Puzzles Providing Perfect Solution

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Getting through to today's tech-savvy kids is harder than ever before. With the Internet, DVDs, and video games so readily available, kids have many distractions at their disposal. While a few of these devices have some educational value, many do not -- an unsettling thought when considering how much time kids spend parked on the couch watching movies, cruising the Internet or playing video games.

In many instances, technology has proven a formidable foe. Parents and educators often struggle to find educational tools or recreational activities of value that can compete with the barrage of electronic devices today, knowing full well that much of the content on both television and the Internet is not beneficial to kids.

No Puzzle to Getting Kids' Attention

Ann Norton, a teacher in Minnesota, thinks she might have recently found the solution after attending a Minnesota Education Association conference in Minneapolis. At the conference, Norton discovered Scramble Squares®, a 12-by-12 inch puzzle made of nine 4-by-4 inch square pieces. Shortly after using Scramble Squares in her classroom, Norton discovered the puzzles were an instant hit with her students.

"I bought the 'Sharks' Scramble Squares® at the conference," says Norton, "and I can't seem to get it back from my students. I'm kicking myself for not buying a bunch of these puzzles while I was there."

Though the puzzles might initially seem easy to solve, as Norton and her students found out, appearances can be deceiving. Designed to keep participants occupied -- sometimes for hours depending upon a person's puzzle prowess -- the puzzles are the very essence of a brain teaser. They leave most players, adults and children alike, twisting and turning pieces for hours on end, oftentimes only to find they need to begin anew.

Educational Value

For educators, the difficulty in solving the puzzles, and the problem-solving skills the puzzles instill as a result, is not the lone benefit of bringing them into the classroom. Featuring over 125 exquisite styles ranging from nature to sports to history to geography to culture, Scramble Squares® have proven as versatile as the average lesson plan, making them valuable throughout the school year as students tackle a variety of subjects. What's more, each puzzle package includes an interpretive panel of fascinating facts on the subject of the puzzle, as well as a trivia question and hidden answer.

According to childhood development specialist Stevanne Auerbach, that supplementary material, coupled with the puzzle's difficulty, is one of the things that makes Scramble Squares® puzzles such a valuable learning tool, one that is gaining more and more recognition from parents and educators alike as the puzzles continue to grow in popularity.

The Institute for Childhood Resources in San Francisco gave Scramble Square puzzles its "Dr. Toy 10 Best Educational Products Award" for 2007, and the National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA), a program sponsored by Dominion Parenting Media and promoted in association with parenting publications across the United States, named six Scrambles Squares puzzles as 2007 "NAPPA Honor Award" winners. Scramble Squares puzzles are also highly rated by Ableplay.org for the learning disabled, including those with Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

"Parents must plan, prepare and shop ahead for their children's leisure time," says Auerbach, who's also known as "Dr. Toy." "These great products will help all parents and teachers to overcome the challenge of finding innovative, fun and interesting things for their kids and students to do."

Puzzles Help Reduce Stress

As if all of these benefits aren't reason enough to introduce puzzles to kids, adults, or even seniors, research also indicates that puzzles can help reduce stress. When the mind is fully engaged in a complicated puzzle or brain teaser, it generally blocks out everything else, including stress-inducing deadlines or assignments. And with so many school-aged kids succumbing to the strain of over-packed schedules, Scramble Squares® can help alleviate some of that stress.

Packaged in a heavy-duty resealable see-through vinyl pouch, Scramble Squares® puzzles can work well both in the classroom and at home. For more information or to find your nearest retailer, visit www.b-dazzle.com.