I have always loved logic puzzles, so I when Timberdoodle Co. gave me the opportunity to introduce Mind Benders to Emily, I eagerly took it. We were sent book A3 (grades 3-6) to review.
Mind Benders are deductive reasoning puzzles. Each puzzle is accompanied by a blank chart that the student will fill in as he or she draws conclusions from the given information. This is the example problem in the Mind Benders book:
Davis, Edwards, and Jones are an astronaut, a computer programmer, and a skin diver.
1. Davis is not the astronaut or the computer programmer.
2. Jones is not the astronaut.
What does each person do?
The book explains how to solve a problem using the chart, so if you, as a parent, are wary of tackling these, you have help! Answers and step-by-step procedures are also provided in the back of the book in case the student or teacher gets stuck.
Emily had a few moments of frustration with some of the puzzles, but she did think they were fun. She is learning that she has to read very carefully to pick up small clues that will yield information and is excited each time she figures something out.
She struggles with work problems in math and has a tendency to skim over small details when reading, so I think that the Mind Bender puzzles will be excellent training for her that should carry over into her school subjects. Best of all, she does the puzzles for fun, not because they are “school!” Actually, I think they are a lot of fun, too!
I was given a free review copy of Mind Benders A3 by the Timberdoodle Co. for review purposes. Timberdoodle sells a variety of Thinking Skills books and games.
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