Ready-made Unit Studies

So tonight found me teaching a group of 25 boys (ages 11-16) all about chess.  This "class" was a family venture that included me, my husband, and my eldest son (who is our resident chess expert) serving as the "teachers" and was part of our Boy Scout troop's weekly Tuesday night meeting.  The Chess Merit Badge is brand new and was just introduced in September 2011.  I am fairly confident that our troop might be one of the first troops to earn it in our locale.

As I was preparing to teach this badge, I was reminded of how the BSA merit badges make for incredible unit studies.  Essentially, they are a homeschooler's delight.  Merit badges take a specific topic and focus in on the basic elements needed to grasp the topic.  For each merit badge, the BSA provides a compact worksheet for recording all your answers and a list of resource links.  In addition, the BSA also sells a booklet for each merit badge, providing everything that you need to know to earn the badge.  If you don't want to purchase these booklets from a local scout shop, most local libraries have copies available to be checked out.

Tonight's Chess Merit Badge is not the first merit badge I have taught.  I have also led, or co-taught, the following merit badges: Coin Collecting, Citizenship in the Nation, and Geocaching.  Currently there are 128 different merit badges - ranging from:  American Business, Communications, Fly Fishing, Nuclear Science, Scuba Diving, to Woodwork.  A quick look through all the subject covers makes you realize that they cover a ton of hobbies, and/or professions.

My eldest son, who is an Eagle Scout, currently has at least 49 merit badges.  Some of the merit badges he's taken has led to new hobbies (ex. Coin Collecting) and others have led to potential careers (ex. Landscape Architecture).  When were in the process of moving from Arizona to Utah, we spent a period of several months living with relatives.  Because of our limited living space, I had to pack away all our school resources and just get "creative" with our homeschooling.  What we ended up doing was doing Boy Scout Merit Badges with my older son and Cub Scout Belt Loops with younger son.  They both had a blast.

Even if you are not in Boy Scouts, you can still take advantage of these ready made unit studies.  All you have to do is download the merit badge requirements and get busy learning.  It is a really fun way to learn about something that you may not ever even thought of covering.  I would suggest that you let your child scour through the list of topics and pick something they find interesting.

What I especially like about merit badges is that many of them require you to get out in the world and interact with others.  This can mean anything from going on a field trip to a state park, museum, business, etc.  Or it could mean having to engage in some community service.  Right now, my youngest son is in the process of completing the Citizenship in the Community merit badge.  For that, he had to attend a city council meeting, meet with someone from the city to discuss a project our city is working on, visit some local historic landmarks, and volunteer for eight hours with a local volunteer organization.  Now, those are some great life skills.

So if you are looking for some awesome and free unit studies... I suggest you check out the 128 merit badges offered by the BSA at: Merit Badges

If you have younger children (i.e. 10 and under) you might want to check out the 40 belt loops offered by the BSA.  These belt loops fall under either Academics or Sports, ranging from: Art, Basketball, Geography, Music, Snow Ski & Board Sports,  Tennis, and Wildlife Conservation.  A complete list of belt loops can be found at:  Belt Loops

Finally, there are several groups on the internet that have blended homeschooling and scouting.  One in particular is:

Homeschool Scouting
We are a homeschool family in the Pacific Northwest who discovered that Boy Scouts added a new and vibrant flavor to our homeschool curriculum. Combining the two endeavors brought to life numerous subjects, as we found ways to incorporate merit badges into field trips, science labs and more. It opened doors for leadership opportunities, volunteer service and presented ways to earn multiple awards for the same activities.



Homeschooled Scouts (Yahoo Group)
Homeschooled Scout list is not an official Boy Scouts of America (BSA) email list, nor is it sanctioned by BSA. This Homeschooled Scout list is a privately managed group and is not owned or managed by any particular Council within the BSA or by the national BSA.

This list is for informational purposes and sharing of ideas among homeschooled scouters. This list has members from all over the country and from many different religious backgrounds. Members also have different homeschooling philosophies. The common ground is homeschooling and a love of scouting.

