When you think of doing a puzzle, you might picture someone relaxing, sipping tea pulled up to a card or coffee table, pondering the pieces and where they fit.
Recently, a group of Harvest Hill residents engaged in a whole different approach during a “Puzzle Competition” activity. Three teams, of three residents each, were given the same 300-piece puzzle, a timed start and their own space to put it together as quickly as possible with a goal to be the first to complete their puzzle.
The idea came to the activities team via Martha Doolittle, a Harvest Hill resident. Martha had tried a contest at a church competition, an event with six tables of teams. Martha also mentioned that her sister’s brother in law, Bob Armstrong, is a Puzzle Master so she has been doing puzzles for a long time. She saw a documentary called “Wicker Kittens” about teams of people who do puzzle contests. She knew Anne Williams, who was in the film. Martha reached out to Anne for guidance about how to set up contests and where to get puzzles and other ways to host a successful event. Anne was a great help providing guidance and resources.
The winning team at the Harvest Hill competition completed their puzzle in about two hours. Teams had to work together (which can be a challenge) but Martha said you figure out a strategy. For example, on her team they had a “border” person and one to sort and organize prominent colors. The winners went home with boxes of chocolate truffles, and all the teams got to keep their puzzles. Congratulations to Martha and the activities team for “putting it all together.”
