Moxie Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 What does memory work look like in your house? What, when and how, all the details. I think my very bright sensory kid might greatly benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 We do loads of memory work in our house and have found it to be incredibly fruitful. It makes it so easy to learn new things, integrate our learning, and learn spontaneously (e.g., when we are "out in the world" instead of "doing school"). First of all - I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend Anki for managing memory work. It.is.AWESOME!!!!! SO efficient. I totally consider it my homeschooling secret weapon :-) You can read the Introduction info here so that you can understand more about what Anki is and why it is so much better than a manual system. The program is free, but I'd honestly a pretty penny for it if I had to; I can't imagine homeschooling without it! Basically, whatever curriculum we are going through, I convert it into memory work as I go and add it to Anki (our memory work lags our currics, but I have found that to be generally not a problem). We have memory work for Bible Verses, Catechism, Bible facts, Art Appreciation, Language Arts (Grammar, Poetics, Poetry, Spelling), Math, Music Appreciation, Science, Latin, and Chinese. The only area where I have not yet incorporated memory work is History. It is only my gigantic To Do List :-) To give you some idea, we currently have about 1500 active cards in Anki (cards I am currently reviewing with DS), and over the last ~2 yrs of using Anki we have done a total of 25,555 reviews. I usually have roughly 100 cards due to review with him each day (we review 4-5 times per week; the more often, the smaller the daily review deck is). Many of the cards that are due are "mature" cards, meaning that he knows the info very well and the review will go quickly). We usually have about 5 new cards per day (usually Latin or Chinese vocab). I could never have such an efficient and streamlined system if it was manual; have I told you how awesome Anki is??? DD also has her own set of cards in Anki, but she is just starting out and so has far fewer reviews. But since I created the cards for DS, I just add them to DD's account, and then suspend them until she has learned the material, then I make them active and they eventually get incorporated into our review. As far as what it looks like - we do Anki wherever, and whenever. I have it on my laptop and on my phone. About 80% of the time we do it on my laptop. Usually DS and DD are doing something with their hands while we do it (drawing, clay, bubbles, whatever). Sometimes we do it at mealtimes. During nice weather we all sit on the swingset and do it. We often do some while waiting for piano lessons, dr appts, whatever. Sometimes our memory work has a "get it done" flavor - IOW, we hurry through it just because we need to get it done. But often times it becomes a great integrating (and expanding) opportunity. Even though we have practiced the exact same memory work before, we may have learned something new since the last time we saw a particular card, and so I might ask DS questions to try to help him see a connection. This is particularly fun at the dinner table since DH is there and can be involved in our discussions. For instance, our science memory work recently included a card about the states of matter and how matter changes states, which led to a discussion about the snow we recently had and why it seemed to disappear (evaporate) without actually melting first (IOW, it seemed to go from solid to gas without liquid stage between). We didn't know all the answers but ended up looking up an article about it online. Another example is that when we do our Latin vocab memory work at the dinner table, we try to come up with derivatives on the fly. We keep an English dictionary nearby to look up words (if DH or I come up with a derivative that we can't define well). 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 We use ANKI too - so far mostly just Scriptures (we were CM before - not classical) and when we did AAS the cards were in there too. I have used it at times for semi-memory work - recommending math practice sheets for example, and for violin practice (with a LOT of modifications to the algorithm for that one...) tranquility7 - how do you use it for longer items like longer scriptures or poems or something? (Or do you?) Do you do it with the kids - right now I give them the reference and I check if they got it right as they say it - and then I ask if they thought it was hard/good/easy... but with my 11yo I'd like to kind of let him work on it on his own - but I'm worried that he won't pick up a mistake in a longer verse (missed words, or whatever) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We use ANKI too - so far mostly just Scriptures (we were CM before - not classical) and when we did AAS the cards were in there too. I have used it at times for semi-memory work - recommending math practice sheets for example, and for violin practice (with a LOT of modifications to the algorithm for that one...) tranquility7 - how do you use it for longer