A Few More Thoughts About Libraries

TU Delft Library - Netherlands

Most people have a "bucket list" of places they'd like to see or visit before they die.  It's usually mainstream travel destinations like: Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, or the Eiffel Tower.  However, I am not like most people.  One thing I have always enjoyed checking out on vacation is their local library.

I have lost count on all the different libraries our family has visited over the years.  Whether it was just to have internet access (in the days before mobile data phones), a place for a kids to play, or even just a place to make photocopies, we have enjoyed visiting libraries.

However, I must admit that there are a few special libraries I would like to check out someday.  Here are some of them:


Cardiff Public Library - Wales, UK

Unfortunately, I don't think I could actually see this place, even if I did make it all the way to Wales.  This cool structure served as a temporary library space, used by Cardiff Central Library from 2006-2009 while their present building was under construction.  However, it sure looked cool.  Consisting of two separate buildings the (20 ft) tall structure illustrated a number of books identified as those most commonly borrowed from the library.

 

Library of Picture Books - Iwaki, Japan

What’s cool about this library is that it is full of picture books.  It is also the work of a famous architect, Tadao Ando, whose goal was that green hills of Fukushima and the Pacific Ocean could be seen from nearly every point in the library.  What I especially like about this library is that it was designed to be 100% kid friendly.  Inside the building are play spaces and reading nooks for reading. Furthermore, children are encouraged to plop down with a book where ever they feel like.  My kids would have loved this library when they were little.

Kansas City Public Library (Kansas City, MO)

This library is a lot closer to home,  not too mention, in a city I have relatives, so I actually may get to visit this place one day.  Referred to as "The Community Bookshelf", this library book feature runs along the south wall of the Kansas City Central Library's parking garage. The book spines, which measure approximately 25 feet by 9 feet, showcases 22 titles reflecting a wide variety of reading interests. 

New York Public Library (New York, NY)

I think that it's the history of the New York Public Library (NYPL) that has always made me want to visit this place.  With  nearly 53 million items (that's a lot of books), the NYPL is the second largest public library in the United States.  What's so interesting is that it's not really a "public library", since it is independently managed and is funded by private and public funding.  As a matter of fact, the NYPL is one of the few libraries in America that was not created by government statute.   Even today, the research libraries in the system are largely funded with private money, while circulating libraries are financed primarily with city government funds.  The NYPL has appeared in many feature films - most notably was one of my all-time favorite movies - Ghostbusters.

Library of Congress (Washington, DC)


If the NYPL is the second largest library in America, then the Library of Congress (LOC) must be first.  Yep.  With a tally of 147,093,357 total items, the LOC is definitely the largest library in America.  According to their website, they have 32 million cataloged books and other print materials in some 470 languages; and the largest rare book collection in North America, which includes a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and a Gutenberg Bible (one of the four perfect copies known to exist in the world).


Much like the NYPL, the LOC has an interesting history.  It was built for Congress in 1800, but much of the original collection was destroyed during the War of 1812.  (Darn those Canadians!  Which I can freely say since I am one of them.)  To get the jumpstart the library, Thomas Jefferson sold 6,487 of his personal collection to the library in 1815 and it has continued to grow ever since.  I think it might have been better if he had actually just donated them... but then again... that's just me.


Currently, the LOC receives some 22,000 items each working day and adds approximately 10,000 items to their collection daily. The majority of these acquisitions are received through the Copyright registration process, as the Library is home to the U.S. Copyright Office. Materials are also received as private gifts and/or acquisitions from a slew of government agencies (state, local and federal).

Recently the LOC has come under fire in the press as they are now the official repository of all Twitter messages.  To be honest, I don't really see the value in cataloging millions of public domain tweets.  It just seems like a little "Big Brother" like.


 

Well, those are just some of the cool libraries I'd like to visit one day.  However, to be honest, since I am such a lover of books... no library is ever to small or ordinary for me either.   As long as I travel across the country and the world, I will continue to check out as many libraries as I can.

Finally, I recently came across this cute video - a modern day tribute to the New York Public Library scene in Ghostbusters.  This live "performance" was a joint project between the NYPL and a group called Improv.  The goal of the film was to help boost awareness and support for the library as it was facing potential funding cuts.  I believe the film was a success and the NYPL was able to keep on... keeping on.

