Category Archives: Puzzle Activities

How to De-Stress and Be Happy

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January’s nearly over, and for many of us, we may have quickly realized that while a new year feels fresh and new and time for some change, sometimes that just feels impossible. The burdens and stresses of 2012 didn’t just evaporate into thin air, but there is a chance that we can do something to change it in the new year.

Did you know that doing jigsaw puzzles helps encourage the happy hormone dopamine, which regulates mood and affects concentration? Not just puzzles, but simply focusing more on your hobbies and interests, can be rewarding and soothing in itself. The task of starting and completing a project, like jigsaw puzzles or other crafts and activities, can help keep your brain focused and motivated.

Here are 7 great tips to help you manage stress levels and have a happy new year:

  1. We all know that exercising regularly helps us combat stress. But sometimes it seems like finding the time or energy to exercise is a stress in itself. Start slow. Make baby steps. Ten minutes every other day—and then work up. Do exercises you like, instead of forcing yourself to do something you hate. Even just stretching is good for the brain.
  2. In the same vein, start making some conscious decisions to eat healthier. Water instead of soda. Pour less cereal than you can eat. Go for the fruit first when you want to snack.I find that the more healthy things I opt for, the more I start craving healthy things.
  3. Make time for your hobbies. Doing something that you want to do—and not attaching guilt to it—can be a nice way to relax. Sometimes I prolong bedtime by 20 minutes just to fit in some reading.
  4. Smile! We do naturally when we’re happy, but we can also start to trick our brains into tranquility the same way.
  5. Assess your issues. What’s making you feel stressed? What would you assign it on a scale from 1-10? Sometimes taking a step back and analyzing our issues makes us realize that we’re going to end up okay, that we’ve survived worse, and that we can accomplish what we need in order to relax.
  6. Write about it—releasing pent up feelings will help you let go of some of that tension, it’s private, and if you find there’s something you actually need to say to someone else that’s concerning your stress levels, you can do it in a more composed, thoughtful way now.
  7. Go for a walk, or stare outside at something beautiful and let your mind wander.

Check out this article from Reader’s Digest for even more tips to reduce stress.

Now, of course, here are some of our lovely puzzles that can put you in a tranquil state of mind.

Puzzle of a lighthouse on a rock cliff by the sea.

Dawn’s Early Light by Buffalo Games. 500 pieces.

An image of Hatley Park is on this puzzle and it features a red tree, a bridge, and a river.

Hatley Park by Springbok. 1000 pieces.

An image of a quaint lakeside town with mountains in the background.

Lakeside Afternoon by Buffalo Games. 500 pieces.

A giant field of poppy flowers.

Poppies – Sierra Club by Pomegranate. 1000 pieces.

This is a puzzle featuring an image of a bear being surrounded and embraced by hundreds of butterflies.

Robert Bissell – The Embrace by Pomegranate. 1000 pieces.

A lone fisherman rides in his boat against a blood orange sky.

The Fishermen by Clementoni. 1000 pieces.

A forest stream in fall is illuminated by the yellow and red leaves.

Forest Stream by Euro Graphics. 1000 pieces.

Hot air balloons illuminate the sky of a quaint town.

Balloon Glow by SunsOut. 6000 pieces.

Trees cover the path in this autumn fairytale.

Forever Autumn by Educa. 2000 pieces.

 

Election Night 2012 – What will you be doing?

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What will you be doing on Nov. 6, 2012 as the new President of the United States is chosen? Here are some ideas to spruce up your event – and some election facts too!

This great “Red State / Blue State” puzzle is one of many things you can do while you watch the results pour in. With two pieces, one red and one blue, you can construct the puzzle to match as the states’ go red for Romney or blue for Obama.

Election Night Puzzle

Election Night Puzzle

Each state has two pieces – one red, one blue, so you can put the puzzle together as election results roll in!

Want some more activities for Election Night?

50 States Game

Get out a timer, set it to six minutes, and give everyone a sheet of paper labeled 1-50. How many can name all 50 states without a map as an aide? You’d be surprised what people forget (especially if they don’t know that Alphabet State Game Tune)!

Presidential Playlists

Add a bit of fun to the night by creating and listening to playlists you imagine fits your preferred candidate. What do you imagine they listen to, or better yet, what kind of music would you recommend to them?

Red, White, and Blue Foods

Whip up some food and make it red, white, and blue to celebrate! (That link featured 100 different red white and blue recipes – don’t miss it!) If you’re feeling creative, make dishes that you know are Romney or Obama’s favorites — or foods that are considered the best from their hometowns. You can find recipes for past presidents’ favorite foods and cook up something rather presidential for your election night festivities.

