U3A Benalla - Brain Games

July - "Sometimes we blame memory when it's actually attention that hasn't been activated"

26/7/2026

Sometimes we blame memory when it's actually attention that hasn't been activated. Perhaps we're unsure where we parked the car or we forget to listen properly for the name of a new acquaintance.

It can be trained, but you have to be entertained or at least motivated to feel that it's worth exercising the brain.

Our group enjoyed using mental flexibility and finding new ways of paying attention to codes, shapes and sequences. .

Elspeth Maconachie

June - 'Seeing links, playing with anagrams and more'

27/6/2026

It was mainly words--seeing links and playing with anagrams--but we also applied logic, exercised visual skills with 3D shapes and a maze, manipulated weights and numbers and considered probabilities.

Espeth Maconachie

May - 'We need ... and we practised, mental flexibility'

30/5/2026

What is worth recalling? When is it useful to pay attention? It's handy to have a few numbers in your memory in case your phone is mislaid. And we need mental flexibility, so we're not left barking up one tree when the solution is peering from behind a nearby trunk!

For homework, we had checked memory, seeing if we'd correctly recalled the brand of some items used daily, our nearest cross street or washing machine make (perhaps only vital when the warranty is almost out!).

We practised mental flexibility, trying to find links between words like shadow, string and sock*.

We trained memory, looking at faces and shapes.

And we encouraged neural pathway development by folding in the fingers of one hand and the thumb of the other hand and seeing how quickly we could swap. That required careful attention!

Elspeth Maconachie
(*they're all puppets)

April - "It's good to know we're building mental muscle"

28/4/2026

We exercised our senses and memory. Mental flexibility helps when trying to see patterns and links in words and shapes, or different tricks to solve puzzles.

Specialist areas of the brain share tasks and can even take over in the event of damage so it's good to know we're building useful reserves of mental muscle.

Elspeth Maconachie

March - 'A challenge to try'

27/3/2026

It was good to have three new people join the group (and to hear from a couple who had to miss this time).

It was hard work. The warm-up page took most of the first hour!

The brain gets quite a workout when we switch focus and try to find patterns and possibilities in images, numbers, shapes and series.

Try this challenge. It's easy to write the numbers 1 to 10, and to write the words one to ten, but how quickly can you write the number of letters in the words one to ten?
That would be: 3, 3, 5, 4...
Can you feel the cognitive cogs whirring?

Elspeth Maconachie

February - "A lively group willing to try the challenges on offer!"

26/2/2026

It was a lovely, lively group, willing to try the challenges on offer at Brain Games.

We tuned up the senses with seven mystery sounds and got ready for rapid thinking, listing 4-letter words beginning with u.

Flexibility, concentration and fast physical and mental muscle were used in a variety of tasks.

We sorted shapes, drew mirror images, tried a finger/brain exercise and played with anagrams and numbers.

Try this until your brain creates the links that make it easy:-

Place one hand flat on the table, palm down and make a fist with the other hand so knuckles are on the table, then swap...fist, palm: palm fist.
Now add a clap in between and L palm, R fist clap. L fist R palm clap.

Once conquered, try speeding it up!

Elspeth Maconachie

November - "The group was small, so we kept it short"

28/11/2025

The group was small, so we kept it short.

We enlivened the senses with a sound effects quiz, tried to identify a mystery spice and tested sight and patience with a maze.

We threw around some ideas related to content Linda will be including in Critical Thinking next year, including such things as appreciating the complexity and variety of our brains and honing our skills to combat misinformation.

It was interesting to hear today of recent science from Cambridge that has noted five distinct stages of the human brain, with childhood growth until age 9, then adolescence until 32 when the brain becomes adult. Another change at 66 until 83 years of age when I like to think that the brain wiring is so interconnected that we achieve great wisdom!

Elspeth Maconachie

October - 'Neuro divergence', puzzles, mirror images and more...

29/10/2025

Brief notes on logical thinking led to interesting discussion of neuro divergence and a reminder to use labels to help strategise but not to pigeon-hole.

We flexed our brains, thinking of widely differing meanings simple words like slip or sound can have in different contexts.

Then we used our different approaches as we tackled puzzles asking us to remember, decode, calculate and categorise.

Manipulating shapes and drawing mirror images also gave our brains the exercise it enjoys even when the effort can be felt.

Teamwork helps too.

Elspeth Maconachie

September session called off - hope to see you in October!

26/9/2025

The September session had to be called off. Apologies to anyone who didn't see my email early enough.

Homework was set: Try writing the alphabet backwards, draw an upside down cat and see if you can recall the phonetic alphabet from Alpha to Zulu.

Elspeth

August - 'Mirror images, missing link words' ... and more

27/8/2025

Brains thrive on a variety of activities and we warmed up with pets, pros, cons, pictures and even a planet or two.

Discussion then hushed, as drawing mirror images took quiet concentration.

We took a team approach to tackle several tough puzzles, testing our vocab, skill with 11- letter anagrams and cryptic clues, but we're fairly slick at finding missing link words. EG fish cake & cake mix.

Can you find a word that can follow ship and precede shifter?

Or follow straw and precede go?

... just as ice can follow dry or precede cream.

Elspeth

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Brain Games - Neurobics

It is well established that new skills can help build brain pathways with benefits for memory, confidence, happiness and even falls prevention.

The brain enjoys a neurobic workout and Brain Games will offer a variety of entertaing and informative ways to challenge and exercise your brain.

Thus we might solve word, number, shape, picture or logic puzzles, tackle a quiz, brainstorm solutions to a dilemma, draw a picture or even learn to juggle! We might at times read or view material on topics such as optimism, lateral thinking, creativity, problem solving and brain damage and repair.

Convenor and contact details

Elspeth Maconachie
0418 621 764

Meeting Times

4th Thursday
10 am to 12 noon
U3A Meeting Room 1, Fawckner Drive.