items like longer scriptures or poems or something? (Or do you?) Do you do it with the kids - right now I give them the reference and I check if they got it right as they say it - and then I ask if they thought it was hard/good/easy... but with my 11yo I'd like to kind of let him work on it on his own - but I'm worried that he won't pick up a mistake in a longer verse (missed words, or whatever) Always glad to see other Anki aficionados on here! I go back and forth with whether I think longer passages belong in Anki. I used to always put them in, but the problem is, they can be a bit of a show-stopper. IOW, they take a long time to say, and we can lose our momentum in Anki, spending an inordinate amount of time on that one card. This is particularly true if it is a new passage we are learning (and we learn a fair amt of longer stuff - psalms, poems, hymns, etc.). A year or two ago I tried putting Paul Revere's Ride in Anki broken up over six cards (a method I read about somewhere online) but even though we learned it, I found the review of it to be totally weird, since we were having to recite just 1/6 of the poem at any one time. But at the same time, to put the whole poem on one card would be crazy and I would dread having that card come up since it would be such a long recitation, so I just removed it from Anki altogether. My current method for longer items is that I print them on a page and put them in a binder that is divided according to the Simply Charlotte Mason memory work method (which is basically a manual version of spaced repetition). We *learn* the long passage when it is in the binder. It graduates within the binder from daily to every other day, then --> twice a week --> once a week --> every other week --> monthly. I write the date on it every time we say it so I can kind of figure out how to promote it. Once it has been at monthly for a few months, only THEN do I put it into Anki. Anki obviously initially starts it cycling at smaller intervals than we need it, so the first couple of times it appears, I just "skip" it by clicking Easy, knowing that we know it, we just don't need to actually say it again yet. Once the interval is at 10-14 days, I have us say it and then click Hard, which adds the smallest interval to our two weeks. From there on out, whenever it appears I almost always only click Hard, since I don't want the interval to get too large. If we mess it up later on and have to click Again it is a total bummer, but usually we can get back on track and get the intervals back up by clicking Easy. Oh, and super long stuff I really never put into Anki even once we know it well. By "super long" I mean things like Paul Revere's Ride, or Ephesians (we are working at learning the whole book, but we only review a chapter at a time). I just keep them in the Simply Charlotte Mason binder and review monthly (or less). Probably the longest thing I've put into Anki so far for review is Exodus 20:1-17. DS is only 8 (and DD is 5) so I do all of the deciding for them about Again/Hard/Good/Easy (for all cards, not just longer passages). That also frees them up to do other things while reviewing, which they prefer. DS has to look at the computer only for Chinese (since I want him to see the characters), Art Appreciation (he has to see the art), and occasional Science cards (if there is an image to view), but even then I do most of the clicking. A while back I tried letting him decide Again/Hard/Good/Easy, but as I watched over his shoulder (and listened; he still had to respond aloud) I decided he was way too overconfident (clicked Easy way too often) and sure enough he ended up not remembering a lot of cards later and had to click Again. So then we went back to always doing Anki together (which is better for me anyway, because it keeps all the info fresh in my own mind as well, and facilitates the good discussions I mentioned in my earlier post). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Always glad to see other Anki aficionados on here! Once it has been at monthly for a few months, only THEN do I put it into Anki. Anki obviously initially starts it cycling at smaller intervals than we need it, so the first couple of times it appears, I just "skip" it by clicking Easy, knowing that we know it, we just don't need to actually say it again yet. Once the interval is at 10-14 days, I have us say it and then click Hard, which adds the smallest interval to our two weeks. From there on out, whenever it appears I almost always only click Hard, since I don't want the interval to get too large. If we mess it up later on and have to click Again it is a total bummer, but usually we can get back on track and get the intervals back up by clicking Easy. [snip] A while back I tried letting him decide Again/Hard/Good/Easy, but as I watched over his shoulder (and listened; he still had to respond aloud) I decided he was way too overconfident (clicked Easy way too often) and sure enough he ended up not remembering a lot of cards later and had to click Again. So then we went back to always doing Anki together (which is better for me anyway, because it keeps all the info fresh in my own mind as well, and facilitates