This is what James May has to say about it!:

“This DVD has been designed for you and your family to enjoy. But not only to enjoy. The whole point of this programme – the real reason I’m here…is to make you cleverer.

The theory is really very simple, the more you train your brain the fitter it will become. Think of me as a kind of training instructor, for your noggin.

The good news about this type of work out is that I don’t have to don spandex shorts and a toweling head band. Test your memory, numeracy and literacy skills, as well as logic, spatial awareness and other impressive brain type sounding things!”

This DVD also includes a fully verified nationally calibrated IQ test.

Let us know what you think by commenting below.

To buy James May’s Amazing Brain Trainer click here.

Click below to start the test:

<http://www.humorsphere.com/fun/8787/colortest.swf>

It’s easy to forget things if memories are not retained by linking them to what you already know or reviewing them several times. Memories are formed by electrical signals making connections between nerve cells so that they form a network. It’s possible to improve your memory using special techniques that strengthen this network, making it easier to recall things that would otherwise be difficult to remember.

Top tips to improve your memory:

Pay attention
Memory is made up of three sections – sensory, short-term and long-term. All the data gathered from your senses enters the sensory memory – from here any information that’s ignored is thrown out, whilst information that you pay attention to passes on into the short-term memory. You can’t remember something that you never even knew, so if you don’t pay attention, information will never enter your short-term memory. If you want to improve your memory and take in information, it is vital to concentrate and not allow yourself to be distracted.
Chunking
Some of the things you try to memorise mean nothing to you – they may be isolated facts or strings of numbers. Short-term memory has a limit of about five items, so dividing up long sequences of data into more easily remembered “chunks” helps you to remember them. This is the way that most people remember telephone numbers.
Make associations
Making links between objects – called association – can help improve your memory. You can make associations that match numbers to pictures, organise words into groups or link a person with an image so that you never forget a name – anything that makes it easier for you to remember. One way to memorise a list is to visualise a journey that you often take. Link each landmark on the journey with an item on your list – the stranger the result, the easier it is to remember! Then go through the journey in your head to remember the items.
Mnemonics
Another trick for remembering a set of words is to use their first letters to make up a sentence or mnemonic. For example, “map vipers eat many jungle snacks using nails” gives you the sequence of the planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. It’s a ridiculous sentence, but these are sometimes the most memorable.

For more tips on how to improve your memory, plus loads of other brain training techniques and insight, check out ‘Train your Brain to be a Genius’. Find out how your amazing brain works and explore the incredible potential of your mind. Put your grey matter to the test with puzzles, games and optical illusions to fine-tune your brainy bits.

The article was supplied by Dorling Kindersley, who are publishers of the new children’s book ‘Train your Brain to be a Genius’

To buy this product from the Canny Minds shop click here

• When did you first get interested in Memory and how?
  In 1987 when I saw Creighton Carvello Memorise a deck of shuffled playing cards in just under three minutes on TV’s “Record Breakers”. I was amazed at this feat of memory which prompted me to investigate the art of memory for myself.

• How long did it take you from your first initial studying to become world champion?
  It was a matter of months before I was breaking records myself and in 1991 I won the first World Memory Championships held in London’s Athenaeum Club.

• What is the key skill in developing a top class memory?
  Application of the basic principles of memory training which involves the use of familiar places, association, and picturing imagined scenes. In short what is required is dedication, persistance, and an unrestricted imagination.

• Is a good memory mainly a reflection of natural aptitude or learned and developed methods?
  A good memory is a reflection of ones ability to make connections between disparate pieces of information by involving all the functions of the brain. Initially, to make progress, tried and tested methods must be adopted. To become a champion requires innovation, adaptation, and a natural aptitude to think laterally.

• Why does one’s memory deteriorate and what can anyone do about it?
  Too much stress combined with a lack of mental stimulation over a sustained period of time will no doubt contribute to a deterioration in the efficiency of memory. Do something new, challenging, and stimulating. Preferably a pursuit that involves one physically as well as mentally.

• Can you recommend three products to improve anyone’s memory?
  Obviously I am going to recommend my books: “How to Develop A Brilliant Memory” is a good place to start.
  My audio course, “Quantum Memory Power”.
  I’m quite a fan of the Nintendo Wii as it engages one physically and mentally which is bound to have a positive effect on one’s memory.

To buy Memory products, including a number of Dominic’s titles, click here.

Eyes glued to the colourful animation on the screen, she clicks her responses to auditory cues she hears on her headphones, racing confidently through different games.

Each game targets a different cognitive or language skill: memory, sequencing, sound discrimination, pitch, vocabulary, comprehension and grammar. There are thousands of combinations of games customised to one’s abilities and Fidelia plays five sets today.

The games, part of a brain development software called Fast ForWord, require intense concentration, but the Primary 2 pupil seems to enjoy her session.

Her mother, Mrs Jess Chan, 33, a housewife, said: ‘Fidelia wasn’t always such a confident child. As a preschooler, she was quiet, very timid and awkward. Her language and motor skills were weak.’

Concerned, Mrs Chan sent her daughter for brain training classes. Each one-hour session at BrainFit Studio in Thomson Road, where Fidelia attends the classes, costs $70.

The Beacon Primary School pupil now turns in excellent school results. She speaks articulately and is also an avid reader. A Facebook user, she has recently taken up chess.

Meanwhile, at the Little Neuro Tree centre in Bugis, sisters Zelia Ang, 30 months old, and Phoelia Ang, 10 months old, are attending brain training classes for babies and toddlers.

The focus here is on learning three languages – English, Mandarin and either Malay or Japanese – as well as coordination and social skills. The fees are $550 to $600 for 12 one-hour lessons.

In one room, Phoelia and two other babies, each held lovingly by their mother or caregiver, lie on the straw mats covering the floor.

Their teacher tells them about the weather. ‘It’s cloudy today. The sky’s full of clouds! Come, let’s touch the clouds!” she says, as she passes around a piece of felt with a fleecy white cloud stuck on it. The babies touch the cloud with adult help.

The lesson moves to vocabulary. As the little ones watch attentively while kicking their feet, their teacher flashes giant picture cards in quick order, rattling off a list of words at the same time: asparagus, carrot, corn, beans, brinjal….

Zelia, in the toddler class, is busy buttoning little wheels onto a train as her teacher cheers her on in Japanese. Her mother, Madam Hazen Lim, 33, is encouraging her too.

Said Madam Lim, a housewife: ‘This programme really stimulates the child’s brain and parents interact with their children. Zelia is picking up Japanese, Mandarin and English well and Phoelia is very responsive to language.’

Can a 10-month-old learn three languages just from a one-hour class every week? Can young children learn to read, process information and do comprehension questions just from computer games? How much can the brain do, really?

Quite a lot, said DrRoby Marcou, a senior consultant in paediatrics neurology at National University Hospital.
‘Meaningful learning opportunities in early childhood allow the brain to develop rich brain connections, which set the stage for active thinking and learning beyond childhood,’ she explained.

As for brain training sessions, she said there is not enough research to substantiate most claims. However, some programmes might help some children, particularly in the areas of visual or auditory attention.

She advocates, instead, ‘rich, diverse play and conversation’ as the best stimulation for brain development in children.

 By K. Malathy from http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20091001-171160.html

Photos courtesy of Dan Biddle and World Bank Photo Collection