Every morning for the past several years, the first thing I do is complete the mini NY Times crossword puzzle. I have a competition on who can do it fastest with my brother and father and send them my times when I am proud of them (anything under 40 seconds). I usually can tell how smart I am going to be that day based on my success on the mini crossword. I have it as an app on my phone, but you can also do it on the computer. It is fun, addictive, and not time consuming — which I love!
In the app, there is also the bigger crossword (thanks but no thanks) and Spelling Bee!
Over the holiday break, I was introduced to NYTimes Spelling Bee. Another fun and addicting game! I am NOT good at it at all, but am determined to become a stronger player. I love it as it engages my brain in a different way than suduko (another one of my favorite games) or math problems (which you know I love). So for the past several weeks, it has been my morning obsession and has even involved the kids.
You are given seven letters and you need to create as many words (4 or more letters) as possible, using any variation of the letters, but always using the middle letter.
Most of the words I create are short and basic — and I have to tell you that my 12 year old son came up with two words last week that blew me away (“antagonizing” and “blatant” — two different words on two different days — way more complicated than by “ball” etc…)
It is not timed and you can go back throughout the day. It starts a new one 24 hours later — and I always go back and check the previous days answers to see how many I got correctly.
The ones with the check marks are the ones that I wrote down correctly, and the others, I missed. Always interesting and good to see what I need to learn more of!
So I highly suggest that if you like using your brain in a different manner and want to get stronger with word play (sounds weird, but I do!!!!), then I recommend playing this game on the computer or app on phone! It is free! And easy! My goal is to get higher points, and some day score in the 70s — right now, my scores are always 40-50…… Anyways, happy week! Happy learning! Happy words!