the good discussions I mentioned in my earlier post). If you go into the ANKI card browser, you can reschedule a card to give it an interval - so you could put the card you have practiced in and schedule it for 30 days and it will start at that interval! I do the clicking to, but I ask them. At first I would occasionally question the 'easy' or even 'good' if I didn't think so (and put in what I thought) but over time they have gotten fairly good at assessing it. I do get tired of saying 'Hard, good, or easy?' Though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I just did a blog post about this a few days ago here. We use a memory box system, and also do recitations each day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 If you go into the ANKI card browser, you can reschedule a card to give it an interval - so you could put the card you have practiced in and schedule it for 30 days and it will start at that interval! I do the clicking to, but I ask them. At first I would occasionally question the 'easy' or even 'good' if I didn't think so (and put in what I thought) but over time they have gotten fairly good at assessing it. I do get tired of saying 'Hard, good, or easy?' Though... Ah, thanks for the tip, I never noticed that before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Anki is free for the computer, for the internet, and for Android. Anki ipod version is NOT free (and is quite expensive) because, if I remember correctly, it was written (with permission) by other people and is used to fund the project. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I just did a blog post about this a few days ago here. We use a memory box system, and also do recitations each day. Does anyone know of the similar system only secular? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I just did a blog post about this a few days ago here. We use a memory box system, and also do recitations each day.Thank you for sharing this! I can't wait to re-read it later so I can really get into the details. :) This is just the guidance I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 We used a binder system when the kids were younger. Divide a binder into sections: one daily tab, one Monday/Wednesday, one Tuesday/Thursday, one Friday, one Review. First piece of memory work goes into the daily tab; start with something pretty short and easy. After a week, move #1 to M/W and add #2 to daily, and so on. Each piece of memory work moves from daily to twice a week, to weekly and then review. Some items will move more quickly than others, just use your judgement. The review section will get pretty full after a while! We would just go over it randomly, like the short week of Thanksgiving, sometimes on car trips, any time I hadn't updated the binder in a while :laugh: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I've divided an index card box up in daily, each day of the week, bimonthly (5 & 20th), monthly (15th) and seasonally. I use the SOTW cards at the back of the AG as we complete them, facts and poems from our science books, poems and terminology from FLL, sight words, phonics, personal info (like adresses and telephone numbers etc), virtue definitions, musical notes for sight reading, provinces of Canada, continents and oceans, and more. Anything I come across that I think would be useful or important to know, I can just scribble it down on a card. The kids don't look at the cards, i just use them for myself. Once a week or so, I shuffle the cards around according to current requirements. It's working really well for us! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Tawlas, What science books are you using for the facts and poems? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Does anyone know of the similar system only secular? I don't know of anything in a pre-done format like that, but Living Memory has lots of memory work that you could pull from to make something similar. It does have a religious/prayer section, but tons of other stuff as well. We pulled from this quite a bit when the kids were younger. The e-book is $15, and you could just print the pages you are interested in: http://www.lulu.com/shop/andrew-a-campbell/living-memory/ebook/product-17520206.html#formatComparison 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I just did a blog post about this a few days ago here. We use a memory box system, and also do recitations each day. Which book contains the Memoria Press recitations? Is it in the Curriculum Guide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Katilac you are an angel! I've been searching for a few months to buy this book and it's always currently unavailable! My library also doesn't have it. I'm overjoyed that I can get it in ebook form. :hurray: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Katilac you are an angel! I've been searching for a few months to buy this book and it's always currently unavailable! My library also doesn't have it. I'm overjoyed that I can get it in ebook form. :hurray: Aww, shucks! :Angel_anim: :o :Angel_anim: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 My memory work system is described here in my 'day in the life' post. Basically I keep a running playlist in itunes with all of my memory work in it. I put this on in shuffle while we clean the kitchen in the morning. (Well, sometimes I shuffle it. Other times I have it play based on tracks we have listened to the least first.) Periodically I pull out random 'sentences' or 'lists' and ask the kids to tell me it without music. We can also review memory work in the car if we need to since it is all on a playlist. We do the following for memory: 1) Bible Verses: We use Seeds Family Worship songs 2) Bible Lists: We use selected songs from Bible Study for All Ages (example: 12 sons of Jacob) 3) Grammar: We memorize the lists from the First Language Lesson CDs. (They put all of the FLL lists to songs.) 