The workshop focuses on educational materials (board games involving composition/decomposition) addressed to children, presenting an outstanding historical case, the 1910 « jeu de petits cubes » by Jacques Camescasse(1869-1941), named Initiateur Mathématique: inspired by the Charles-Ange Laisant’s (1841-1920) book Initiation Mathématique and produced by the French publishing house Hachette and in the 1930’s by CEL Coopérative de l’enseignement laic (on Célestin Freinet’s (1896- 1966) choice).We will connect its pedagogical and epistemological substratum with that of a recent educational board game produced in Italy, Polyminix, a 2D version
of a game inspired by Solomon W. Golomb’s (1932-2016)’s polyominoes. The tradition of toys and boxes for elementary learning started in the 18th century, including decomposition and composition and ratios (as in Friedrich Fröbel’s (1782-1852) gifts and the learning of the decimal numeration system). Camescasse combined both aspects – also thanks to the cutting-edge technical design and materials – and had a clear outlook on mathematics education connecting arithmetic to geometry and the metric system: «La mathématique est une et. peu divisible», he wrote in the Notice containing the directions for the Initiateur, included in the box. The workshop will be divided into two parts: participants will be involved in hands on activities in both.