Cooperative Living January 2018 - 20

KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS' KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!
Kids'Korner | Story, photos and artwork by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
The Power of Puzzling
" And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? ...
And he puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore. "
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss
W
hen was the last time that you, like the Grinch,
gave your own " puzzler " (or brain) a good
workout?
Maybe it happened while completing a difficult school
assignment. Or was it when you were practicing on your
musical instrument or even when playing a video game? If
you genuinely exerted your brainpower on any of these
activities, you may have imagined that your " puzzler " really
did begin to feel sore!
Mental stimulation doesn't actually hurt, of course. On the
contrary, it helps the brain stay in tip-top condition. Just like
physical workouts improve and tone the body, brainy
exercises sharpen the mind.
Most everyone knows how to stay buff and fit physically,
through an
exercise regimen.
But mental
workouts are often
neglected. Happily,
there is a simple,
straightforward
pastime that you
can do to maintain
a strong level of
brain fitness -
and it's relaxing fun: Start solving puzzles!
Do you remember favorite earlychildhood
puzzles that you put
together and took apart over and over
again? As you nimbly maneuvered the
chunky pieces around, you were
totally unaware that your fine motor
and cognitive skills were being
strengthened. In the process, you were
becoming a thinker, a strategist and
a problem solver. You never knew you
were developing intellectually ... you
just thought you were having fun!!
Now that you are older, and growing up in the modern
digital age, putting a puzzle together manually might seem
like an old-fashioned and insignificant activity. After all, there
are online puzzles. And the puzzle apps for smartphones and
tablets allow you to carry those hundreds of pieces around in
your pocket or backpack. No work space is needed to set up
the puzzle, no pieces are ever lost and it's high-tech
fun!
Connecting Memories
But don't let the simplicity of a no-frills, puzzle-in-a-box
fool you. There are good times waiting to happen in that
hodgepodge of cardboard bits.
While an electronic puzzle is
fine for personal entertainment, a
physical, touchable jigsaw puzzle
is shareable. As soon as the
puzzle is dumped on a table,
puzzle lovers of all ages will show
up and start sorting and
connecting.
Unlike a computerized
puzzle, there is no timer,
so there's no reason to
rush. Without the stress of
a deadline for completion,
the atmosphere becomes
relaxed and laid-back.
Some puzzle solvers will
linger at the table for a
long time, leisurely chatting as they search for edge pieces
to finish the border. Others will come and go, sometimes
returning with a bowl of popcorn. On occasion, a curious
family cat might hop up and scatter the pieces.
In this easy-going setting, some of the best conversations
and happiest memories happen over a hassle-free puzzle, one
word and one piece at a time. Surprisingly, it is during this
period of unhurried and calm concentration that both sides
of your brain get super busy.
Brain Fitness Training Facts and Rewards
The jigsaw puzzle acts as your brain's personal trainer as it
stimulates continuous activity.
Left-brain hemisphere sees the
individual pieces and tries to
connect them logically. Right-brain
hemisphere looks at " the big picture "
and works toward the finished
product.
The good news is that this full
brain workout causes lots of
connections to occur between
individual brain cells. And that means
your ability to learn, to comprehend and to
remember is greatly improved!
18 | Cooperative Living | January 2018
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Cooperative Living January 2018

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