I have been alluding for awhile now that Nicholas had
something big in the works. I am proud
to reveal that Nicholas is a Memory Master this year for CC! He wasn't sure that he was going to try for
it, but he worked hard on his weak areas and accomplished his goal. Not only did he know the information, but he
was able to recite it very quickly. It
took him only about 40 minutes. The
average time is usually 1-1 ½ hours. I
knew he could do because he worked so hard this year!
I told him that we would be proud of him whether he passed
or not. But, I’m glad the hard work paid
off. This year’s campus will have 4
Memory Masters. Two are from my
class! We actually all met on Friday at
one family’s house to do the third proof.
The first proof is done by a parent.
The second is done by the other parent, or another adult. The third proof is done by the child’s tutor
(or another tutor if your child is in your class). This is the proof that you need to know
everything! Then, the director spot
checks it by asking about 25% of the material.
Next week is our campus’ closing ceremony. All the kids will be recognized for their
participation. Then, the Memory Masters
will get additional recognition. They
will also receive a certificate and a Memory Master t-shirt.
Nicholas told me that I could probably be Memory Master too,
but I think he actually knows more than me. I think I know a good portion though. Just to give you an idea of some of the
things he’s memorized. Here is a small
list:
A chronological timeline of 161 events and people
24 U.S. history sentences, including the Preamble of the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights
All the states and capitals (including their location) and
other geographical features of the U.S., such as rivers, mountains, lakes,
trails, etc.
24 science facts, including the first 12 elements of the
periodic table and different parts of the body
Latin rules and vocabulary including John 1:1-7 in Latin and
English
English grammar including the principal parts of 11
irregular verbs
He skip counted multiplication tables up through 15 x 15,
some basic geometry formulas and unit conversions
That’s just a lot of information! To say that we are enjoying Classical
Conversations is an understatement. What
Nicholas has memorized is allowing him to put memory pegs in while he is
young. That way when he is ready to
expand on the information he will already have learned the basics and won’t
have to memorize them when he is older.
We have seen the benefits with Daniel too. As we drove home from the tutor proof on
Friday, Nicholas told me to listen. Here
Daniel was singing, “To ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.” Yes, that came out
of my almost 3-year-old’s mouth. That is
the end of the Preamble to the Constitution.
He’s getting his memory pegs in early.
So, if you see Nicholas, I’m sure he’ll be happy to share
some of these facts with you. We’re so
proud of him!
