Teasing Your Brain

Don't know why I never thought of this before - duh.  Today before we did anything else school related we sat down and tackled part of a book of brain teasers for kids.  Max got into it and kept asking to move on to the next puzzle or problem.  I thought it was a nice way to do some brain calisthenics and we'll definitely use books like these again.  The puzzles provided a super segue into more focused work.  It was a nice transition between the morning wake up routine and school work. 

Here are some suggestions for some books you can utilize if you like this approach:

Classic Brainteasers

We used this book this morning; some of the puzzles were pretty clever.

Wicked Whodunits: Dr. Quicksolve Mini-Mysteries

These look fun.  I put this one in our wishlist.

One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve with Math!

One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!

Stories to Solve

Some abstract thinking needed to solve these one to two page tales; a nice introduction to some folklore, too!

True Lies: 18 Tales For You To Judge (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

MindWare Perplexors: Level C

We've played with these and there is a slew of them to choose from; some more math/logic, others focus on language arts.  These make for good companions on long car trips, too.

I like the 'I can KenKen!' books by Will Shortz, too.  These are like Sudoku:

Will Shortz Presents I Can KenKen! Volume 1: 75 Puzzles for Having Fun with Math

Okay!  There's a good start for you.  Have fun looking for puzzle books that you can use as transition material as you see fit.  Also, try really hard to keep your nose out of them to see if you still have what it takes to solve puzzles!  I have a slight weakness for puzzle books and get this amazing sense of accomplishment when I actually solve something!