Counting Pinecones: Daily Bible Jigsaw (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Sometimes, I wonder why I have a cell phone. I don't call anyone on it, I rarely text anyone on it. But one thing that I do use my phone for is playing with a few different apps throughout the day. For the last few weeks, I've been having a lot of fun playing Daily Bible Jigsaw from Planet 316 and trying to beat the time of my friends on the Crew who are also playing.

Daily Bible Jigsaw is available to play three different ways: as a mobile app for both the iOS and

Android as well as on Facebook. Each day, players are given access to a new puzzle which features a beautiful full color photograph or piece of artwork. These puzzles are not very big (30 pieces each) but can be rather challenging at times as players have to rotate pieces to fit them together. Once the puzzle is completed, then a verse from the Bible is overlayed over the top of the image (it would make it too easy to have it on the original puzzle) and a small "celebration" for completion is show, complete with confetti and streamers.

Players can also either purchase coins or earn them by completing tasks such as finishing a set number of puzzles from a given day or completing the puzzle in a set amount of time. A coin is also awards during puzzle play when a specific piece is highlighted and is fit with one of its corresponding pieces. These coins can be used to replay the day's puzzle in hopes of getting a better time, unlock past puzzles, or to use "cheats" such as auto-rotating the pieces or to work with only the edges of the puzzle to start with, making the puzzles a bit easier, especially if your going for a faster time.

Once the daily puzzle is completed, you are awarded stars based on the amount of time it took to complete. It's also at this screen that you are shown the times of your friends who have also completed that same puzzle. You are given the option at this point to replay the puzzle if you think you might be able to complete it faster. Shockingly, I was the top time on the puzzle below - trust me, I'm usually 2nd or third on the list. You can also challenge other friends who haven't played the puzzle yet from this screen.

If you opt not to replay the puzzle, you can select to go back to the calendar for the month. Each time a daily puzzle is completed, you are awarded a puzzle piece for that day. As you progress through the month, the puzzle pieces begin to form a picture. Missed puzzles can be purchased using coins, so if your missing a piece because you weren't able to get to the app that day, you can still complete the monthly puzle.

At the calendar screen, you also have the option to play bonus puzzles. These are a selection of additional puzzles that are free to play without having to spend coins. You can play these as many times as you would like. These puzzles are more challenging, containing 56 pieces but you can still spend coins on the cheats if you would like. From the calendar screen, there is also a Verses option. These are images of the puzzles that you have completed that can be shared on social media such as Facebook. The calendar page also allows you to see awards you have earned while playing the app, as well as those awards you haven't yet achieved and how many coins you will earn once you do complete that task.

The calendar screen also has a small icon at the bottom for the app settings. These allow you to either turn off the sound completely, or turn of the music that accompanies the app so that you do not have to turn the volume down on the phone.

What I Thought

I love jigsaw puzzles but I am not able to work a physical puzzle in my house as pieces would quickly get lost before I completed it. Because of this, I love working puzzles on my phone. There's a running joke in my house that if I'm on my phone, I'm probably doing a puzzle on it. So this app was right up my alley.

I found some puzzles more challenging than others but overall, none of them were extremely easy. One of the awards is for completing the puzzle in under 1 minute - needless to say, that award still alludes me. LOL However, they are easy enough to be completed within a few moments, making them great for a quick break.

I absolutely loved the photos/pictures and the accompanying verses were inspiring and uplifting. Put together with the photographs, they are really nice. A few of them I even wished I could get printed out to put on my wall - they are that nice.

I admit, I'm a cheater and I use the edges and rotate tools a lot. I blame this one the competitive aspect of the game, so that I can try to shave a few seconds off my time to beat one of my friends.

Occasionally, the app would not load properly and would stick on the loading screen. This is easily fixed by simply closing the app and reloading it and I don't think this is the fault of the app itself but maybe my phone or my internet connection.

This is a great app and one that I've enjoyed throughly and will continue to play daily. It's also an app that I would not mine my children playing as there is no questionable content included and it would not be too challenging for them.