Creative Challenges in the Gifted Classes

The gifted classes of Fair Grove Elementary and Middle School started a rubik’s cube unit with Mrs. Erin Neal in the week of January 8th-12th. Mrs. Neal teaches first through third grade Gifted classes and has picked their new and interesting topic. They started off the year colonizing mars and have recently finished those projects. After this rubik’s cube unit they will build ‘Do it yourself’ robots.

The rubik’s cube was originally called the “magic cube” and was created by a Hungarian inventor and architect named Erno Rubik in 1974. It was later renamed the Rubik’s Cube, after its inventor, in 1980. Erno invented the hard-to-solve cube when he wanted an easier way to explain three-dimensional geometry. He also invented Rubik’s snake and Rubik’s magic. After creating the cube he realized he did not know how to solve it, so he spent three months trying to solve his own invention.

Mrs. Neal’s students are going to learn about the parts of the cube, how to solve it, how to make the alphabet with the cubes, and how to make mosaic pictures with them. Neal said, “My students have expressed an interest in learning how to solve a rubik’s cube in the past.” Over the summer Mrs. Neal was informed that she had the ability to rent rubiks cubes during the school year. Neal stated, “Over the summer I learned that I could rent a set of cubes for free for a six week period. I rented the cubes for the months of January and February.

After the learning process has finished, her students are going to come up with a challenge for others, or start solving the cube faster. Neal added, “If they create a challenge then they will have a presentation with that challenge and the solution.”