The Print Room · Word search

Summer Word Search

POPSICLE, SPRINKLER, SANDCASTLE, FLIPFLOPS — if it belongs to the long hot middle of the year, it is probably in this grid. Twenty words cover the beach (SEASHELL, SNORKEL, SURFBOARD), the backyard (HAMMOCK, BARBECUE, FIREFLY) and the freezer (WATERMELON, LEMONADE), with JULY as the shortest and friendliest find.

This is the sheet for the season it names: the road-trip seat pocket, the camp counselor’s quiet-hour folder, the last week of school when everyone’s attention is already at the pool. Because the words are things rather than concepts, it reads comfortably from about second grade, and younger kids can hunt alongside an adult who reads the word list aloud.

Our tip is about the S problem. Eight of these words begin with S — SUNSHINE, SWIMSUIT, SANDCASTLE, SPRINKLER, SUNGLASSES, SEASHELL, SNORKEL, SURFBOARD — so the first letter is nearly useless as a search anchor. Anchor on the second letter instead: the W of SWIMSUIT, the E of SEASHELL, the P of SPRINKLER. Any letter that narrows the field is a good anchor; the first one is merely the habitual choice.