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As you watch this nail-biter election, no matter what side you’re on, it might be interesting to look at some facts about the states with the most electoral votes and those that are considered swing states in this election.

THE BIG GUYS

CALIFORNIA
Has gone blue the last 5 elections

Current Electoral Votes: 55
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 55
Went Blue (Democrat): 40% of the time, with 16 elections
Went Red (Republican): 58% of the time, with 23 elections
Went Yellow (Neither Democrat or Republican): 2% of the time, with 1 election
Longest Blue Streak: 5 straight elections from 1932-1948 and 1992-2008
Longest Red Streak: 6 straight elections from 1968-1988
Last 10 elections: Went red 5 times, went blue 5 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 70% of the time
Likely Candidate for 2012: Obama

TEXAS
Has gone red the last 8 elections

Current Electoral Votes: 38 (up 4 from last election)
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 34
Went Blue (Democrat): 69% of the time, with 27 elections
Went Red (Republican): 31% of the time, with 12 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 0% of the time, with 0 elections
Longest Blue Streak: 14 straight elections from 1872-1924
Longest Red Streak: 8 straight elections from 1980-2008
Last 10 Elections: Went red 9 times, went blue 1 time, and went with the overall winning candidate 70% of the time
Likely Candidate for 2012: Romney

NEW YORK
Has gone blue the last 6 elections

Current Electoral Votes: 29
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 31
Went Blue (Democrat): 44% of the time, with 24 elections
Went Red (Republican): 36% of the time, with 20 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 20% of the time, with 11 elections
Longest Blue Streak: 6 straight elections from 1988-2008
Longest Red Streak: 4 straight elections from 1896-1908 and 1916-1928
Last 10 Elections: Went red 3 times, went blue 7 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 70% of the time
Likely Candidate for 2012: Obama

THE SWING STATES

FLORIDA
Has gone blue the last 1 election

Current Electoral Votes: 29
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 27
Went Blue (Democrat): 60% of the time with 24 elections
Went Red (Republican): 38% of the time with 15 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 2% of the time with 1 election
Longest Blue Streak: 12 straight elections from 1880-1924
Longest Red Streak: 4 straight elections from 1980-1992
Last 10 Elections: Went red 7 times, went blue 3 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 90% of the time

OHIO
Has gone blue the last 1 election

Current Electoral Votes: 18
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 20
First Election: 1804, started with 3 electoral votes
Went Blue (Democrat): 29% of the time with 15 elections
Went Red (Republican): 54% of the time with 28 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 17% with 9 elections
Longest Blue Streak: 3 straight elections from 1932-1940
Longest Red Streak: 14 straight elections from 1856-1908
Last 10 Elections: Went red 6 times, went blue 4 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 100% of the time

WISCONSIN
Went blue the last 6 elections

Current Electoral Votes: 10
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 10
First Election: 1848, started with 4 electoral votes
Went Blue (Democrat): 39% of the time with 16 elections
Went Red (Republican): 59% of the time with 24 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 1% of the time 1 election
Longest Blue Streak: 6 straight elections from 1988-2008
Longest Red Streak: 9 straight elections from 1854-1888
Last 10 Elections: Went red 3 times, went blue 7 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 70% of the time

COLORADO
Went blue the last 1 election

Current Electoral Votes: 9
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 9
Went Blue (Democrat): 32% of the time with 11 elections
Went Red (Republican): 65% of the time with 22 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 3% of the time with 1 election
Longest Blue Streak: 3 straight elections from 1908-1916
Longest Red Streak: 6 straight elections from 1968-1988
Last 10 Elections: Went red 8 times, went blue 2 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 80% of the time

IOWA
Went blue the last 1 election

Current Electoral Votes: 6
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 7
Went Blue (Democrat): 29% of the time with 12 elections
Went Red (Republican): 71% of the time with 29 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 0% with 0 elections
Longest Blue Streak: 4 straight elections from 1988-2000
Longest Red Streak: 14 straight elections from 1856-1908
Last 10 Elections: Went red 5 times, went blue 5 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 70% of the time

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Went blue the last 2 elections

Current Electoral Votes: 4
Last Year’s Electoral Votes: 4
Went Blue (Democrat): 29% of the time with 16 elections
Went Red (Republican): 52% of the time with 29 elections
Went Yellow (Neither): 19% of the time with 11 elections
Longest Blue Streak: 6 straight elections from 1832-1852
Longest Red Streak: 14 straight elections from 1856-1908
Last 10 Elections: Went red 6 times, went blue 4 times, and went with the overall winning candidate 80% of the time

Wow, all those statistics give you a lot to mull over! Which way do you think each swing state will go, and do you think their overall history gives you any indication, or should we just be looking at the last several elections?

