The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

This title reminds me of a  line from a song in My Fair Lady, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.”  We may not know any other lines in the song, but we remember that one because it’s a type of mnemonic – a rhyme.

Something is happening in our educational system and our language. Children are no longer required to memorize poetry or the Gettysburg Address or lines from Shakespeare. The beauty of our language is quickly being replaced with cryptic text messages like,  GGOH    Gotta Get Outa Here  or  LOL   Laughing out Loud.  Writing is becoming a lost art, along with the beauty of recitation. Maybe you are saying, “Who cares if someone can recite Longfellow’s poem, Paul Revere’s Ride.”  You should care because your children are losing the ability to retain information. Use it or lose it!

Children who are able to memorize, become successful students.
* Begin young. Read aloud to infants and continue reading to them, even when they are 10.
* Encourage your kids to memorize short little nursery rhymes like Jack & Jill or Humpty Dumpty or those happy funny rhymes from Dr. Seuss.
* Read with enthusiasm and expression! Make it fun!
* Help your kids memorize history facts by making it into a rhyme. Remember, “In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
* Memorize quotations or sayings to develop good character traits, “You can’t win unless you know how to lose.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or, Ben Franklin’s, “The person who is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else.”
*  Memorize fun poems like “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” or Shel Silverstein’s “A Giraffe and a Half.” Reciting poetry develops an appreciation for the cadence and rhythm of verse. Children become excellent readers and proficient writers.

Young children are amazingly good at memorizing. Recently, my 3 year old grand-daughter was begging her dad to read her favorite book to her. He told her he was too tired that night. Jade looked up with empathy and said, “Daddy, do you want me to read it to you?” Surprised and curious to see what she’d say, he said “Yes, that would be great.” Jade opened her book and quoted the entire text from memory, not missing one word. He was astounded. He had no idea she had been internalizing the story every time he read it. We need to remember to encourage children to memorize. Their little brains are hungry and open to information. Just make sure it’s the right information that’s being stored!

In  Goldie Hawn’s book, 10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children–and Ourselves–the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happy Lives there are many creative ideas you can use with your children to begin teaching them awareness. I liked this idea from her book:

“Whenever you pass by someone on the street or in another car, play a game with your children that starts with, “I wonder what that person is feeling?” Be as creative and inventive as you like. Does the person look happy or sad? Is the person frowning or smiling? Label those emotions: anger, joy, sadness . . . Talk about how we can tell what someone’s feeling just by looking at them. Explain that sensing what someone else is feeling is empathy. Encourage your kids to share their feelings, too.”

I would love to hear your comments.

“How is this possible?” you ask. Well, the brain remembers information, not in words, but in pictures. By drawing the shape of Africa and remembering where some of the major rivers run; students are able to begin drawing the borders of the countries and using mnemonics they remember the country’s name.

“Why is that important?” you say. Understanding the world, the countries and the people, make our children globally minded.  We need to begin thinking of our world as a village. There may be a variety of people, religions and economic differences but we are all human with the same needs and desires for our life.

“The brain remembers information, not in words, but in pictures.”

Begin with the U.S., learning to draw the outline, adding the Mississippi River and mountain ranges. Add the state boundaries and capitals. Using Memorize States & Capitals makes the process easier. But don’t stop there. Move on to the other countries in North America, Central America and South America. Hmmm…maybe I need to think of some mnemonics for remembering these countries. (This is how the seed of an idea is planted in the brain!)

I love the idea of learning and remembering with pictures. Students who draw their own maps remember 100 times better than those who only read about the location. Try it. What a great family project to do together.

Try using the positive approach. If your child is learning to read and for the umpteenth time doesn’t remember one of the words, relax and say, “Take your time.  You have a great memory and it will come to you,” or any type of positive reassuring. Also remember that children learn differently. Suggest breaking the word up into phonetic syllables. Use colored markers and write each syllable in a different color. This works well for memorizing spelling words too. Draw pictures or make associations with other things to strengthen memorization. Audio learners benefit from hearing the word spoken, emphasizing each syllable.

