We are grateful to be back in the library with our students not just to work with them on academics, but also to support them with SEL issues and allow them a safe place to unwind. Puzzling — of all kinds — has become very popular in the library.

We have moved our jigsaw puzzle table to a new location and students had collaboratively finished 25 jigsaw puzzles when this post was drafted. By the time you read this, it will no doubt be more than that. In fact, we are starting to repeat puzzles, so we welcome donations — our sweet spot is puzzles between 500 and 1000 pieces. We observe a wide mix of students at the table and there is rarely a block when no one is working on the puzzle.

Puzzle #25

We also have started a large community crossword puzzle as well as smaller Sudoku puzzles to engage other types of thinkers.

We’re delighted to see students off their screens and enjoying time collaborating on these challenging puzzles! Chess, Uno, and other games are still popular — especially during the last block of the day.