Have you heard?  Working out on the treadmill isn't enough anymore?  Now our brains need a work out too.  This really isn't news to most of us.  I personally discovered this need when I left work to raise three in diapers.  I immediately  began doing the morning crossword puzzles.  Intuitively, I sensed brain cells shrinking.  Occasionally I imagined I heard a few POP....gone!   Don't get me wrong.  I was working twice as hard, and the work I was doing was precious to me and invaluable to our family unit.  But the Snap, Shrivel, and Pop in my brain was disconcerting at times.

What does this have to do with homeschooling?  We enjoy our role as home educators for a variety of reasons.  So often I hear moms say, "I'm learning so much myself."  I join the chorus.  I love all the new things I'm learning.  And although my waistline isn't in top shape, my brain has been getting a daily work out.  Here's a secret....the Japanese are onto us!  They have cornered a new market segment on exercising the brain.  But it's not homeschooling.

 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training comprises a variety of mini-games designed to give brains a workout.  The first title in the series, How Old Is Your Brain?, sees players follow a daily regime of brain-enhancing exercises via a Nintendo game product.  For years I have forbidden Nintendo-type products in our home due to the lack of educational platforms for these types of toys.  Instead of lamenting, I should have been INVENTING!  However, these games are not for kids, but adults.

The older I get, the more I realize how daily rigorous brain exercise is key to well-being.  Beyond my personal experiences, research bears out these findings.  "Use it or Lose It" is a common theme throughout these geriatric studies.  Newletters to senior citizens and geriatric caregivers offer Memory Fitness Classes now!  As a nurse, I find all this relevant and progressive for the general well being of seniors.  As a homeschooling mom (and grandmother), I think we're on the right track for challenging our brains every day.  And as a last resort,  I may be in my rocking chair, playing Nintendo!

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Posted by Theresa

My octogenarian grandma was sharp as a whip til the day she died. She always credited her penchant for crossword puzzles for keeping "old Al" (as she called alzheimer's) at bay. Maybe there is something to "use it or lose it" after all!

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Posted by mamasmurf

I'm certainly feeling as if my brain is "snap, crackle and popping" cells today! Our old computer "died" a couple of days ago, so I'm busily trying to get used to a new machine and a new operating system today. My brain is really starting to ache with all the extra effort!!
Funnily enough, our son has learned quite a lot from PC games (not so much the X-Box) - he loves simulation games where he goes into battle as a medieval warrior. His schoolteacher was most "miffed" when he corrected her (at age 7) when she displayed a picture of a trebuchet and called it a catapult!
~Chrissy

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Posted by spunkyhomeschool

My children and I are enjoyihng Su Duko puzzles. We also play chess. Although that seems to slow in the summer. Blogging is also very mentally challenging for me. The endless parade of idiocy that passes in the news defies logic every day.

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Posted by cyndiegirl72

Congrats on the view from the front porch. I am glad I tuned in to your blog before you got "famous", I'm so glad for you.

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Posted by WaitingontheLord

I really enjoy reading your blog!
I remember when my DD was around 1 thinking that my brain was holding nothing but nursery rhymes and lullabyes. So I began also reading my books to her. I got to read and learn - and she couldn't have cared less as long as I was loving on her. That's not as easy to do now that there are boys making lots of noise and she doesn't want to hear my books. :)

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Posted by mamma1420

I don't know how I feel about being friends with the "popular" girl. Yes, I called you a girl. I figured you don't stop self-denying age until after 40. I raise my sweetened ice tea glass to you! To Maureen!

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Posted by Adam

Good post, thanks for the tips on other websites covering this subject. I hope you will write more on this.

/Adam (daretravels.com)

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