Do you use a Memory System?

[Sahamamama]

Do you use any kind of index card system for doing memory work? I remember a while back someone described a system that uses index cards, dividers, and a card box. It sounded so logical and simple to use.

 

I've found the system from the Simply Charlotte Mason website:

 

http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/

 

I was wondering, do any of you use a system that only has your family doing memory work for five days a week, instead of seven? Thanks!

[Joy at Home]

I use this system five days a week, and have been for a couple years. It's wonderful and works beautifully. I use it as described for bible verses, word roots (EFTRU), history and science memory, etc. Up to this year I've used a box, but changed to a binder this year. I did this because we started IEW's poetry memorization program and we keep copies of the poems and charts in a binder, and I wanted all their memory work in one spot. So instead of a box I'm using those plastic inserts with three pockets per page, and they fit the index cards perfectly. In the back I put copies of their poetry and longer scripture passages that won't fit on cards.

 

I have a pocket for daily, odd, even, days of the week, and days of the month.

 

Good luck! I love using this sytem.

 

Lisa

[Sahamamama]

I use this system five days a week, and have been for a couple years. It's wonderful and works beautifully. I use it as described for bible verses, word roots (EFTRU), history and science memory, etc. Up to this year I've used a box, but changed to a binder this year. I did this because we started IEW's poetry memorization program and we keep copies of the poems and charts in a binder, and I wanted all their memory work in one spot. So instead of a box I'm using those plastic inserts with three pockets per page, and they fit the index cards perfectly. In the back I put copies of their poetry and longer scripture passages that won't fit on cards.

 

I have a pocket for daily, odd, even, days of the week, and days of the month.

 

Good luck! I love using this sytem.

 

Lisa

 

Lisa,

 

Thank you for your reply. Question: What do you do on Monday with the cards you "missed" over the weekend? For example, if Friday is the 12th, then do you skip the cards in #13 and #14 pockets, and just pick up with the cards for Day 15 on Monday? What do you do with those "missed" cards?

 

I really, really like your idea of using the pockets in a binder! Thanks for the tip.

[Paula in MS]

We just started this year, but I think it is going to work great. We also use Simply Charlotte Mason. We don't have any cards in the "days of the month" files yet, but I think you could probably just do the Saturday cards on Friday and the Sunday cards on Monday. I've been wondering, since I'm starting this in 1st grade, what I need to do when the 1-31 days are filled up. It can be a lot of memory work at that point. Do you just do some cards every other month? Has anyone used this method long-term? (I guess I could just worry about that when I get there, huh?)

 

Paula

[sweetbaby]

We don't have a "system". We just have "our thing" LOL! We have memory work in Bible, math, language, etc. I simply have my dc read aloud our memory work items as a group during those lessons on each day of the week. They also have handouts that I create for their binders such as math facts, language rules, scripture, poems etc. Reading aloud as a group each day may be unorthodox compared to some other sophisticated systems but it works for us. :D We have a review week once a month also for reviewing material that we have learned since the beginning of our year. We briefly go over scriptures, language rules, etc. that we have covered which are still being utilized in the lessons anyway.

[Sahamamama]

How long do you keep a memory piece in "odd" or "even?"

[Saille]

I use the Mnemosyne program in my sig line, which dragons in the flower bed designed. I like the binder format, and will be using it for all three of my kids.

[Joy at Home]

If the day of the month falls on a weekend, they either do it on Friday or Monday. As far as knowing when to move from odd and even to days of the week, it's kind of intuitive. Usually by the time they are ready to go to odd or even, they have it pretty down pat, so we just spend a few weeks on odd and even and move on to weekly.

 

HTH!!

Lisa

[St. Theophan Academy]

I use the box system - but instead of the days and odd even categories, I have a category for each subject that has memory work, a section for "current" work (new). We recite everything in "current" every day until it is learned, then it is moved to it's subject file space. So a recitation would include everything in the current file, plus one recitation from every subject (each day when we recite something in the subject areas, I move that card to the back so the cards within the subject areas rotate). Also, since two children are reciting, often each one will recite something from the subject area, so really we review two cards each day from each subject since they hear their sibling reciting. This was easier since we do not school every day of the week, and we do not do memory work on the weekends etc. I found that we would recite some things far more often than others because we rarely do formal school on Fridays, and I never did recitations on weekends, so I came up with doing it this way. My subject area files right now include - poetry, science, Bible and Latin.

[Laura Corin]

Calvin makes an index card for each section of work that he memorises (for example, biology book, pages 60 to 66) and uses a concertina file numbered 1 - 31. He memorises the subject today, then moves the card to tomorrow. Tomorrow he self-tests, memorises and moves it seven days hence. He works on it when he comes to it again, then moves it a month hence. It sits in that slot to be reviewed each month until we get tired of it/move on.

 

Laura

[Laurel]

We have a modified version of the Simply Charlotte Mason idea. I have tabs for New/Daily, Every Other Day (with 2 cards), Weekly (with 5 cards), and Monthly (with all the old cards to review). When we do our memory work, I pull out the first card in each section, and then when we are done, that cards goes in the back in that section. When we have mastered the New/Daily Card, I move it to the Every Other Day tab, and move the oldest card back to Weekly, etc. So we are reviewing the newer things more frequently.

[Laura Corin]

Lisa,

 

Thank you for your reply. Question: What do you do on Monday with the cards you "missed" over the weekend? For example, if Friday is the 12th, then do you skip the cards in #13 and #14 pockets, and just pick up with the cards for Day 15 on Monday? What do you do with those "missed" cards?

 

I really, really like your idea of using the pockets in a binder! Thanks for the tip.

 

Mondays are sometimes a bit heavy, but it's usually fine.

 

Laura