Staying sharp academically without sudoku.

I've just started doing a book called '642 things to write about' which is really stretching my brain trying to think up characters, plots etc

I've also signed up to courses with online places already mentioned. Great thread

,

SAHM here. To stop cobwebs forming on my brain I do the following:

• duolingo language course every day (French but they do loads of others - all free)
• Futurelearn course, just started doing Moons which is SO interesting but there are loads of others (also free)
• alternate reading an "improving" book with a lighter type book, also in a book club but tbh we barely talk about the book....
• listen to podcasts when doing boring tasks like laundry or cleaning- favourites include R4 type ones like More or Less, Inside Science, No such thing as a fish, Freakonomics, Infinite monkey cage, Great Lives, Radiolab etc....

I would Love to learn a musical instrument but feel I have possibly become too old and lazy....

It sounds as though you might enjoy family history (genealogy).

It turns you into a detective, and it's totally addictive.

Wait But Why is a great blog. He covers all kinds of stuff in a way that is very interesting but accessible and also very funny. His article on space (The Fermi Paradox) that completely blew my mind (he also writes about less cerebral stuff like 7 ways to be insufferable on facebook).

I agree Ted talks are ace, Nancy.

DS watches a lot of Vsauce videos on YouTube. They are short videos (about 10 mins) that start with a seemingly trivial or daft question like 'is cereal soup?' or 'what is the speed of dark?', then in the process of answering the question you get a whole barrage of amazing facts and stuff to stretch your brain.

OhMy Open Learn OU has some great music resources, not sure if they are what you are looking for:

www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/music

A PP mentioned but I'd like to second: I love TED talks (on youtube).

They really make me change the way I think.

What a great thread :) Does anyone know of a way I can learn more (well anything, from the beginning!) about classical music? Can't wait to check out some if these ideas when DD has gone to bed!

Just googled too - The Beans were Scottish, and cannibals. :)

The Beans and The Benders - great names!

Just been googling again, Remus - 'my' serial killers (so to speak) were the Benders. Apparently the real Ingalls family encountered them on their travels (though some people think Laura exaggerated their experience a bit)

Anyway, I'm throwing the thread off topic, so will stop now

I think the serial killer family were the Beans.

Sometimes doing something that seems like pure comfort food for your brain can lead you off in a new direction. A while ago I re-read my old Laura Ingalls Wilder books, because I needed some utterly undemanding, familiar easy reading (stressful times).

This led me onto a trail of googling/researching more about the history of the settlement of America, the lives of homesteaders, with a sidetrack onto the Donner Party and a family of frontier serial killers I can't now remember the name of (!), old recipes, the history of quilting in the US and all kinds of interesting stuff. Ended up taking myself on a day out to the American Museum in Bath

So, as well as trying something completely new and different, it can also wake your brain up to follow a path that starts somewhere really familiar or seemingly trivial.

May I join in even though I listen to Elaine Paige on a Sunday?

Cryptic crosswords are GREAT for this. The Guardian are my favourite, and perhaps the hardest, Times & Telegraph pretty good too. You kind of have to learn a whole set of rules which is nice if you're a bit of a geek.

Second playing Bridge - I play all kind of card games actually.

Yes to competitive University Challenge & newspaper quizzes (I like Sat Guardian).

Nice thread.

Watch Only Connect or play on the website or app
Learn a language with Memrise or similar. I keep trying Arabic.
Memorize some poetry
Watch a TV show made and set in another country - Inspector Montalbano, Wallander, al-Jazeera, even Top Gear...
Try a local pub quiz
Sporcle quizzes
MOOCs

have you considered a MOOC? I did a course on edx.org last year which got me right out of my mid-life funk. coursera, I believe, do similar. YOu can do anything from coding to creative writing. brilliant!

And hurrah for mumsnet classics!

Have signed up to future learning. Sad to just read it's not free though because of the books etc. that's a shame!
My 74 yo dad has taken up ancient languages in his retirement, Hebrew Akkadian etc. very inspiring and a real brain work out!

This thread surely must go in Classics? it has so much useful information and advice. It is a life builder. Where are you MNHQ peeps?

Posting again so I can report it and ask MNHQ to please move this somewhere more permanent. Hope that's OK with you OP.

Cod liver oil.

No joke. It will help to sharpen up your brain.

As you have a demanding career and kids, you probably need bite-sized nuggets of "new input" to help build and reinforce new connections in your brain.

I would suggest ...

World cinema: pick a subtitled film from another country and just watch it for the different cultural perspective. Then, afterwards, think about it in the shower.

Music: listen to music from other countries just to hear something new and unfamiliar. Choose songs with lyrics. You may find your brain starts to tune into the language and you want to know what they mean. These days, you can find lyrics to most songs on the interwebz and google translate is your friend.

Podcasts: you can listen to them on the commute, while you are cooking ... choose unfamiliar subjects.

Write a journal: use a "morning pages" style. I find it is the best way to brain dump, and often very interesting ideas come out of the mess.

Audio books: listen to poetry. Seriously. It is one of the most wonderful ways to experience language.

If you are in a university town or city, there may also be a number of open or guest lectures you could attend. The information should be on the events section of the university's website.