The process of remembering anything, is simple.  Let’s say you want to remember a person’s name. The key is focus. Listen to the name. If it’s unusual, ask how it’s spelled.  Make a funny association with the name and the person. Whenever I meet someone new, I repeat their name and look for something in their appearance to make an association.  Recently I met a person named “Lorraine”. I broke her name into 2 parts, low and rain and visualized a very low hanging cloud over her head, with rain falling all over her face. Since I’m a visual learner, it worked for me.

Sum it up -
1. Positive statements about your memory or your child’s.
2. Use a memory key based on the person’s learning style.
3. Believe you will remember. Teach your child to believe in their amazing memory abilities!

• Africa
• Antarctica
• Asia
• Australia
• North America
• South America
• Europe

Step 1 – Analyze the list.
Four continents begin with the letter “A”.
Two other continents begin with “A” but have a “North” or “South” in front of them.
One continent begins with an “E”.

Step 2 – Visualize and make up a story.
To remember the four “A” continents, visualize a lion in Africa leaping down to Antarctica where it’s cold. A penguin jumps on the lion’s back and off they fly to Australia and pick up a koala bear who wants to see a panda in Asia. Draw a picture of the animals, showing the names of the continents.

Step 3 – What “A”s are left?
The other two “A”s are for North America and South America which are easy to remember.

Step 4 – The easy “E”
That just leaves the “E” continent which is Europe.

Try this writing prompt, “If I share what I have, it will make someone else feel good.” What could you share with someone today? How do you think it would make them feel? Now, each of you write your idea, and illustrate it if you want. The fun part is in the sharing. It’s amazing what each of you learn from the other. Next time  have your child pick the writing prompt.

Quotations are fun too. “I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. (Dr. Seuss) “Nonsense” means writing about silly things. Today wake up your brain cells and write something silly! Journal writing promotes complete freedom.  If you can draw or doodle along with writing, you can create and be yourself. No rules! Correct spelling, grammar and sentence structure can be taught elsewhere. Journal writing is an outlet for self expression. This is the amazing benefit;  if children develop the habit of writing, their writing improves immensely.

The state Capitals are simply amazing. I have a 6 year old son who started learning them a month ago and he already knows most of the Capitals. We work on two at a time and he actually loves them. I am learning them along with him. Before this system I could never remember them.  Sylvia

Check it out.

If you haven’t visited MagicBlox with your children, you are missing out! It’s an online children’s book library. Children can pick a book with bright colorful illustrations and clever new stories and read to their heart’s content!  I was very impressed with the site and the service it’s providing to children and new authors. I’m adding some of my new books too. Check out my Add/Subtract Rhymes Book

Now you can add more books to your child’s library without leaving your home! All you need is access to the web.  The other plus, is the video and sound in some of the books. I also found that the library is constantly growing in size. I like the concept and you can try it out for free. Check it out.

Your Perspective = Your Child’s Destiny

“How parents and teachers talk tells a child how they feel about him… To a
large extent, their language determines his destiny.
–Haim Ginott

As our children enter school, we begin to view them through an “education
lens”. One that focuses more on their abilities to conform to a preset mold
(whether it’s a 4th grade curriculum or the kid next door) rather than
nurturing their unique talents.

Recently, I created a Celebration List and it transformed the way I view my
children. (This idea came from the book, “Discover Your Child’s Learning
Style” by Mariaemma Willis and Victoria Kindle Hodson.) Grab a piece of
paper and list your child’s skills, accomplishments, and uniqueness. Then
read it daily. You’ll see all that your child CAN do. You’ll begin speaking
to her “cans” instead of her “cant’s”. So, keep things in perspective and
celebrate your child.

Thank You!
Jena

Custom Homeschool Curriculum
http://www.custom-homeschool-curriculum.com
~Teach How Your Child Learns~