Hurray for libraries!



Improv Everywhere:  Who You Gonna Call?

Loving the Library

This weekend, my family went out of town for the day.  The plan was to spend the day in a neighboring city, where we had one commitment in the morning and another in the evening.  Since the drive home was 50 miles, it only made sense to spend the entire day there, however, the big question was where to go all afternoon?

We ended up spending the afternoon at local library.  My eldest son got in five hours of chess practice with the local chess club, that just so happens to meet their every Saturday.  My other son was able to grab a Star Wars book off the shelf (the same one he's reading at home) and enjoy an afternoon of reading.  And I got to plug in my laptop, access their free wi-fii, and catch up on some work.  Everyone was happy and the afternoon literally flew by for all of us.

Later that day, I couldn't help but think about what an incredible source public libraries are.  Where else can you spend an entire afternoon and have access to so many resources?  All at no charge.  On top of that, unless you want to check out material, access to most library resources doesn't even require having a library card.

Going one step further, I had to acknowledge that access to a public library is probably one of the most critical resources for homeschoolers.  I know that when my family first began our homeschooling journey, setting aside one day each week to go to the library was the best decision I ever made.  It allowed me to begin my children's "education" without the purchase of any curriculum.  As a matter of fact, we spent the first few months doing nothing other than just going to the library and checking out a ton of books and Bill Nye the Science Guy videos.  My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven!

Almost 10 years later, we still have a day each week for trips to the library.  Sometimes we all go and sometimes it's just me.  Either way, every Wednesday I can be found logging on to my library's website to figure out what needs to go back and doing a quick survey to find out what anyone wants or needs this week.

If I had a record of all the books we have checked out over the years, I would have to say that having a library card has saved me thousands of dollars.  On average, I usually have at least 10 books on loan from the library.  If you do that math, that equals 520 books a year.  Over the course of 10 years, that would equal about 5,200 books.  And that's just books.  And that's just on MY library card. 

 

Of course libraries are so much more than just books.  Most public libraries give us access to: CD Audio Books, Music CDs, DVDs, Videos, Boy Scout Merit Badge Books, and Digital Books.  When my kids were little, they loved being able to use the computers at the library.  They were thrilled to join up with "The Frizz" and take a ride each week on "The Magic School Bus".

When my family used to live in Tempe, Arizona, I had the good fortune of having access to 5 different libraries.  Since the five cities were all in the same county, I was eligible to have a library card with each separate library.  While it was a bit of work to keep straight which material was from what library, I never wanted for library material.

When we moved to Northern Utah, I discovered that since I lived in a small town, I only had access to one library and it had a very very small library collection.  To become a member of  next largest city library, I would be required to pay a non-resident fee of $163 a year.  Ouch.  At first I was not a happy camper.  However, as I began to think about the value of a good library to my family... I realized that spending 50 cents a day (per year) to use a library was still a pretty good deal.  I have never regretted that decision and each year when I have to write that check... I do it with a smile.

One thing that I have always loved about public libraries is the willingness of the librarians to help me.  If there is a resource that I need I have usually been able to secure it through the library's free inter-library loan service.  I have even found that the majority of the time that I ask for a book that my local library doesn't own, more often than not, they usually end up buying it.  And as there way of thanking me for the suggestion... I am the first one that gets to check it out.  How cool is that?

So if you are looking for ways to supplement your children's homeschool curriculum, you might want to consider spending some time at your local library.  Or, if you are ever find yourself in another city, you might want to pop into the library and see what it has to offer.  Exploring a new library can be really fun, because you just never know what new and exciting things you may find there.

"Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest."

- Lady Bird Johnson

They Don't Teach You This In School

Here's an interesting website that should appeal to homeschoolers.  They Don’t Teach You This In School, is a website which has offers a library of life lessons and advice aimed at young people.  The website was founded in December 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand, by Michael Moore-Jones, a 17 year old New Zealander, who is passionate about technology and business.