4) Poetry: We use the IEW Poetry system and CD 5) History: We memorize the timeline from Classical Conversations. We also use *some* of the CC history sentences. Most of our history memory work is 'mama-made'. I record a song into garageband based on something we learned in SOTW. 6) Science: We use *some* of the CC science setences. But most of our science memory work is also mama made. I use information from the books we read or the key objectives from our Science curriculum. Example: History Song I prompt the kids with, "Tell me about the Code of Hammurabi." Then, they say back.... (Sung loosely to the tune, On top of Spaghetti) Oh Hamorobi Was the great king of Babylon. He didn't want people To obey him just because he was strong. He wanted his empire to be governed by laws. So he wrote them all down in a big slab of stone. or ---------------- I say, "Tell me about King Narmar" And the kids respond with ..... Sung loosely to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus" King Narmar united upper and lower, upper and lower, upper and lower, King Narmar united upper and lower EEEEEgypt. (Use hands to point down and up.) He put two crowns together, crowns together, crowns together. Oh he put two crowns together. King Narmar. (Use both hands and tap head to show crowns being put together.) The White crown was from the Upper Kingdom, Upper Kingdom, Upper Kingdom The White crown was from the Upper Kingdom. King Narmar. (Point to upper kingdom) It went in the red lower kingdom crown, lower kingdom crown, lower kindom crown. It went in the red lower kingdom crown. King Narmar! (Point to lower kingdom) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 My memory work system is described here in my 'day in the life' post. Basically I keep a running playlist in itunes with all of my memory work in it. I put this on in shuffle while we clean the kitchen in the morning. (Well, sometimes I shuffle it. Other times I have it play based on tracks we have listened to the least first.) Periodically I pull out random 'sentences' or 'lists' and ask the kids to tell me it without music. We can also review memory work in the car if we need to since it is all on a playlist. We do the following for memory: 1) Bible Verses: We use Seeds Family Worship songs 2) Bible Lists: We use selected songs from Bible Study for All Ages (example: 12 sons of Jacob) 3) Grammar: We memorize the lists from the First Language Lesson CDs. (They put all of the FLL lists to songs.) 4) Poetry: We use the IEW Poetry system and CD 5) History: We memorize the timeline from Classical Conversations. We also use *some* of the CC history sentences. Most of our history memory work is 'mama-made'. I record a song into garageband based on something we learned in SOTW. 6) Science: We use *some* of the CC science setences. But most of our science memory work is also mama made. I use information from the books we read or the key objectives from our Science curriculum. Example: History Song I prompt the kids with, "Tell me about the Code of Hammurabi." Then, they say back.... (Sung loosely to the tune, i) Oh Hamorobi Was the great king of Babylon. He didn't want people To obey him just because he was strong. He wanted his empire to be governed by laws. So he wrote them all down in a big slab of stone. or ---------------- I say, "Tell me about King Narmar" And the kids respond with ..... Sung loosely to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus" King Narmar united upper and lower, upper and lower, upper and lower, King Narmar united upper and lower EEEEEgypt. (Use hands to point down and up.) He put two crowns together, crowns together, crowns together. Oh he put two crowns together. King Narmar. (Use both hands and tap head to show crowns being put together.) The White crown was from the Upper Kingdom, Upper Kingdom, Upper Kingdom The White crown was from the Upper Kingdom. King Narmar. (Point to upper kingdom) It went in the red lower kingdom crown, lower kingdom crown, lower kindom crown. It went in the red lower kingdom crown. King Narmar! (Point to lower kingdom) Wow! That's impressive. Do you have your mama made songs on your blog? Can I borrow them. