LEAP AHEAD WITH MNEMONIC DEVICES

A mnemonic device helps you recall how to spell a word or how to remember a string of words or a phrase that stands for more complicated information. I can remember my fourth grade teacher standing at the board saying, “My father taught me how to spell geography by saying: George Elliott’s Oldest Girl Rode A Pig Home Yesterday.” Some days I can’t remember my phone number, but I’ll never forget how to spell geography! I’m sure all of you have had a similar experience and can attest to the power of these clever tricks.

Note!! I know this isn't that meaningful for young children, but you might need to know this if you are ever on "Jeopardy" or if you're helping older children with homework. Besides, I just felt like giving you (and me) a LEAP YEAR break today!

Homes – The Great Lakes are:
Huron,
Ontario,
Michigan,
Erie, and
Superior.


Planets
My (Mars)
very (Venus)
eager (Earth)
mother (Mars)
just (Jupiter),
served (Saturn)
us (Uranus)
noodles (Neptune).

Roy G. Biv – He’s your friend when it comes to the color spectrum.
Red,
orange,
yellow,
green,
blue,
indigo,
violet.



Directions
Never (North)
Eat (East)
Soggy (South)
Weenies (or Sour Watermelon) West
*Point to the directions as you say this.


Spelling BECAUSE -
Big
Elephants
Can
Always
Understand
Small
Elephants

Spelling ARITHMETIC (Bridget Weaver)
A
Rat
In
The
House
Might
Eat
The
Ice
Cream

Continents
Eat (Europe)
an (Antarctica)
aspirin (Asia)
after (Africa)
a (Australia)
nutty (North America)
Sandwich (South America).


Months of the Year
Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one excepting February alone;
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine, till leap year gives it twenty-nine.

*Hold up knuckles on both hands. Point to the knuckles as you name the months. The months with 31 days will be the tall knuckles and the months with 23 or 30 days will be the lower spots in between.

Multiplication by Nine – Hold up ten fingers.
1 x 9 (One - put down left pinky and nine ones will be left.)
2 x 9 (Two – put down second finger/left pinky and you’ll have 1 ten and 8 ones.)
3 x 9 (Three – third finger down for two tens and seven ones.)
4 x 9 (Four – fourth finger down for three tens and six ones.)
5 x 9 (Thumb down for four tens and five ones.)
6 x 9 (Right thumb down for five tens and four ones.)
7 x 9 (Right pinky down for six tens and three ones.)
8 x 9 (Right middle finger down for seven tens and two ones.)
9 x 9 (Right ring finger down for eight tens and one.)



Do you have any mnemonic devices tucked away in your brain? I’d love to hear about them.

I'M TAKING NOTES!

YOU WILL REMEMBER INFORMATION LONGER IF YOU HAND WRITE NOTES!!!

Robert Locke

But what does note taking have to do with young children? All through their educational journey children are going to have to listen and take notes. Why not get started ASAP? However, we need to remember that it is the PROCESS and not the PRODUCT. Here are some fun strategies to help children focus and then scribble, draw a picture, write a word, or just doodle.

Start by explaining to children that taking notes can help them remember important information. As you read a book, encourage them to doodle and draw pictures of things they learn or find interesting. Invite them to share their drawings and recall information with their classmates or a partner. As they progress, suggest they write down words to help them remember things.

Here are some tools children could use for note taking:

White boards (plastic plates can be substituted for white boards)

Clipboards (make these out of corrugated cardboard and use a butterfly clip at the top)


Chalkboards (old fashioned, but the kids still love using them)




Blank books (brochure, house book, or a piece of paper folded in fourths – Put these terms in my search engine to get directions.)

Sticky notes (children can put their sticky "notes" on an anchor chart)


Forms (children draw a picture and then write a sentence)

                

Encourage children by commenting about what good writers they are as they take notes. “You’re taking notes just like the big kids do in high school and college!” “Isn’t it fun to know how to write and take notes to help you remember!!!”


NOTE! There are countless studies that support when students take notes by hand they remember better than taking notes on a laptop. (http://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away) 

I CAN LAY EGGS!

Are you busy dying eggs, hunting eggs, or laying eggs today? Here's a true story about how I used to lay eggs for my kindergarteners.

In the old days we had a "snack" that we provided. We tried to encourage the children to try healthy foods and so one day we had hard boiled eggs. I think the kids groaned when they came in from recess and saw the hard boiled eggs on the table. While they weren't looking I took an egg, tucked it in my skirt between my legs, sat down on the floor, and started flapping my arms like a chicken as I made a clucking sound. I released the egg, stood up, and they all thought I'd laid the egg. They said, "Do it again! Do it again!" I explained that I was all worn out from laying their eggs for snack, but the next time we had hard boiled eggs I'd do it again. Well, guess what? They wanted hard boiled eggs for snack every day. As time went on they became much wiser and made me turn around to make sure I didn't have an egg behind me...yes, I became wiser as well...but I can't tell you all my secrets!

                                    

Here's another funny story about an egg hunt. I was visiting a Head Start when a mother brought in a big bag of duck eggs. They were brown and green and beautiful. The teacher remarked, "They are still warm. Wasn't that nice of her to boil them for us?" Well, the next day the teachers hid the eggs on the playground, but this story doesn't have a happy ending. Apparently, the eggs were not cooked. They were just warm from being under the ducks or in the car. They cracked all over the children, their baskets, their clothes...you get the picture. 

Bird Nest Snack 
Give each child a Rice Crispie treat to mold into a nest. Put a few jelly beans in the nest and place a marshmallow “peep” on top. (Yeah, I know this is total junk and you probably can’t do it at school, but my grandkids enjoyed making these for our Easter dinner last year.)

Blessings for a beautiful weekend wherever you are and whatever you are doing!