We have recently discovered the neighbor kids’ interest in puzzles, and I’m pretty excited about it.
For one, I am all about activities that are exercising their brain capacities, and this definitely teaches them a skill they haven’t grown up with. It is obviously taxing for them: the big picture, the concept of edges and a smooth square, the idea of them actually matching and fitting together.
But also, I really, really love puzzles. I grew up in the Blunier household, so I’m not sure it could go another way. We didn’t just do puzzles–we did puzzle races. You didn’t just go for it–you separated the edge pieces out and did it the “right” way with edges first. Stephen still doesn’t like this {obviously better} plan.
Either way, I’m all about the kiddos embracing puzzle entertainment.
It’s a little frustrating at times.
This one was really difficult and a multi-day event. And in the midst of it being on the floor, we misplaced one piece. She was highly disappointed! It actually took some convincing to get her to take a photo, since it was “unfinished”–but I was so proud of how hard a couple of them and worked for days! Especially this little one just kept trying at it.
THAT IS GREAT!!!! Teamwork, too. All great skills. Many of the families we were in relationship with loved puzzles. That was in the early years before they got access to the internet.
Mu Mu, Eh Tha Blay’s sister loved puzzles considerably. Though she has struggled some with English, her natural math aptitude is out the roof. She was too old to go to high school when they first arrived. We never missed an opportunity to “talk up” her abilities to her dad, who seemed to value the younger ones because of their developing language abilities.
That’s Chit Chit’s family, you know. They are ALL SO intelligent. Although, Eh Tha Blay regards himself as the laziest person on the planet. Haha I really do think his BP is something like, 70/40. HOWEVER, he’s been in mechanic school going on 2 years in the spring and is doing great! He wants to open his own mechanic shop. Eh Na Tha (Taw Ner So’s father) is going to work for him.
The HOPE of opportunity. I really pull for them. I guess we’ll be trying them out….flinchingly at first, I’m sure. Maybe we’ll just start with oil changes and see how that goes : )
Love it, Sherie 🙂 We miss ALL of you!!
I totally agree about doing the outside edges. That is the way we Baker’s do it, too. I am working on teaching that to Ashlen but she is resistant 😉
Why are they so resistant?! It’s obviously the better way 😉