Jingjing of Glenhuntly , Melbourne in Victoria, Australia wrote: "I believe I have the solution to your answer to the Pick up the Sticks problem". Jingjing described the following strategy for getting to the solution:

If you put all of the octagons, using 28 sticks, in a 'circle', you'll get four octagons and a square in the middle. i.e. The top octagon's bottom left side used the same stick as the top right side of the second octagon, and the second octagon's bottom left side is attached to the top left side of the third octagon, and the top right hand side of the third octagon is attached to the fourth octagon on the bottom left hand side, therefore making a square in the middle.

Mithran drew this diagram to show a solution to the problem:

Does Mithran's solution match the explanations given by Jingjing and the pupils from Moorfield School ? Could there be another solution to this problem? Is Marion's different?

Thank you to Stacie and Ellen from St. Aldhelm's Combined School for the solutions you sent to us.

Emma, Chris and Matt of Moorfield Junior School leave us with this question: Can you make 1 pentagon and 5 squares using the same number of sticks?