A 2012 Goal -- Improving Memory

One of my 2012 goals is to work on my memory. I am aging as a babyboomer and always looking for ways to age in a healthy way. My husband and I are going to Alaska this summer. This brings me to today's post. I have had trouble remembering the types of salmon that my husband likes to fish for because of all the nicknames. So I use this method and have found it to be helpful!  Enjoy!

Do you know there are five types of Pacific Northwest salmon species?: Chum, Sockeye, Coho, Chinook, and Pink Salmon. An easy mnemonic device, the five finger method, can help a person remember them all. 

How to Remember the Types of Pacific Northwest Salmon Species Using the 5 Finger Method

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 5 Fingers!

1. Use the rhyming word thumb to remind you of the Chum salmon. Chums are the second most common salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Male Chum salmon are notable for their protruding front teeth.
2. Point your index finger and gesture forward, as though you're about to "sock" someone in the eye. This is how you remember the Sockeye. Sockeyes have elongated, parabola-shaped mouths and more gill rakers than any other Pacific Northwest salmon. It feeds almost exclusively on plankton that it rakes from the river and ocean bottom.
3. Your middle finger, or the "oh no" finger, will help you remember the Coho salmon. Because of the bright silver scales Coho develop in maturity, they are also sometimes referred to as Silver salmon.
4. Form your index finger into a hook to remember the Chinook salmon. The index finger is also your ring finger, which can help you remember the common nickname of the Chinook: King salmon.
5. The pinky finger can help you remember the Pink salmon, the most common salmon of the Pacific Northwest. Males are recognizable by the characteristic humps they develop on their backs, which is responsible for the nicknames "humpback salmon" or "humpies."

Do you use a variety of methods to help your memory?
Please share a couple in the comments below.