Classical Education and Memorization

In previous posts I have talked about the thriftiness of a Charlotte Mason education. Can a classical education be equally thrifty? Sure!

A classical education is based on the Trivium, which is made up of three stages. The Grammar Stage (approx. up to age eleven) builds a foundation by memorizing facts. Most little children love to memorize poems, songs, and Scripture.

It doesn't cost any money to open your Bible, pick out Scripture, and help your child memorize it. Just like memorizing the ABC's before one learns to read, it is beneficial to have Scripture memorized before one learns to understand, put it into context, and defend it.

Laura Berquist, in her book Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum, suggests having wee ones memorize poems from Robert Louis Stevenson's book A Child's Garden of Verses. The book can be borrowed from the library or you can go to this website for the complete collection:
Poets' Corner - Robert
Louis Stevenson - A Child's Garden of Verses

The grammar stage is a good time to memorize historical dates, geography facts, multiplication tables, phonetic rules & exceptions, and so on.

I've been reading Joyce Herzog's book Timeless Teaching Tips and she has several tips in there on memorization skills. See if your library carries it.

Here is a website that I found with some tips on memorization:
Homeschool Memorization