Make sure to tune in Tuesday night to keep tally and see who makes it to 270 votes and see who will be the leader of the free world for the next four years.

For more information on elections and the electoral college, visit:
 Atlas of US Presidental Elections or 270 to Win

Fun & Easy Things to Do Under $20

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When it comes to spending quality time with family and friends – sometimes it can get spendy. Puzzles and games are a great way to have fun on a budget – but there are a lot of other fun things you can do that are entertaining without breaking the bank. First off, we have a huge selection of puzzles, brainteasers and games under $10. Since times are tough for a lot of us out there, it’s also good to have some ideas for fun things to do that don’t break the budget.

Examples of puzzles you can get for $10 or less:

From left to right:
1. A Sign of the Times – 300 piece puzzle from Ceaco.
2. African Afternoon – 100 piece puzzle from Ravensburger.
3. Fifties Junkpile – 1000 pieces by TDC Games

Of course, puzzles are not the only way to enjoy your time on a budget. Here, we’ve put together some great ideas for you to have fun that shouldn’t cost you more

HOME MOVIE NIGHT

Still go that VCR hanging around in a storage closet? Find your old childhood home videos and watch them with the family, or take a trip to the nearest Goodwill or St. Vinnie’s and pick up a collection of some of your old favorite movies you’ve forgotten about and have a movie night!

TRIVIA NIGHT

Find out more about your friends and family with questions you wouldn’t normally think to ask each other—like “Would you ever go skydiving/bungee jumping/eat a foreign delicacy like frog’s legs?” Take turns guessing things about other people. It was a fun way to learn new things about the people you already thought you knew best! You can find tons of  “would you ever” questions online – or if you think you need a little more help, Puzzle Warehouse has tons of conversational games under $20.

BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN TOWN

Check into your museums and the parks you haven’t yet got a chance to visit in your town. Pick a new form of transportation: if you usually drive everywhere, why not ride the bus or ride a bike? Try to look at your home from an outsider’s perspective. What do you think about it?

MAKE A QUILT

Still attached to some old clothes that don’t fit? A friend of mine has a quilt stitched out of his favorite childhood t-shirts, and it looks pretty cool and has sentimental value. Also, it will help you out with your sewing skills! Here are some helpful hints.

LEARN HOW TO ORIGAMI

You can use all that notebook paper you kept buying at the beginning of every school year and then lost, or old papers that you just haven’t gotten around to recycling. Pick up an origami book from your local craft store or visit Origami Online for some tips and tutorials.

REARRANGE YOUR ROOM

Sometimes just moving things around makes everything feel fresh and new. If space is tight, even just rearranging some decorations or throwing out things you really don’t need anymore can liven up a space.

COLLAGES

Take out those old magazines you’ve been storing or some old tissue paper you have for gift bags and do some modge-podging on a glass jar to make a neat candle holder. Or use the magazines to make some homemade birthday or holiday cards to give out later in the year. Or just make a collage like when you were 13 of your favorite things for no reason at all! Lots of DIY crafts can be searched for on Pinterest.

BLACKOUT POETRY

There’s a poet somewhere in all of us. It may just be more buried and hard to pull out in some more than others. Blackout poetry is a great way to push yourself creatively! First you find an old book or go and pick up some used copies somewhere for cheap. Then you find phrases and words that stick out to you and take a sharpie and black out the rest of the page—leaving only the words you want for a poem.

CROSSWORLD PUZZLES

On an episode of Friends, Rachel once challenged herself to finish a New York Times Crossword all by herself. But you can always ask a friend to help you with the clues you just have absolutely no idea about, or you can also find resources online like this handy website which lets you know whether you’re on the right track.

PICNICS

Organize a picnic with some friends. Each of you can bring something—it’ll be like a mini pot luck! Again, online can be great resource – find great cheap picnic food ideas.

11 Fun Brain Activities for Children

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Puzzles and brainteasers are great for helping young brains develop and grow. They teach problem solving skills, hand-eye coordination, sorting, pattern recognition and more! The best part? There are so many different types of puzzles and images on puzzles that they are certain to entertain as much as they educate. While puzzles will help develop reading, math and logic skills – they also provide a feeling of accomplishment and achievement when the puzzle is solved – which is why kid’s love to do them over and over – and might just give them a confidence boost too!

