"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."

You can't beat the good old fashioned ways to keep your children entertained. Jigsaws are timeless, I played with them when I was younger, the boys love them now and I'm quite sure that if we're lucky enough to have grandkids in the future they will too. Their great for quiet play which can come in handy every now and again if you need to get things done or if someone is sleeping in the house.

I was always told to start with the corners and then do all around the edges. These days though I tend to throw caution to the wind and start with the first piece I pick up. Unfortunately Seth is a stickler for the rules so it was corners and sides all the way. Jigsaws a great way for teaching the boys about shapes and spatial awareness. 

Doing our Toadstool Pirate Jigsaw today made me think of a comment i had on one of our posts earlier In the year. A reader had left a negative comment about a shape sorter and how it wasn't good as the wrong shapes could be pushed through other holes (obviously another one of Seth's lot who stick to the rules). But as i said in the reply the same could be said about jigsaws, Opeie sat there today attaching pieces that didn't go together but they did fit. This is where you jump in as a parent and explain, There's a valuable lesson to learn there that is relevant in many aspects of life. 'just because that's the easy way it doesn't make it correct!'