DLTK's Crafts for Kids
The World Peace Puzzle

Hi Everyone,

This week I would like to share an email that I received from a viewer.   Janice emailed us a while back with some information about a special project that her and her husband started and was wondering if we could help her out.

Janice wrote:

About 3 years ago (1999), my husband and I decided we wanted to build the world's largest jigsaw puzzle. A Guinness Book of World Record breaker. If you knew us, the concept would seem like a typical thing that ‘Janice and Ross’ would do… In a day we figured out the basic plan, developed a basic website that explained the concept and provided directions to the puzzle template- which we set up so you could print it off, draw a picture or write a story that depicted your vision of Canada or your community.  Then, we sent out a media release to our local rural-northern Ontario newspaper (the North Bay Nugget) and a fantastic article was published the following day. Within 5 days we had been interviewed by newspapers and radio stations from around the world. One newspaper in Ottawa (The Senator) had "Canadian Couple Puzzles Over Unity" splashed across the front page. Within months I had received thousands of puzzle pieces, all of which were individual works of art and poetry on paper puzzle pieces that were glued to card board, cut out and then mailed to us on puzzle piece-shaped post cards. We received post cards, envelopes and cases of puzzle pieces from schools, individuals, church groups, Girl Guides, Brownies, Boy Cubs, Scouts, senior citizens and retirement homes, Royal Canadian Legions, politicians and more fantastically, from countries around the world...New Zealand, Scotland and England.   Last week I received a box of puzzle pieces from a school in Kent, England...And all this 3 years after the original media release...and all for a mere investment of only $60.00
 

We took down the website because it wasn't getting the hits to substantiate its' existence any longer, and I didn't have the money or resources to put towards the project anymore. We had 3 children in the 3 years since beginning the project and life took new priorities. But, I still haven't given up hope of building the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle.  The interest that it has inspired around the world leaves me wondering if the puzzle should be more international in scope. The World Peace Puzzle - and what better time for that! I want to be a part of that puzzle...or should I say a piece of that puzzle.
 

By the way, the largest jigsaw puzzle was built in Marseilles, France in 1992...It was 3,780 square metres. The record for the puzzle with the most pieces is 46,000- so, it is possible to break two world records. I want to aim for 4,500 square metres. In order to break the existing record, 200, 000 puzzle pieces would have to be collected. Although, I already have 5000 pieces so there are only 195, 000 outstanding puzzle pieces.

So… I wonder if this concept will inspire you to go to www.thebigpuzzle.com , run off a puzzle template and send your piece in?
 

I hope it does because the puzzle can only be made with your help.

Cheers!

Janice MacLean