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Home : 2007 : March : 23

Brain Juice
By BirdSong

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It sounds a little bizarre, but I stole this idea from a colleague of mine a few years ago. Each morning before testing, I give each students a small dixie cup of brain juice. We all recite a special "SMART PLEDGE" and drink
all together. The pledge goes something like:

Today I will take a test
And I will not be afraid
I will certainly do my best
Because I am very smart today

The brain juice is a little Mellow Yellow (the caffeine stimulates the brain) and some green food coloring to make it look different. Kids try to guess what it is and some even suggest Mellow Yellow. Very
quickly someone in class will announce that it cannot be Mellow Yellow because it is green. They beg me to tell them where I get it from, and I just say that I bought it at a special teacher store.

I did have a child that could not have caffeine, so hers was water with food coloring to match the rest.

I truly believe in Henry Ford's quote "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." If children believe they will succeed, they will. The brain juice helps boost their confidence.

I also allow them to chew peppermint gum during the test. Studies show this helps calm their nerves.

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