The Weekly Write-Up #21

Feb 11, 2023

A book about everything Dude Perfect!
Super Bowl LVII Predictions and stats!
GAME-CHANGING app for memorization!
Get $10 off your first purchase of these fantastic activities!

Something I Read

101 TRICKS, TIPS, AND COOL STUFF

In a past newsletter, I talked about the YouTube channel, Dude Perfect. Did you know that Dude Perfect actually has a book that came out recently? It is called 101 Tricks, Tips, and Cool Stuff, and it is a really cool book! Let me tell you more about it…

In this book, the Dudes tell you about Tricks, Tips, and Cool Stuff (duh, hence the name). They tell you how to do some of their iconic tricks. They explain what supplies you need, the setup, the best way to do the trick, and how to clean it up (because that is important too). The goal of this is to get you to try these tricks at your house, the park, or just outside. They give you tips about how to do tricks and make trick shots, as well as other life advice. Finally, the “cool stuff” refers to basically everything else. This goes from quotes, to poems, to facts about the dudes (sadly, not who panda really is)! The best part of this book (I think) is how beautifully it is designed! It is very colorful, and it contains lots of info, pictures, etc. on every single page! It is also a really nice book because it is hardcover, and the pages are smooth and thick. Whoever designed the book and put it all together did a fantastic job!

Overall, this book is super cool, but is it worth the $30 price tag? Even though this is pretty expensive, I would argue that it is worth this price tag because it is a really cool, family-friendly book! You aren’t only getting the cool book, but also the experiences and memories you will make with family and friends! Buy now because it is currently discounted at $22 on Amazon!

Something I Watched

SUPER BOWL LVII PREDICTIONS

Okay, okay! This isn’t something I watched, but something I am going to watch tomorrow! In this section, I will talk about the Super Bowl a bit and share my predictions.

For Die-Hard Football Fans: Super Bowl LVII shows the AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, versus the NFC Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Kansas City Chiefs present one of the best offenses in the league as they average the most in the league in points per game, total yards per game, yards per play, and pass yards per game. Furthermore, they are 2nd best in both 3rd down conversions and red zone scoring. The Chiefs are arguably the best offense in the league, but they are facing one of the best defenses in the league. The Eagles allow the least yards per play, pass yards per game, and are the best in the league when it comes to sacks and pressuring the QB. When it comes to running, the Chiefs’ RBs Isaiah Pacheco and Jerrick McKinnon aren’t as effective as Mahomes at the passing game.

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense does present a dangerous attack to the Chiefs’ defense. Eagles are 3rd in points per game and total yards per game, 6th in yards per play, and 9th in pass yards per game. When it comes to running, Eagles’ RB Miles Sanders andQB Jalen Hurts average 147.6 rushing yards per game (5th in league) and 4th in 10+ rush yard run plays. This Eagles’ offense is stacked up against a Chiefs’ defense who is more effective in some areas than others. While they do struggle in points allowed per game, red zone scoring, and pass yards per game, they excel at sacks and allowing few yards per play. This will certainly be an interesting matchup, especially between Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts because of their tendency to leave the pocket and scramble. I’m excited to see the Chiefs’ offense take on the Eagles’ defense since it is probably the best offense versus the best defense. Note: I’m getting most of these stats from Football Film Room, which is a newsletter on Substack that goes into in-depth analysis of football games and teams. Be sure to check it out!

For Everyone (Even Those Who Don’t Like Football): For this Super Bowl, I have created a Super Bowl LVII picks sheet that you can print out. This sheet has 15 questions about what you think will happen in the Super Bowl. We will determine the winner next week! You should really take the time to pick who you think will win, the final score, etc. because it is a lot of fun to fill it out and see how much you got right! I have also linked my “expert” picks after my extensive research (feel free to go off some of mine if you like, but maybe not all of them because I’m not perfect). Below, I have listed both the printable picks sheet and my “expert” picks (over/under numbers attained from FanDuel):

I would love it if you guys would post your predictions or who you are cheering for down in the comments. You should also fill out the above picks sheet because I will post the correct answers next week and allow everyone to post their score in the comments! (The winner gets bragging rights!)

