{"id":661,"date":"2014-12-25T17:08:48","date_gmt":"2014-12-26T00:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=661"},"modified":"2015-05-19T10:49:47","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T16:49:47","slug":"using-muscles-for-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/using-muscles-for-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Muscles for Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"were_gonna_get_you_daddy\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wiggles!<\/strong> Kids seem to be full of them and they can make sitting still, learning, focusing, and concentrating extra hard!<\/p>\n

If you can’t fight ’em, join ’em. Time to use those big muscles to help kids learn!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a chin-up bar hanging over a doorway near where we do homeschool. Over the years of raising lots of wiggly, restless boys (and girls), I have found the chin-up bar to be worth its weight in gold! Tape a scripture or poem to the wall in view of the chin-up bar, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly those children can memorize while they swing.<\/p>\n

One mother I know told me she taught her very active son his phonics sounds by placing big flashcards around her large family room and having him run, jump, hop, crab-crawl, somersault, and otherwise use his big muscles to retrieve the cards, making the phonics sound as he went. Pretty creative. Pretty hard to forget information taught that way!<\/p>\n

Ammon, my son, was a very wiggly little boy\u2014so restless in fact that he had trouble holding still during school. (He is the one who caused me to write\u00a0Happy Phonics<\/em><\/a>, a game-based phonics program to teach wigglers to read!) Whenever I tried to go through flashcards with Ammon, he would end up upside down on the couch: his head touching the floor and his feet sprawled up in the air.<\/strong> Rather than spending my time lecturing him, I learned to work with it. I think Ammon learned to read upside down! (He is a studious, intelligent 15 year old now, who can sit still and concentrate longer than I can!)<\/p>\n

Thanks to advances in brain research, we now know that most of the brain is activated during physical activity\u2014much more so than when doing seatwork. In fact . . . sitting for more than 10 minutes at a stretch ‘reduces our awareness of physical and emotional sensations and increases fatigue’ . . . [resulting] in reduced concentration and, most likely, discipline problems. Movement, on the other hand, increases blood vessels that allow for the delivery of oxygen, water, and glucose (‘brain food’) to the brain. And this can’t help but optimize the brain’s performance! (More Movement, Smarter Kids<\/em> by Rae Pica)<\/p>\n

So, if you are having a tough time getting your kids to hold<\/em> still and learn, how about getting them to move<\/em> and learn?<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May I recommend:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"ammon_biking\"
\nWhat to Do with a Restless Little Boy?
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"October
\nMemorizing Magic
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"7073\"
\nHappy Phonics
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wiggles! Kids seem to be full of them and they can make sitting still, learning, focusing, and concentrating extra hard! If you can’t fight ’em, join ’em. Time to use those big muscles to help kids learn! I have a chin-up bar hanging over a doorway near where we do homeschool. Over the years of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[151,50,80],"class_list":["post-661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-homeschool","category-homeschooling-method","tag-attention","tag-exercise","tag-memorization","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6IrRN-aF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":477,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/easy-exercise\/","url_meta":{"origin":661,"position":0},"title":"Easy Exercise","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"We know we should exercise, but it sure seems hard to make it to the gym, or get out walking or jogging on icy roads. Having children at home for school complicates it even more\u2014who is there to supervise while you are gone? I've come up with a plan\u2014sort of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"easyexercise","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/easyexercise.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":375,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/memorizing-magic\/","url_meta":{"origin":661,"position":1},"title":"Memorizing Magic","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"If there is one thing in my homeschool that I am very thankful we've done over the years, it is \"memory work\". It seems as a natural part of conversation, one of my children mentions a poem they have learned that pertains to the topic we are discussing. 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Local stores are advertising 10 cent notebooks, 59 cent pencil boxes, and extra low prices on school supplies. It's time to take my homeschooled children school shopping and buy them everything they want. That might sound a bit unnecessary, and extravagant. After all, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Concerns"","block_context":{"text":"Concerns","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/homeschooling-concerns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Soccer player Louisa (8)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/louisasoccer-300x267.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1152,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/worn-out-from-teaching\/","url_meta":{"origin":661,"position":4},"title":"Worn Out from Teaching","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been homeschooling for four years, most of which have been enjoyable. I have four children, 14 months to 11 years old. This year the children complained of mother's \"grumpies\" and not having the one-on-one time they were used to before the baby. Lately, rather than being a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"watch-519629_1280","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/watch-519629_1280-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1187,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/just-wants-to-play\/","url_meta":{"origin":661,"position":5},"title":"Just Wants to Play","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I've just started homeschooling, and I'm having a horrible time with my 6 year old son today. I've said he had to do the lessons before going outside, but playing outside is all he wants . . . what do I do? Answer: Easy answer: Go outside with him!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"homeschooling_0096_DCP_2917","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/homeschooling_0096_DCP_29171-e1428004757696.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7285,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions\/7285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}