| If you want to give your body a full workout for | | | | _______________________________ |
| your overall health and well being then you can | | | | Brian x |
| exercise your muscles and your mind on a | | | | _______________________________ |
| weekly basis. Exercising your muscles can consist | | | | Mary x x |
| of anything from walking, yoga, swimming, | | | | __________________ |
| workouts at the gym, playing sport. One should at | | | | 7 x |
| least exercise 30 minutes three times per week. | | | | __________________ |
| So what can you do to exercise and stimulate | | | | 9 x x / |
| the mind? Puzzles. | | | | __________________ |
| Here are some ideas. | | | | 10 / x |
| 1.Sudoku: | | | | __________________ |
| This is where you are given a grid of 9 x 9 small | | | | You can fill in definite answers with a tick ( I will |
| squares arranged into 9 bigger squares of 3 x 3 | | | | indicate it with a / ) and the remainder of the |
| small squares. Numbers 1 to 9 are written in | | | | same row or column and definite wrong answers |
| some of the squares. Your goal is to fill in the | | | | with a cross ( x ) |
| complete gris with numbers 1 to 9 such that:a. | | | | I filled in the answers from the clues given. |
| each column has one number each of 1 to 9 andb. | | | | - a tick for White 9 years and x along row and |
| each row has one number each of 1 to 9 andc. | | | | up column |
| each of the 9 bigger squares has one number | | | | - a tick for Anne Brown from clue 1 as Mary can |
| each of 1 to 9 | | | | not be Mary Brown. |
| They come in varying degrees of difficulty You | | | | - a tick for Anne 10 and Brown 10 from clue 1 as |
| can also get variations with use of 9 letters from | | | | Anne Brown is 3 years older than Mary. It is the |
| a word or words, symbols, a bigger 16 x 16 | | | | only number possible. |
| version with 16 bigger squares of 4 x 4. | | | | What you would do is fill in the remaining crosses |
| There are techniques for solving these puzzles. | | | | and you will find out the full answers. |
| 2. Kakuro: | | | | 4. Code Breakers: |
| Kakuro is a grid of squares with numbers as clues. | | | | These are crosswords without clues. The aim is |
| You use the clues to fill in the squares with | | | | to fill in all the squares with words like a |
| numbers. | | | | crossword. |
| It is similar to both sudoku and traditional | | | | Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a |
| crossword games. | | | | number. Each square has a little number in it At |
| Just like a sudoku, you cannot have the same | | | | the start you will see that there is a letter already |
| number in a row or column. If a row is broken | | | | placed in a square, therefore you will know that |
| into 2 areas by a clue, then you can have the | | | | the little number in that square is represented by |
| same number occurring once in each of the | | | | the letter eg the letter T is place in a square |
| separate areas. | | | | consisting of the number 13. All 13s in the entire |
| Just like a crossword, Kakuro has clues both | | | | grid of squares will be a T. |
| across and down. When you put numbers in the | | | | This is the only clue to solving the entire puzzle. |
| vacant squares, the sum must equal the given | | | | You will know that most words will have a vowel |
| clues. This is why the game is sometimes called | | | | in them and a Q needs a U to follow it. There will |
| 'cross sums'. | | | | be repeats of numbers so that automatically |
| 3. Logic Problems: | | | | eliminates some letters eg J. You can write down |
| These require a common sense and a cool head | | | | all the letters which can repeat in a word and see |
| and are found in books labelled Logic Puzzles. | | | | where they can fit on the grid. Letters such as Q |
| You are given a statement of the problem, a | | | | Z X will not appear that often. |
| series of clues and a chart. | | | | It is fun to see how long this one takes. Some |
| The aim is to solve the problem given in the | | | | are easier than others. It may depend on your |
| statement using the given clues and fill in the | | | | starter letter. Occasionally you have a phrase to |
| chart completely. | | | | find out and fill in eg a film title. |
| Example: This is a simple puzzle. Most of them are | | | | 5. Word Search: |
| bigger and more complicated. | | | | This is easy and fun and a great learning tool |
| Statement: Three children live in the same street. | | | | often used in schools. |
| From the two clues given below, can you | | | | You have a list of words and you have to circle |
| discover each child's full name and age? | | | | them in a grid of letters either horizontally, |
| Clues: 1. Miss Brown is three years older than | | | | vertically or diagonally. |
| Mary. | | | | These five fantastic puzzles to stimulate the mind |
| 2. The child whose surname is White is 9 years | | | | are great fun to do, sometimes frustrating when |
| old. | | | | you can not see the light but they certainly give |
| Chart: B=Brown G=Green W= White | | | | your mind an energic workout. |
| Just imagine vertical lines after each word number | | | | Why not try a sudoku, kakuro, logic puzzle, code |
| or letter | | | | breaker or word search yourself. You never |
| B G W 7 9 10 | | | | know you could become addicted to any one of |
| _______________________________ | | | | these.. |
| Anne / x / | | | | |