Tech Thoughts

MEMORIZE BY HEART

Recently, I’ve had to memorize a lot for one of my classes at school, but luckily, I had this outstanding app called Memorize by Heart that helped me along the whole time! The reason it is so helpful is that it includes several games to help you memorize the poem, scripture, or song you are trying to memorize. You can add up to 2 memorizations with the free version (unlimited with premium).

There are two steps to how this app helps you. First, it helps you familiarize yourself with the text with activities like tapping to reveal the next phrase, sliding to get rid of words or letters, or listening to the text being read to you while you say it with it. After this, it evaluates your ability and knowledge of the text with activities like unscrambling the text, typing the first letter of each word, and speaking the text back to the device. My personal favorite out of all of these is the slider that gets rid of words and letters because I find that works best for me when it comes to memorization. I have found this app very helpful in memorization. It is much better than just saying it over and over and over again, which isn’t always very helpful!

With premium (which I have not used), you can do so much more to enhance your memorization. You can add unlimited memorizations, which is nice if you are memorizing more than 2 texts, or you don’t want to delete other texts you have memorized. With premium, you can add these texts by scanning a document rather than typing or pasting it in! This would be so useful! Premium also adds another game, which is multiple choice (fill in the blank with one of the options). Finally, you can also view your memorizations on all of your devices. Premium is only $0.99 per month and currently $7.99 for the year! To purchase it for lifetime (which is probably what I would do because I don’t like subscriptions) is only $15.99!

For real, this app is fantastic and one you should check out next time you need to memorize something! When I showed it to my parents, they said, “I wish we had something like this when we were kids!” I wish I had found out about it sooner, but I’m glad I can use it now! It is free, so you might as well check it out! Available on the App Store here.

Wild Card

KIWICO

KiwiCo makes remarkable activity crates that are both hands-on and educational! These crates are great for kids of all ages, and even adults can enjoy them! I haven’t gotten one of these in a while, but I remember about a year or two ago, my mom got them for me and my brother to work on together. We would get one in the mail every month, and it would be either a doodle crate or a tinker crate. I really enjoyed receiving these boxes of fun and getting to build or craft whatever was in them! Below, I want to focus on both the Doodle Crate and the Tinker Crate to give you a taste of what KiwiCo has to offer!

Doodle Crate: The Doodle Crate is mostly for 9-16 year olds and is focused on arts and crafts. For someone who isn’t good (terrible) at arts and crafts, this crate made me feel moderately good at arts and crafts! My brother and I got to make some really cool projects with these easy step-by-step instructions. Each crate includes projects like Handmade Soap, Felt Succulent Garden, or Faux Leather Portfolio.

Tinker Crate: While the Doodle Crate is great, the Tinker Crate is even better! This crate teaches you all about engineering and crafting inventions. This crate was awesome, and I really enjoyed making these projects! It provides you with a blueprint that will show you exactly how to put the whole project together in simple steps. Some of my favorites were the crane, Wooden Automaton, and the Walking Robot! The Tinker Crates also include the Tinker Zine, which teaches you or your child all about science and engineering.

Here is a list of all the crates that they offer:

Panda Crate (0-24mo.)
Koala Crate (Ages 2-4)
Kiwi Crate (Ages 5-8)
Atlas Crate (Ages 6-11)
Yummy Crate (Ages 6-14)
Doodle Crate (Ages 9-16)
Tinker Crate (Ages 9-14)
Maker Crate (Ages 14+)
Eureka Crate (Ages 12+)

Be sure to check KiwiCo out because they have some really cool stuff to offer! In addition, if you click here (affiliate link), you can get $10 off your first purchase!