If remembering the poem sounds too much, there is the knuckle technique. It is also another very popular technique that helps people figure out how many months have 31 days and how many have 30.
In this method, you have to fist your hands and start counting January from the first knuckle, then February in the groove (which is the little space between two knuckles).
So, the months that land on knuckles have 31 days, and the ones that land on the grooves have 30 days (28-29 for February). Both fists can be used for this method, or repeated using one fist. However, the thumb knuckle is ignored. We start counting the months from our index finger knuckles.
Fascinating... I am off the calendar these days... just don't care. As long as the sun is out... I'm fine.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting what was considered important knowledge that we had to commit to memory. The capitals of each state, dates in history(the Battle of Hastings, 1066 comes to mind), countries of the world. Now we find ourselves in the 21st century where we can be ignorant but smart if we have a cell phone and can say, "Hey, Google, tell me the weight of the Titanic," or other such interesting factoids.
ReplyDeleteThe poem was possilbly something like:
ReplyDelete30 days has September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
Except February, twenty-eight days clear,
And twenty-nine in each leap year.
Bob - Thanks for the poem!
ReplyDeleteGoodness me, I remember this "knuckle technique" from primary school days many (many, many, many ...) years ago. It still comes in handy sometimes.
ReplyDeleteinteresting
ReplyDelete