge in this puzzle is to get the riders to sit correctly atop the jungle cat's backs by placing the puzzle pieces on a flat surface. Pieces may overlap, but no folding, cutting or tearing is allowed.
While this puzzle might seem easy at first glance, it is deceptively difficult and requires both persistence and creative ( or perhaps, divergent) thinking to solve.
Jim Wilson, a colleague here at AIMS, has often noted that teachers can't teach problem solving well until they become problem solvers. I think Jim's insight is also applicable to puzzles. Teachers need to solve puzzles before they can help students learn how to solve puzzles. If you have not seen this puzzle before, you will probably find it very challenging. I encourage you to tackle it along with your students, thus modeling the persistence you want your students to develop. In addition you will begin to build you own confidence in solving puzzles.