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommytoFour Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Which book contains the Memoria Press recitations? Is it in the Curriculum Guide? I don't know if they're in the Curriculum guides but you can by the recitation plans separately by grade in a pdf for just $3. http://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/individual-lesson-plans-subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Wow! That's impressive. Do you have your mama made songs on your blog? Can I borrow them. :p thank you so much! I've had lots and lots of people ask me for my SOTW and RSO memory songs........but......... I'm too embarrassed to share them. I am a horrible singer. Horrible. My kids don't mind because they are used to hearing me sing.....but I'm not sure I'm ready to share those with the world quite yet. I don't know if I want my singing floating around in cyber space. BUT hopefully, they might inspire others (who can sing) to write their own songs. It has increased our retention SO much. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Tawlas, What science books are you using for the facts and poems? Thanks. We're using Elemental Science, Earth Science this year. She supplies poems to help memorize types of rocks, some characteristics of the planets, that kind of thing. They're not inspirational, but the kids don't mind. As far as facts go, if something sticks out as the "main point" that week in Science, I'll write it down, so I sort of make that up as I go. Important definitions or concepts are usually included. That's why I like the index cards, I can grab one and write it down right there at the table with the kids as we talk about what it means - or I can add it later as I'm considering the next step. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I understand TheAttachedMama. I'm a horrible singer as well. Oh, but do I love to sing! :) Thank you Tawlas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I don't know if they're in the Curriculum guides but you can by the recitation plans separately by grade in a pdf for just $3. http://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/individual-lesson-plans-subject Thanks, my searching failed me. Not that I need any of them, my kids are in high school, lol, but I actually think I have a $3 credit and I really want to look at them. I would have been all over that when my kids were younger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I've written before about how important I think memory work is in the younger years to increasing the muscle power of the brain. Last school year, we had quite a bit of science added to our memory work. Eldest has her own box. Last year & next year, I'll have a scheduled 10-15 minute slot in the day (3-4 days per week) to go through her box with her. It just didn't fit this year and her memory work has slacked off. (Color me amazed at ltlmrs for expecting her 1st grader to mostly do it on her own. :w00t: ) Next three have a shared notecard box. I have a "currently learning" tab, two tabs for each kid, and a "to be learned" tab in the back. The front tab for each kid is stuff to be reviewed & the back tab is stuff we've reviewed that week already. We get through our whole stack of memory stuff about once every two weeks. We have a 15 minute scheduled time four mornings a week to go through it, but I usually miss at least one of those (or start late a couple of times) or we'd get through the memory stack almost completely every week. There are things that both girls memorized, so they go back and forth between their lists -- making them actually recite them each once per month. (But, they hear them more frequently.) I just move them up the stack if I think they need them more often. It is a really loose system. With this system, we memorize science facts, poems, motivational sayings, prayers, amendments to the Bill of Rights, states & capitals, and will add Presidents, sections of the Constitution, and some other stuff eventually. (I put stuff in the "to be learned" tab as I come across it.) Youngest is just doing poems/nursery rhymes and he recites them as part of his craft time. He's using Literature Pockets for his crafts right now because Kristin's Crafts for Kids is temporarily closed. :sad: Anyway, he just memorizes the nursery rhyme he's working on that week & recites the older ones while he works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 We use(d) IEW's poetry, CC memory work, Living Memory, Timeline cards, drama and Shakespeare camps and Poetry Outloud, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Which book contains the Memoria Press recitations? Is it in the Curriculum Guide? It does come in the Curriculum Guide, but you can also purchase them separately at $3 for a grade level. I did that last year when we weren't using the whole grade package and it was mostly fine. There were a few items that we didn't memorize since we weren't studying them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 We've done memory work for: *skip counting and math facts *basic information like states/capitals and order of the presidents *lots of scripture memory -- whole chapters, long passages. This is our main area of memory work *VP history cards *most recently, IEW's linguistic development through poetry Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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