Spelling mnemonics

[PrettyCandles]

6yo ds1 has been giving me spelling mnemonics:

because - Big Elephants Can't Always Use Small Entrances

said - Sally Anne Is Dancing

could/would/should etc - 'the first sound' followed by Oh You Little Darling

Certainly makes memorising spellings more entertaining.

I've Got Hairy Tights is better than Oh You Little Darling - which is realy abit comfusing (Oh U Little Darling)

I remember that 2 SuSpenders are neCeSSary with a Corset, but I don't think 6yo ds would understand that one!

not mnemonics but:

there is 'a rat' in separate
envi-RON-ment
gov-ERN-ment
SC-issors

I was taught separate is A RAT to spell.
Stationery - "e" for enevelope which means the other stationary (not moving) is the one with the "a" in it. I used to know hundreds of these but I have got preg brain and can only just remember my name most days!

I find all these awfully confusing. Have never been a mnemonic kind of gal - apart from the colours of the rainbow one: "Richard Of York Gained Battle In Vain".

Not for spelling, but a great one for the order of Classification of living things. King Philip Can Only Fart Gaseous Substances

Kingdom, Phyla, Class,Order, Family, Genus, species

I think it depends on the child.

I would have found them unbelievably confusing and longwinded. I never found spelling difficult though.

My son and I made up some this week for his test:

Chiefs - cowboys, like, indian, eggs, for supper.

beliefs - big, elephants, as before

He finds that these really do help, and he has got 10/10 every week since September.

DS(has a sld with spelling) was told the Big Elephants for Because, only problem was he thaught "always" was spelt with an "o"

(with thanks to Robert Heinlein) Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jam Sandwich Under No Protest - the order of the solar system: Mercury Venus Terra Mars Asteroids Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto.

A couple of weeks after I taught this to ds1 he tells me that Pluto is no longer classified as a planet, apparently it's just a large lump of rock! FGS where did he find that out from! He's only 6 and had just learned about planets, which was why I taught him the mnemonic.

We used to have "Only one c is necessary, but two c's are more successful"...

I don't like Letterland. It is slightly off topic but I can't stand all that kicking king stuff.

ahh now for Because we have Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants

we also have Mrs B, Mrs E, Mrs A.U.T, Mrs I, Mrs F.U.L (because that's the way I learned it )

I like the 'oy you little darling'

and surely Richard Of York Gave Battle in Vain

Never Eat Cake, Eat Salmon Sandwiches And Remain Young! I still use that one every time.

lol, I spent last night teaching ds2 (dyslexic) some frankly bizarre 'images' to help him remember his spellings, like ''think of 2 puppies in pies'' as he kept putting just an s on the end of puppy for the plural and getting him to imagine monkeys waving house keys at him to help him remeber that plural is 'keys ' not kies.
dh thought i was mad but the little star got 21 out of 21, Yay!

mnemonics per se don't help him as he can't remember them...

Ds1 here says 'big elephants can't always understand little elephants'.

For could/should etc, he says 'oh you lucky ducks'.

For the rainbow I remember 'rinse out your grandfather's boots in vinegar'.

And from my college days, the 12 cranial nerves (don't ask, too boring) - 'oh oh oh to touch and feel a girl's vagina absolute heaven'. Obviously written by man, so we reinvented it with 'oh oh oh to touch and feel a guy's vas absolute hell'. Seemed funny back then.

Rhythm Has Your Two Hips Moving

I like that one tortoiseshell!

Can someone make a mnemonic for liaison - or however it's spelled? I always struggle with that word.

I always used to think it was 'gave battle in vain' and somebody told me I was wrong. Perhaps I wasn't.

DS1 used to have Big Elephants Can Always Upset Small Elephants.

LIAISON
Live In An Igloo, SON.

Love Is All I See Over Night.