10 Old-School Ways to Remember Stuff

1. Count to 20
Here's a fun way for the kids to learn:
One, Two, buckle my shoe, Three, Four, knock at the door, Five, Six, pick up sticks, Seven, Eight, lay them straight, Nine, Ten, a big fat hen, Eleven, Twelve, dig and delve, Thirteen, Fourteen, maids a-courting, Fifteen, Sixteen, maids in the kitchen, Nineteen, Twenty, my plate's empty.

2. The Four Main Compass Directions
Simply remember the acronym NEWS: North at the top; East on the right; West on the left; South at the bottom.

3. Months of the Year
A physical mnemonic trick will help you remember how many days are in each month. Hold your clenched fists together, side by side. Begin with your left hand, naming the knuckle of your little finger as January. Next, the valley or dip between the first two knuckles is February, and the next knuckle is March, and so on. All the knuckles represent months with 31 days, and the valleys the shorter months.

4. The Order of the Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Try these phrases to help you memorize the order: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos OR My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nowhere

5. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
1. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
2. Lighthouse (Pharos) of Alexandria
3. Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
4. Pyramids of Egypt
5. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
6. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
7. Colossus of Rhodes
Use this mnemonic phrase to recall them: Seems Like Mata Hari Picked Her Targets Carefully.

6. Musical Notes
In the 1965 film The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews's character Maria teaches the children music. Her song may help you.
Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti
Do=doe, a female deer
Re=ray, a drop of golden sun
Mi=me, a name I call myself
Fa=far, a long, long way to run
So=sew, a needle pulling thread
La=la, a note to follow "so"
Ti=tea, a drink with jam and bread
Which will bring us back to "Do"

7. Counting to Six in French
un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq & six
Here's a phrase to help you count.
Un, deux, trois, cat sank—cease, please!

8. The 12 Apostles
List the dedicated followers of Jesus with this well-known Sunday school rhyme:
This is the way the disciples run Peter, Andrew, James and John, Phillip and Bartholomew, Thomas next and Matthew, too. James the less and Judas the greater, Simon the zealot and Judas the traitor.

9. The Four Gospels
The first four books of the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Try this to help you recite them, and you'll impress your Sunday School teacher: "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John went to bed with their trousers on."

10. Basic DIY Techniques
Don't waste time, do things the right way the first time. Just think this: Righty-tighty, Lefty-loosey.