Almost everyone knows Spring Forward, Fall Back when it’s time to reset the clocks for daylight savings time, and at least once a month I use the old, “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November…” Parkinson has other mnemonics for time and the calendar, plus tricks for remembering language, spelling, numbers, geography, world history, science, even the Zodiac.
Some mnemonics seem harder to remember than the phrase or list itself, to me, but I suppose ease is a matter of interest, necessity, and repetition. Most books on memory espouse that assigning an image to words makes them easier to remember. I once listened to an audio program that included ways to remember your grocery list by linking two items and visualizing them doing something together. Ordinary things, I hasten to add. Mnemonics have been around for a long time because they work.
If you’re a student with lots of memorization to do, or if you’ve got an ageless student on your list, this little book, good stocking stuffer size, would make a darling and useful gift. It’s published by Reader’s Digest.
Whether you need a trick for everyday living, like Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey, something more complicated, like memorizing the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, or just want to have fun at your next gathering of word lovers, you’ll find Parkinson’s book helpful.
The Great Lakes? HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. The Treble Clef? Every Good Boy Does Fine. First Aid? Rest, Ice/Immobilze, Compression, Elevation.
What are your favorites? Share them in the Continuing Education Forum.
About the Author
Judy Parkinson is a graduate of Bristol University in England. She is a producer of documentaries, music videos, and commercials, as well as the recipient of a Clio Award for a Greenpeace Advertisement. Parkinson has published four books and has contributed to a show of life drawings at the Salon des Arts, Kensington. She resides in London.
