Just as some people can’t function without their coffee in the morning, there are some people who wouldn’t think to start their day without doing the crossword puzzle.  For some it’s habit, for some it’s a challenge, and for all of them, it’s one possible step toward warding off dementia.

For many years, doctors believed that Alzheimer’s and dementia were unavoidable.  A person either was going to get it or not, but there was very little that could be done to prevent it.  Researchers today, however, are convinced that lifestyle changes may play an important role in keeping the mind active – which in turn seems to hold dementia at bay.

Some other factors that have been found to make a difference include exercise, eating healthy, avoiding stress and staying social.  Many seniors and baby boomers are taking these recommendations to heart.  And of those choices, doing crosswords and other puzzles sounds like one of the most fun!

Puzzles and games fall into the mental stimulation category and some people refer to this as the “use it or lose it” factor.  It’s not just crosswords and Sudoku, although those are certainly two of the most popular.  Learning new things and challenging your brain with any type of game or new activity would fit the bill.

• Learn something new. It could be a new language or just a new game.  If you have played euchre your whole life, why not try bridge or gin rummy?  The tasks of learning the rules and then figuring out the strategy to win exercise the brain equally.

• Memorize something. Whether it’s a song or poem you’ve always loved or something less eloquent, the mental activity of committing something to memory is good for the brain.  Why not start out with the state capitals or multiplication tables?  Or play the Memory game with a grandchild.

• Do the W’s. Utilize the 5 W’s concept throughout the day.  Ask yourself Who, What, When, Where and Why when you come across something important to know.  Paying attention to these details will help you remember the key elements.

• Do the opposite. Remember declaring Opposite Day when you were a kid?  Well, it’s more than just silly – it helps your mind stay sharp.  Do those crossword puzzles holding your pencil in the “wrong” hand.  Deal the cards with the opposite hand, maybe in the “wrong” direction.

These lifestyle changes that researchers recommend are based more on observations than scientific evidence, but doing a crossword or playing a game is easy, fun, and generally inexpensive, so why not give it a try?  And if you want to double down on your chances to increase your brain power, get a good night’s sleep and walk to a friend’s house where several other friends have gathered for Game Day.  Snack on healthy foods, enjoy each other’s company, play a game that teases your mind and leave the stress behind.  What could be more fun – and functional – than that?

Spelling bees are a great way boost your vocabulary.  They are fun, but they can also be a daunting experience.  Simply standing in front of an audience (even if it is classmates) can be a scary thing to do.  But it’s a great way for kids to build their confidence and self esteem.

Preparing for a spelling bee is not the same as simply learning your words.  It is far easier to spell something correctly when you write it down.  The word ‘looks’ right.  When you are spelling out loud you don’t have the visual backup so it is easy to make a mistake.   As a parent, you can help by giving your child the opportunity to practice spelling their words out loud.

Children learn by repetition so you need to find fun ways for your child to spell their words.  Why not make it into a game?  We play for smarties in a simulated spelling bee game.  Each person takes it in turns to spell a word which is written on a card picked out of a ‘deck’.  You can include the words that your child needs to learn each week and build them up into a proper ‘deck’.  You might like to add words from the useful links below.  It is amazing how well the kids can spell when there is a treat waiting for them at the end of it.  earn a smartie for each correct word the winner gets something special.

By practising spelling out loud your child will develop his/her own technique for coping.  Some will close their eyes and picture the word.  Others will rely on their hearing and sound the word out.  Practice is essential so they become comfortable with the technique before having to stand in front of an audience and spell.

Here are some links which are helpful for spelling bee words and techniques:

Spellmasters Australia is an organisation that organises formal Spelling Bees.  The website is full of useful information including a page full of the basic rules of spelling. It has a link to another Australian site called Ozspeller which has lists of spelling words according to year level.  Sadly I couldn’t get the sound to work but the site still offers a place to practice spelling online.  You will soon find the new Word List up at NSW Public Schools website.  This is a great place to keep up to date with the kind of words your child will be studying. Another site is E-Spindle which is your personal spelling tutor.  It is vocabulary and spelling program that can be customised for all ages and skill levels.

