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!

All Memory Joggers products come with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.

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.

All Memory Joggers products come with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.

I’ve put together some book recommendations for children and teaching books for parents and teachers, at Memory Joggers Amazon Store.  I have 6 different categories;
Writing Books for Kids
Math Books for Primary Grades
Creativity Books for Kids
Reluctant Readers
Learning Challenges
Geography, History, Social Studies

These are all books I’ve used in my teaching or recommended to me by educators.  I’ve written a review on several of them in my section called Book Reviews. I hope you’ll check out the Creativity Books for Kids. I recently read an interesting article in Parenting Magazine called, “Why Art Makes Kids Smarter.”

I’ve been concerned for a long time about the cut back of art programs in the public schools. Art, music, drama all provide access to right brain creating and learning and we need this balance of logic (left brain) and creativity (right brain).  They go hand in hand.  How can students learn about Navajo Indians without working with clay to create a pot?  Drawing a mural of the covered wagon migration of settlers across the U.S. gives us a mental picture for remembering what occurred.  Seeing how watercolor can blend and create beauty opens parts of the brain that promotes appreciation.

A friend of mine was helping me pack some boxes. He looked at the material and the box and measured carefully, using all of his left-brain capabilities.  He said only 4 items could possibly fit.  I looked at it using a right brain perspective, and realized if the material was placed in the box sideways (not the normal direction), we could get in 6 items.

My point is, that the creativity and looking at things from a different perspective is a learned skill. It is right brain thinking. This skill is nurtured when we open students’ minds to creative thinking and exploration.

All Memory Joggers products come with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.