Creative Learning The Trigger Memory Systems Way!

Trigger Memory Systems is committed to instilling an unquenchable desire to learn which will last a lifetime. We believe in thinking outside-the-box and advocate teaching methods that are creative, innovative and,most importantly, FUN!

The Olympic Notebook!
by Amy

The following post is reprinted with permission from the Sonlight forums in response to the question: How do I motivate my son? "(pulling my hair out!)" It is a perfect example of what we consider "creative learning". Thanks, Amy!

Sounds to me like he is bored and burnt out. My first reaction would be to put the math books away for at least 4-6 weeks if not longer. Encourage him to spend the time he would have been doing math, doing something else.

Like--- start an Olympics notebook, in which he can:
* First draw a map of where the Olympics is being held
* Draw a closer map showing the locations of the venues of each of the events
* Figure out the distance between each venue.
*Trace the path of the torch relay and measure the distances traveled between stops and how much time it took
* Average the miles per hour.
*"Buy" tickets for each of the events you'd like to watch, and add up the cost of the tickets.
*Add tax.
*Or put it on a credit card and figure out the cost of the interest that accrues. *Make a schedule of all the events you are attending and figure out what time you'll have to leave your "hotel" to walk to the venue.
*Or find a bus or train schedule (or make one up) and figure out how to get to the venue on the bus/train.
*Watch the athletes and the world record times, and figure out how well each athlete does against his personal best or the world record.
*Set up a neighborhood Olympics, sell tickets to the neighbors and even make a concession stand.
*Figure out your profit and divide it up.

Hey, when the Olympics are over, if the books are still boring, make a World Series notebook.
*Figure out the percentage of games your favorite team has won
*Tthe percentage of pennants they've taken
* Figure out batting averages, base hits.
*Find out how tall or how heavy your favorite players are, how much taller than your son are they?
*How much heavier?
*What percentage of their weight is your sons?
*What is the distance to the cities your favorite teams play?
*How long would it take to get there by driving?
*By flying?
*How much would a ticket to the game cost?
*If he could earn $1.50 an hour doing chores, how many hours would it take to earn a ticket?
*And popcorn?
*And a hotdog?
*How much does your favorite player earn?
*How could he budget that pay?
*What part of his income could be given back to God?
*When he earns money to pay for a ticket, how much would he tithe?

I bet you could go on forever without ever doing another page in that math book, and he'd be a better math student!

The Reader's Scavenger Hunt
By Jennie Von Eggers (Times Tales)

My homeschool adventure first began when I started teaching my first child to
read. I realized from the get go, that if I made learning fun and a form of
"play", he would have a foundational love for it. This theory has proven
true as he is now ten and an avid reader. He will commonly read through a
170 page Hardy Boys book in 2 days! I like to think that his love for
reading all started back when he, at the age of 4, went on his reading
scavenger hunts throughout the house.

Instructions for Home Scavenger Hunt :

This game can be played with all levels of readers. The instructions should be written according to the child's reading level. On a piece of paper, write the first place in the house the child should go.
For example: "Go to the oven and open the door". When the child follows the prompt, they will find a new piece of paper with the next place to go written on it. You can have as many places as you are willing to hide and write. At the end, I would always put a "treasure" such as a small toy from the dollar store or a piece of candy. This game can also be played the "pre-readers" as young as 2. Just replace the "words" with pictures of where they are to go. For a beginning reader, the first clue might simply say, "oven".

Here are some home hiding ideas:

Go to top bunk bed and look under pillow.
Open cookie jar and look inside.
Go to the bathtub.
Look under kitchen rug.
Look inside toy box.
What is under the welcome mat?
What would you use to call for help?
Look on the second shelf in the refrigerator, under the mayonnaise.

Well, you get the idea.

The Pass-It-BackNotebook
By Dena Wood (Times Tales)

One of the things I did with my oldest son when he was first learning to read was to start the Pass-It-Back notebook. This was just a small blank book that we would write in and pass back and forth.

I might write a few sentences telling him about my day, asking about his, or maybe even asking some profound question like, "What is your favorite color and why do you like it?"

This was a pleasant and painless way to get in some extra reading and writing practice.

My son, now 17, came across his notebook the other day and we had a laugh as we looked through it and read the entries. Neither of us had the heart to get rid of it.

This was a great reminder and I picked up another notebook at the Dollar Store, this time in pink. Last night I explained the concept to my 7 year old daughter, wrote my first entry and left it on her bed. I noticed, as I went upstairs tonight that the notebook is on my bed, eagerly awaiting a response.

Trigger Memory Systems

Education Through Imagination

Let's Make Learning Fun!!