Don’t forget Crosswords for Fun’s kids’ crossword selection.  These are great for boosting your child’s vocabulary.

If you would like to have a say about the types of words that go into your spelling bee crossword puzzles, why not send us the spelling bee words you are currently working on to info@crosswordsforfun.com.au.

Happy Spelling!

Puzzles are a wonderful way to keep yourself occupied while travelling. Crosswords, codewords and sudoku puzzles can all help you fill in those long, empty hours.

There are a great many advantages to doing puzzles while you are on the move:

1. Doing puzzles will ease your boredom. We all know what boredom leads to – short tempers and impulsive actions. Hmm, could be trouble. Codewords are great for taking your mind off the time.  Imagine how much better you will feel when you realise you have cracked the code, solved the puzzle, and another hour of your journey has flown by!

2. Depending on your form of travel, doing puzzles can help ease the effects of travel sickness. Don’t do puzzles requiring close focus if you get car sick. Instead look for puzzles that are larger. A magnetic jigsaw is better than nothing. Why not look out for the magnetic crossword sets which have large letters? By thinking about something involving like a word or number puzzle you can ignore or overcome some of the travel sickness symptoms that make you feel so bad.

3. Travelling with kids can be a challenge. Puzzles can be a great way to help them fill in their time and keep arguments to a minimum. You can sneak a little education in with some word finds or build vocabulary with a crossword. You can also buy or print kids crosswords. There is something great about doing puzzles as a family. It can bring you closer together as a family unit.

5. Jetlag is something we all battle after long haul flights. Seasoned travellers and travel writers recommend completing word games and number puzzles to help keep your mind sharp. This is especially useful if you are travelling for business purposes and you need to walk straight into meetings.

Modern puzzles come in so many versions from ebook, Iphone applications and electronic crossword games, such as Nintendo. There are always the traditional crossword and sudoku puzzle books or puzzles that you have downloaded and printed.  All are easily portable and will fit in a handbag or briefcase. If you have a long trip to go on then grab some puzzles and you will travel much faster.

]]> http://www.crosswordsforfun.com.au/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=224 0 http://www.crosswordsforfun.com.au/wordpress/?p=630 http://www.crosswordsforfun.com.au/wordpress/?p=630#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:10:27 +0000 admin http://www.crosswordsforfun.com.au/wordpress/?p=630 As a business owner, no doubt, you are always looking for new ways to promote your business and product range.

Have you ever thought of offering your customers puzzles to do?   They are an innovative way of marketing your product or service.  People love the fun and challenge that doing puzzles provides, and they can be customised to suit any topic.

At Crosswords for Fun, we can design a puzzle on the subject of your core business.  It could take the form of a flyer with a complimentary voucher, return the completed puzzle for a percentage off your next purchase    Perhaps you might like to run a competition using a puzzle on your website or in your newsletter and offer a prize for the winner.

By providing a fun activiity for your customers will help them to remember you and make you stand out from the crowd.  It’s a great way to generate repeat business!

There are some greatpuzzle applications available, which means that you can take them with you wherever you go.  You can choose from crossword puzzles, Sudoku, even Scrabble!

There are paid and free applications available by the hundreds.  There is bound to be a game or puzzle that will get your mind moving.

When we look at new technology like the iPhone and iPod Touch many of us see them only as tools for business people or game centres for teens.  Stop and take another look and see what technology has to offer you.  This could be the perfect portable device for you – phone and brain exerciser all in one handy electronic box.

We hope you enjoyed our post last week about Sudoku for Beginners, and that it you have found it helpful.  We have found another great sudoku handbook that will show you more tips and strategies  for solving these clever puzzles.  It’s called Mastering Sudoku in 52 Weeks – 52 Steps to Becoming a Sudoku Wizard.

