Dick Francis, on the other hand,  regularly needed to dump some otherwise dry information into his novels and in COMEBACK I finally noticed there was a definite genius to the way he did so.  #1, he ALWAYS made you appreciate the NEED for that information, and then he let you know that he found a perfect source of the information.  This expert always had to be dug out and in this case he was a shadowy figure wreaking havoc in a den of thieves. Even though the information is delivered KERCHUNK, our hero is awed by the arcane revelations -- and the information explains some of the ulterior methods and the motives galvanizing the villains to action in the novel.  Readers are left saying "Ah,"  It's like putting the dog's pill inside a lump of cheese and inviting him to eat it.

Now, let's say your hero has to do some historical sleuthing in Palm Springs, Calif.  You could put him hitting brick walls and blind curves for a few pages, then somehow (exciting, of course) he connects with Tom Mulhall.  Tom gives him the true dope and your hero sails off to make hash browns of this particular segment of your case.

Should you use old Tom by name?  Most experts would PAY to get into your novel, especially if you already have a name of note.  Others would thank you NOT to put their name into your novel.  The only way to know the difference is to ASK.

***

While I will (in the future) show a long list of resources, what I really want to start doing as they show up or I see them again, is to just let the providers speak for themselves.

• Need help translating dollars into doughnuts around the world? Try Xenon Labs: The Universal Currency Converter now!
• All Aboard PTI's Local Government WWW Train!
• Finance & Development
• International Trade Administration - Trade Information
• IRS - The Digital Daily: Income Tax Forms, Instructions, Publications, Regulations, and other stuff
• FedWorld Information Network Home Page
• U.S. Federal Government Agencies
• The Federal Web Locator
• Classifieds With thousands of visitors daily, this is the best place to buy and sell on the Web!
• Salvage.com is another exciting point of sale. The list is long, and impressive.
• The Closeout Net is right up there too.
• Industry.net is a wonderful resource.

Tale Wins is a resource for writing and sales tips and is always #1 on my list.  The resources mentioned in this section are great providers of serious information that writers can contact and use. 

Now, don't just think how well these resources write.  Nor should you concentrate so much on the specific topic of expertise included.  Go to their home pages or company pages, and get an in depth look at what all this contact can do for your career.  Then, if they don't show exactly the field YOU are into, ASK THEM WHO TO CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.  People who are good at one thing KNOW people that are better in other fields similar to theirs.  It Never Fails.   Save up quotes for use in later articles, stories and books that YOU will produce.

Are Jigsaws Educational?

by Barbara White

Many companies advertise their products as being educational. How much of this terminology is sales promotion and jargon, and how much is fact?

As an educator for many years, I can say with authority, that there is educational value in all types of jigsaw puzzles. The skills acquired and practiced in completing jigsaw puzzles are a foundational part of successful learning. Doing jigsaw puzzles develops several functions of the brain simultaneously as a child has fun and also learns. Most notably developed in this learning process are the abilities to reason, deduce, analyze, sequence, and develop logical thought and problem solving skills. Physically, eye-hand coordination and spatial awareness are also required to complete a jigsaw puzzle.

Putting these benefits aside, I want to look particularly at the jigsaw puzzles that are labeled "Educational". These puzzles are designed to teach a specific learning objective. Some examples of these might be a jigsaw puzzle map of the world, or of the solar system. The manufacturers claim that such puzzles will teach a child those specific facts. What educational value in reality do these types of puzzles contain? 

Firstly the degree of the educational value of these types of puzzles is dependant on how the puzzles are used in the learning process. For example, let us suppose that the learning objective is to learn about the geography of the United States of America, specifically the position of the individual states. You buy a puzzle picturing all the states and their position in the country, and give it to the child to do. Will the child ace a test on the States? Probably not! I'm sure that some learning will take place, but it will be limited and a few weeks later very little of the learning would be retained. To the child the learning process of doing that puzzle would be similar to any jigsaw puzzle that they do. Their focus on the states and where they fit is limited to the process of completing the puzzle.

In order to maximize the educational value of a jigsaw puzzle, it needs to part of the learning process, but not all of it. 

Children have different styles of learning and an advantage of a jigsaw puzzle is that it does involve using more than one type of learning aptitude in the process of completing it. The most obvious learning style for a puzzle is the visual. In doing a puzzle of the USA the child will see the overall shape and also how the various states fit together to complete the whole. Jigsaw puzzles involve both the global (big picture) and analytic (details) aspects of learning. Puzzles are also good for the kinesthetic tendencies of learners. Kinesthetic learners learn best by practical hands on activities. For those with a auditory preference in learning, conversation about the learning and the correlations in the puzzle combined with the overall learning objectives, needs to happen at the same time as the puzzle is being done. 

However the greatest educational benefit comes when the jigsaw puzzle is done as part of the overall learning objective. A jigsaw puzzle can be used to introduce a new subject as well as reinforce learning that has already occurred. The educational value increases to the extent that the subject of the puzzle is meaningful to the knowledge the child already has. To the degree that the child can correlate his prior knowledge with the puzzle experience, the more educational value is gained. 

The jigsaw puzzle can also create new learning experiences. These experiences can then be developed in many other ways for an overall learning experience. For example, in doing a puzzle on American Geography, famous landmarks located on the puzzle could then be looked up and researched in books or on the Internet. Stories can be read or told about historical events that occurred. The actual size of an American state could be explored by working out how long it would take to travel across by car or train. The learning possibilities are endless. 

Some educational puzzles such as `Faces and Places' and `The Map of the Solar System' ,produced by the Great American Puzzle Company come accompanied by a guide book that can be used to get the maximum educational benefit and value from the jigsaw puzzles. 

In conclusion, it can be said that all jigsaw puzzles have educational value to some extent. The puzzles that are advertised as `educational' can be of great educational value if introduced, not in isolation, but as part of a specific learning goal that has both relevance and purpose for the child.

Any time spent doing a jigsaw puzzle with your child will make it a more meaningful and memorable experience. Don't just give your child a present of a jigsaw puzzle-instead give your child an educational experience and a memory that will last a lifetime.

Barbara White, of Beyond Better Development 
(http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com ), has over twenty years 
experience as a parent, teacher and Principal. The jigsaw puzzles 
referred to in this article can be purchased at 
http://www.thepuzzlemania.com