Putting together jigsaw puzzles and other types of puzzle brainteasers can also be a great family or group play activity, along with individual play. But how do you pick a good puzzle for your youngster? Here are few tips from an article in a Young Children periodical.

1. Small knobs for toddlers. Knobs or chunky puzzles help small fingers with coordination and strengthen the grips used for writing. These are the first puzzle children 2-3 year’s old will enjoy putting together over and over.

2. Children like puzzles of things they know, animals, shapes, story scenes and bright colors.

3. Well designed, sturdy pieces that will withstand some wear and tear are a must. Wooden puzzles from Melissa and Doug, for example, make great starter puzzles for younger puzzlers.

4. When they get bored – it just means they need a step up in challenge – find a puzzle with more pieces, without frames, knobs or trays, or with new topics like letters, numbers or anatomy.

Here are 11 Great Kid’s Puzzles and Games for Brain Development

Five progressive puzzles from 2 to 5 pieces. The pieces are larger, thicker and easier to handle, stimulating attention, curiosity and imagination in children 12 months and older.

Getting dressed won't be such a puzzle once zipping, buckling, snapping, lacing and tying, and other dressing skills are mastered. Each skill is contained on a separate, wooden puzzle piece for easy practice. Develop fine motor and life skills with this great activity. For ages 3+.

Hear the sounds of six favorite vehicles when the two wooden cubes are properly placed in the wooden tray! Find the halves that match and hear six different, realistic sounds. Develops visual perception and fine motor skills. For ages 2+

Easy to grasp, thick chunky pieces fit perfectly into a background tray and help teach kids as young as two about life under the sea! For ages 2 and up.

From Acrobatic Alligator all the way to Zigzag Zebra, this colorful wooden alphabet puzzle has beautifully detailed pictures. When the piece is removed, a full color illustration with a matching image helps children find every letter its home. For ages 3 and up.

 

Ideal for travel, this wooden magnetic board includes three interchangeable animal habitat cards, farm, sea and savanna, and 26 magnetic, wooden play pieces for educational and creative play. For ages 3 and up.

Designed for hours of play and ideal for travel, this wooden magnetic board includes 120 colorful geometric magnets. Younger children (3+) will enjoy using the shapes to replicate the 12 geometric pictures included, while older children will enjoy creating mosaic patterns and pictures directly on the magnetic board.

Fun and fact filled card games for kids of all ages! Features great topics like Lost Civilizations, The Human Body, Earth Science, Sports and more! For ages 8 and up.

PlaySmart Digits in a Box Puzzle Game. First, spill the ten digits (0-9) from the box and give them a scramble. Then, place the pieces back in the box so that the lid closes flat. There are over 4000 possible solutions. For ages 6-8.

The incredible inner workings of the human body are beautifully portrayed in this double - sided educational floor puzzle. One side of this 100 - piece cardboard puzzle features the skeletal structure, and the other side shows internal organs and the circulatory system. For ages 8+.

Generative jigsaw puzzles designed by Nervous System

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“These puzzles marry the artistry of traditional wooden jigsaw puzzles with the possibilities of new technology. Custom software generates a different cut pattern and image for every puzzle. The images are printed on archival paper, mounted on birch plywood and laser cut at our studio in Somerville, MA.” See the whole process here.

Nervous System is a design initiative that aims to “explore a design approach that related process and form in contest of interactivity and openness, focused on generative design methods using both algorithmic and physical tools to create innovative products and environments.”

Excerpt from their site:

“The first was a trip to Paris. A tip from a travel guide sent us to Puzzle Michèle Wilson, a small shop specializing in traditional wooden jigsaw puzzles. As you enter, an artisan sits to your left cutting a tidy stack of plywood sheets with a scroll saw. She isn’t following a prescribed pattern and hence each time she cuts, she creates a different puzzle. The results are dissimiliar from the gridded bits of cardboard we knew in childhood. The pieces were all unique shapes, incorporating funny curves, spirals and even surprise pieces shaped like recognizable figures. Freed from the constraints of mass production, puzzles were suddenly more exciting and creative.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more about these Generative jigsaw puzzles by clicking here. We also have traditional wooden jigsaw puzzles for sale with all sorts of different types of imagery. Fine art, animals, landscapes and more great beautiful works of art on this type of puzzle. Check them out here: http://www.puzzlewarehouse.com/wooden-jigsaw-puzzles/