Mnemonics are all your little Einstein needs to remember just anything. Science can be fun because it is so practical, but there is a lot of information that can also be challenging to remember. This term, my son has been learning about space and the planets. He was excited to dress up in his astronaut costume during the class but remembering all the planets’ names and their correct order was proofing a bit of a challenge. Then his teacher taught him a mnemonic. And voila, it became super easy.

One way to remember a lot of information is through mnemonics, which are called memory tools (aka HACKS) that can help recall information quickly. It could be anything from acronyms, a phrase, a song, or forming a silly yet memorable sentence where the first letter of a word represents another idea.

To help your little Einsteins remember, we have put together a list of six mnemonic devices from various science topics they will encounter in primary school.

The order of the planets

The mnemonic to remember the planets’ order – starting from closest to the sun to furthest, including pluto is “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (my favourite).

The colours of the rainbow

Rainbows are very eye-catching and unique because of the beautiful colours it is made up of. Here is the mnemonic to help your child learn the seven colours of the rainbow.  Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. Which, of course, stands for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. It is interesting to note that many modern scientists no longer consider Indigo to be a part of the rainbow

The Earth’s atmosphere

Earth’s atmosphere is the layer of gases, commonly known as air. Here is a short phrase that can easily help your child remember the names of these gases. The Strong Man’s Triceps Explode. Which stands for Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere.

The first eighteen elements

As your kids advance in classes, they would come in contact with the first 18 elements in science projects and practicals. Therefore, these catchphrases would help them in remembering the names of the first 18 elements. Happy Henry Likes Beer But Could Not Obtain Four Nuts. That gives us the first 10: Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Neon. Naughty Magpies Always Sing Perfect Songs Clawing Ants. That gives us the next 8: Sodium (NA), Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Phosphorous, Sulfur, Chlorine, Argon.

The cranial bones

The cranial bones of the skull are also referred to as the neurocranium. A neurocranium is a group of bones that form a cover for the brain and brainstem. The cranial bones are Occipital, Parietal, Frontal, Temporal, Ethmoid, and Sphenoid. The mnemonics to remember the names of the cranial bones are Old People From Texas Eat spiders.

Biological classification

Every living thing belongs to a group.  Biological classification is the process by which living organisms are grouped. Organisms are classified based on how similar they are, and we have the mnemonic used in remembering these groups. It is called: [Limping Dreadfully,] King Phillip Came Over From Great Spain. Which stands for, [Life, Domain,] Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Mnemonic can be fun and can help you remember so many things in a second. They can come in the form of a song, rhyme, acronym, phrase, or sentence. It’s not only limited to Science; you can use mnemonics for history, maths,  spelling, and so on. Don’t forget that you can also form your own.  

If you like this article, you will also like our Seven maths hacks to help your kid ace maths .

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