• It’s a  complete course in mastering the art of sudoku – with 52 puzzles specially designed to give you hands-on training in the full range of techniques.
• Expert tactics and tips to take you from basic puzzles right up to the highest level of difficulty.
• Draws on the most effective strategies devised by sudoku boffins in Japan, Europe and the United States.
• Clearly explains advanced techniques such as non-unique rectangles, XY wings and the fearsome and controversial Nishio.
• Includes tips on key patterns to watch out for and ways to improve your solving speed.

This is a great book to help you sharpening your Sudoku skills.  Why not grab a copy today?  If you are looking for Sudoku puzzles to solve, the Crosswords for Fun Sudoku Archive is a great place to find them.  They are available in three levels of difficulty – Easy, Medium and Hard.

Wikipedia describes it like this: “The first part is a set of lettered clues, each of which has numbered blanks representing the letters of the answer. The second part is a long series of numbered blanks and spaces, representing a quotation or other text, into which the answers for the clues fit.”

Sometimes the numbered blanks and spaces are just laid out on a series of dashes (think Hangman style) but sometimes they are in a grid like a crossword.

In this example taken from Crossword Express you can see that the answers to the clues are filled out in boxes each with numbered squares.  Once you have identified which number equates to which letter you can complete the puzzle at the top which will give you the answer to the posed question.  You will be able to figure out some of the words by using logic, too.

Complicated?  Yes, it can be, but as with anything else you do it takes time to master.  If you are a word fiend then this might be the perfect type of puzzle for you.  Use your logic and your detective skills to decipher the clues!

Crossword Dictionary is a great little site that will help you fill in those blanks.  I entered A..le as my incomplete word and the result listed 17 possibilities!  This tame little mind was thinking ‘apple’.  Hah!

One Across is able to analyse the blanks as well as the clue.  You can enter ‘red shiny fruit loved by Snow White’ or A..le.  How good is that?

Crossword Solver is another site that will help you to complete your word.  I entered the A..le clue and had 14 possibilities listed for me.

There are some other handy sites that every good crossword puzzler should know about and they include Thesaurus.com,  Merriam-Webster and Macquarie Dictionary Online.  These will supply words, correct your spelling and tell you if the word you are thinking of is the right match for the clue.

For more useful links and references to help you solve crossword puzzles, why not check out our crossword puzzle help links page.  If you have one to recommend, please contact us or leave a comment below.  We will add it to our list.

If you prefer the traditional dictionary, there are many to choose from on Fishpond.  Simply type in a term such as crossword dictionary or crossword puzzle dictionary, and it will come up many options for you to choose from.

Puzzling is a highly  beneficial activity, especially  if you have had a morning/day  that has had some stress associated with it, and you need a way to relax and wind down  Puzzles are great because they can divert your attention from what’s worrying you, to something completely different and above all, fun!

Crosswords for Fun offers a huge range of free puzzles that can be solved online or downloaded and printed.  You might choose to begin a puzzle during the commute into work, and if you don’t finish it, continue it during over lunch.  If you still haven’t solved it, there is always the journey home, but by then, you will be sufficiently pumped, that you will want to finish it no matter what, won’t you?

The beauty of puzzles as that that they are completely portable.  All you need is your laptop, I-Phone or print them out beforehand.  You can take them anywhere you wish – your favourite cafe, the public library, outside on the grass under a tree, or on the bus or train.

At Sudoku.com.au you can try a free daily game of sudoku.  You can check your answers as you go so that you know whether you are right or wrong.  For beginners this is so useful.  It will help you to stay on track but will also help you to reason out the solution.

Once you have become used to the way Sudoku works I recommend moving onto the printed versions so you don’t fall into the habit of ‘peeking’ at the results.  That is the lazy persons way, isn’t it?  Start with a book like Will Shortz Presents Starter Sudoku.    It has 100 puzzles for you to work through and is set at the perfect level for beginners.

Crosswords for Fun also has a selection of sudoku puzzles for you to pit your wits against.  You can start with the easy ones and work through until you feel confident enough to attempt the hard ones.  We add new puzzles regularly, but if we aren’t adding them fast enough, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Good luck!