Oh how many hours did I spend as a teen playing the Tetris puzzle game on my Gameboy…. those were the days! 

This week I am participating in a fun flashback event called 90s week with a talented group of creatives. The theme is of course the 90s! I couldn’t help but revisit one of my favorite games from the era: Tetris.

Tetris actually debuted in the mid-80s but became all the rage when the Nintendo Gameboy came out in 1989. In fact I always played Tetris on a Gameboy. The game was invented by Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian computer engineer/video game designer, and is based on a type of  geometric shape called a tetromino, making Tetris not only a fun game but a wonderful geometry lesson as well! Scroll down for more information on the math and STEAM  behind this project.

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Tetrific Printable Tetris Puzzle  

PRINT THE TEMPLATE HERE

Materials 

• • Template
  • Magnetic Sheets
  • Scissors
  • Paper

Instructions

• Step 1 Print template on an 8 1/2 X 11 magnetic sheet.
• Step 2 Cut out magnetic pieces & frame. Cut along THICK black lines only.
• Step 3 Place on metal surface.
• Step 4 Print the Game Board on a thin sheet of paper and tape to refrigerator or other metal surface.

Tip: Be sure to print the game board on thin paper. The magnetic sheets are fairly thin and stick to metal better with less of a barrier.

Game Play

Game 1: Fill the frame with magnetic pieces and try not to leave any empty spaces or “holes.”

Game 2: Play with a friend! Each person must choose the piece for their opponent. Tally up the number of spaces left open by each player. The player with the least number of “holes’ in the puzzle wins!

Let’s Talk STEAM

The Math

Tetrominoes are geometric shapes composed of 4 squares that are connected perpendicular to each other. A tetromino is a type of polyomino, a geometric shapes composed of connected squares. The tetrominoes used in  the Tetris puzzle are one-sided and flat. A tetra cube is created by extruding on eunit face of a tetraimono.

The Art

Geometric Abstraction is a style of art based on geometric shapes and forms composed in unique ways. Famous geometric artists were Piet Mondrian, Joseph Albers, Sonia Delaunay, Frank Stella and many more. Their artwork often consisted of simple geometric forms abstracted and altered or sometimes just simply painted. Think Homage to the Square. Try making art with your Tetrific puzzle pieces. What designs can you create?

The Engineering

Engineers and architects love the concept of modularity. A module is a unit of something that can be repeated over and over to form a larger block. It is used in building and products so that the singular unit can be produced quickly and efficiently and then combined in different ways for different situations. My father is also an architect and built this entire building out of modular shipping containers.

More Math Art

If you love geometric math-art projects like our Tetris puzzle, be sure to check out  these ideas:

Math Art Idea: 3D Geometric Shapes

Math Game Idea: Infinity Tiles

Math Art Idea: Explore Geometry Through String Art

Ready to keep rocking the 90s? head over to Instagram and follow the hashtag #dudeth90s to see all the other crafts, games, toys and ideas we have recreated for the series!

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