Wits Workout

Activities backed by science to keep aging minds sharp comprise this curriculum.

Molly Hofer and Chelsey Byers are the masterminds behind this project for the Illinois Extension. We developed a logo, color palette, and interior layout design, as well as the book cover. The main objective was to impute a sense of fun. Bright colors and whimsical illustrations helped with that. Many of the illustrations are stock, many are custom drawn by Marlene Walters and me.

Each section has a lesson read aloud by the facilitator. That is followed by a series of activities and puzzles. The type size had to be large enough for older eyes, the instructions easy to follow, and the contrast high enough for black-and-white photocopies. A short run of books were printed, but most curricula are distributed on a USB drive.