Memorization..what do you have your kids memorize??

[Gamom3]

I asked this a while back on the old boards, but to search them is such a headache(for me!).
where do you come up with your list? Do they flow with what you are learning or just something extra?

[Karen in CO]

I have tried several things, but what is working and getting done in our house is the VP history cards and the IEW poetry program.

[Basketmaker Amy]

We are doing the IEW poetry program also.

[Trivium Academy]

Hannah's free file at Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/content/596907)

Plus poetry from The Harp & Laurel Wreath
Veritas Press History cards
Themes to Remember songs
math songs re: content we're learning
French vocabulary
FLL grammar (*might drop)

[OneRoomHomeSchool]

Scripture
Poetry

Sources: King James Bible, Harp and Laurel Wreath

[Susie in CA]

Some examples:

Types of rocks

Preamble to the constitution

Presidents (we are up to # 10)

The States (casually adding in Capitals)

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Kublai Khan

Periodic Table (currently working on Transition Metals)

This works really well for us. It makes sense to me and the kids because we are studying this things. I have a hard time telling them they have to memorize something just because. It seems so much easier to just tie it in with whatever we are studying.

Susie

[Testimony]

They memorize poetry, scripture verses, state capitals, science terms, math facts.


Blessings,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Beth in Central TX]

Almost the same as Testimony, except I include state abbreviations too.

[Pster]

Lots of stuff - this week we are listening to the FLL cd and let me tell ya - that pronoun song is STILL ringing in my head!! oiy!

Other stuff memorized - address, phone number, nursery rhymes, poems, Bible verses, now the grammar lists - and we will get into other science & history lists later.

I just ordered the Classical Conversation memory cd's to listen to also. (We spend a lot of time driving so we make good use of our carschool time!!)

[FloridaLisa]

We mostly memorize scripture. My dc work on VP dates, states and capitals, U.S. presidents, the Preamble, Gettysburg Adress, books of the Bible and a few other things. But I figured long ago that if we were going to put the time into memory work, it would be primarily on scripture. Here are our favorites so far:

Psaml 1
Psalm 23
Psalm 139 (my all-time favorite)
John 1:1-5;14
Luke 2:1-14
Philippiams 2
Jeremiah 29:11-13
1 Corinthians 13
The Nicene Creed
Psalm 8
Psalm 19 (beautiful!)
John 15:5-17
Romans 8:28-39 (our current work)
The 10 commandments as found in Exodus

Blessings,
Lisa

[TXClassicalMommy]

I really like this idea!
Some examples:

Types of rocks

Preamble to the constitution

Presidents (we are up to # 10)

The States (casually adding in Capitals)

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Kublai Khan

Periodic Table (currently working on Transition Metals)

This works really well for us. It makes sense to me and the kids because we are studying this things. I have a hard time telling them they have to memorize something just because. It seems so much easier to just tie it in with whatever we are studying.

Susie

[TXClassicalMommy]

Do you all keep some sort of record of what they have memorized like a folder or file for them to refer to?

[DawnUK]

I keep a memory work binder. It has in it what we are currently working on, as well as most everything that we have learned. I learned that things not reviewed often tend to get fuzzy, so we review most things on Friday. Not everything, but I pick and chose and make sure that everything is covered every few weeks. Things that my children learned 3-4 years ago, like the books of the bible or the presidents, are much more solid in their memories than things from six months ago. I hope this means that it's moved to their long term memory.

I have two older children (10 & 11) and two younger children (2 & 3), so we do a lot of memeory work. I don't have a huge amount of time to sit down and work with them when it's quiet. My three year old no longer naps. Anyway, memory work is something that my older children are good at, and it's something that I can give them and they can go find a quiet spot and learn. Sometimes together, sometimes apart.

They have learned:

The distance to the sun
The distance to the moon
How much is a google?
Pi
The formula for the area of a triangle
The formula for the area of a circle
The formula for the area of a square
The formula for the area of a rectangle
absolute zero
the circumference of the earth
Number of feet in a mile
Number of centimeters in an inch
the presidents in order
the books of the bible in order
the emperors of Rome from Augustus to Diocletion
Various passages from Shakespeare
Various poems
Black line geography maps (which I consider memory work)

We also do the Classical Converstaions at home, so they've learned the selections for cycle one. I'm sure that I'm forgetting things, but I don't have the memory work binder in front of me. I think that it is a lot, but as I said it's something that can be done easily in our home and I feel like there are great benefits. My son has read Story of the World vol. 1 six or seven times this year, and he's always telling me how our history sentences (CC), or other memory work are mentioned in the book.

Hope that helps....it did get a bit long!
--Dawn

[Chris in SC]

nt

[Susie in CA]

Do you all keep some sort of record of what they have memorized like a folder or file for them to refer to?


We don't keep a binder. From time to time I just quizz the boys on some things; somtimes during school time, sometimes over breakfast. That's it!
Very simple.

Susie

[Aletheia Academy]

DH works a lot with the kids on memorization:

books of the Bible
U.S. Presidents
the Greek alphabet
art cards with the work and artist
part of the periodic table of elements

I work with them on scripture, sight words, and will soon add poetry from Stevenson's The Child's Garden of Verses. We also just began learning addition facts.

I keep a memorization log and sometimes review. They will forget if it is not practiced.

We were so amazed that what SWB says in WTM is true: the kids at this age seem to genuinely enjoy memorizing and soaking up facts.

Have fun!

[Jenny in Atl]

Poems and passages from plays (mostly). I've tried to interest them in things like the presidents, historical events, but I usually get blank stares. :(

[Nancy in SoCal]

Scripture
IEW Poetry
grammar & Latin paradigms
Latin vocabulary

[Lorna]

We memorize poetry (from favourite classic books, Shakespeare and poems for seasons). It works best if there is a celebration coming up. Our daughter memorized a Yeats poem for my sister's wedding . She was only asked to read it but it was a wonderful excuse to have her learn a poem. The family were bowled over by it and my sister and new husband were clearly very moved.
I also have them memorize vocabulary from cards. We always do this at the end of any chapter in their French or Latin books. This is a simple process. They just take five or ten minutes and then I test them on it.
We are going to be memorizing a periodic table science song (not the Tom Lehrer one because it isn't in the correct order) because we are doing this 'The Elements' curriculum.
http://ellenjmchenry.com/id25.html
We have been using her free science resources for the past few weeks and been loving every minute. I am really looking forward to it. Chemistry was my favourite subject at school and with three grandparents who were chemists, it is a huge part what I consider essential knowledge.

[SBP]

Most of our memory work is for Classical Conversations, but over the summers and whenever CC isn't meeting, we're working our way through Andrew Pudewa's poetry memorization program. We really enjoy it :).

SBP

[Rhonda@LivingWater]

Bible verses are the most important for us but we memorize other things too.
I also use Hannah's Memorization File that Jessica mentioned. We memorize whatever is relevent to us according to what we are covering.
Some of our memorization has been:
*Books of the Bible
*Twelve tribes of Judah
*Relevent history dates
*Classification system
*States/Capitols
*Astronomy facts
*U.S. Presidents
*Various poems
*Various grammar facts (prepositions, parts of speech, etc.)

[Janie]

We use Starr Meade's Training Hearts, Teaching Minds for devotions and sing the catechism with Holly Dutton (http://www.reformedmusic.com/wsc.asp)'s wonderful songs.

[Verena]

Mostly scripture, but every now and then a poem as well. Younger ds uses FLL- so whenever we happen upon a poem, he memorizes that.
Right now we're also memorizing our address.