His mission in launching the website was simple - as each generation grows up, individuals will make mistakes and learn a huge amount.  Therefore, we need to find a way to pass on those lessons to the next  generation.  Previously, if people wanted to learn from someone they admired, they could read a book about them or try to meet with them. But with the internet, we can learn quicker and easier using multiple sources, such as: social networks, video websites, and blogs.

All the videos and articles on They Don’t Teach You This In School allows people to learn from the knowledge and experience of others.  Subject areas include:  Business, Careers, Education, Environment, Government, Social, Technology, The Arts, Life, and Sports.

All our videos are of people answering this question :  

 “What is one thing that they didn’t teach you in school, but that you wish you had known when you were younger?”

Museums - A Virtual Fieldtrip

Today was a cold and dreary day where I live (in Northern Utah).  My son and I headed out to the library, only because we had books that were due and I had a few books on hold to pick up.  As we darted from the parking lot to the library, I couldn't help but think that on miserable days like this ... it's much better to stay home.

As a coincidence, I came across a website today that allows visitors to tour the world's greatest museums from the comfort of their own home.  The Google Art Project, allows to you wander the halls of some really great art museums and the detail is amazing.

This afternoon, I got to finally visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and get a good look at Vincent Van Gough's "The Starry Night" - while seated at my kitchen table in Utah.  How awesome is that?

As part of the website, you navigate through the museums using Google's "street view", as if you are looking at a Google Map, or quickly view high resolution photos of their most famous works.  You can even listen to audio tours as you look at the artwork.

Here are some of the museums you can visit:

• Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin - Germany
• Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian, Washington DC - USA
• The Frick Collection, NYC - USA
• Gemäldegalerie, Berlin - Germany
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC - USA
• MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art, NYC - USA
• Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid - Spain
• Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza, Madrid - Spain
• Museum Kampa, Prague - Czech Republic
• National Gallery, London - UK
• Palace of Versailles - France
• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - The Netherlands
• The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg - Russia
• State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow - Russia
• Tate Britain, London - UK
• Uffizi Gallery, Florence - Italy
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - The Netherlands

The Google Art Project

So if you would like to get out of the house... without having to get out of the house, I suggest you check out the Google Art Project, where you can explore museums from around the world and view hundreds of art masterpieces.

Fun Ways to Learn About Music - Part 3

Just when you thought we were done with classical music - fun and games, here are a few more websites of interest:

New York Philharmonic 
The famed New York Philharmonic devotes an entire website to kids. The very attractive website is divided into sections that address areas of musical learning. But the coolest by far is the Game Room which is chock full of games as you can see in the screenshot. There’s an interesting Flash musical game where you can design your own musical inE

On this website you can:

• Play games
• Learn about instruments
• Meet conductors, musicians, & soloists
• Make your own instrument,
• Compose your own music
• Learn about famous composers
• Read music news

Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures

This website is a complex animated interactive game called Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.  It is reminiscent of the computer geography/history game: "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?".  Targeted for older kids (ages 6-12), the game has users helping Violet, the main character, on musical adventure, which facilitates learning about classical music and the symphony orchestra.

In addition to these two great websites, here are few other similar sites you might want to check out:

• SFS Kids (San Francisco Symphony Kids - Fun With Music)
• DSO Kids (Dallas Symphony Orchestra for Kids)

Fun Ways to Learn About Music - Part 2

Classics for Kids is a great website for elementary age kids (i.e. grades K-5), and was designed to help introduce children to classical music.  The unique feature of this website is it's built in "Classic for Kids" radio show.  Radio broadcasts are made on various radio stations - all across the country on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.  Or, you can listen to them live via streaming on their website.  Or, you can subscribe and/or download the podcasts. 

Naomi Lewin works hard to bring classical music's great composers to life through music and stories.

As much as I'm sure parents will like feature the most, it would be my guess that kids will have more fun with the musical games on the website.  Games include: Composer Time Machine, Note Name Game, Composer Your Own Music, & Be A Rockin' Rhythm Master!

In addition to fun and games, Classics for Kids also has activity sheets, lesson plans, and a musical dictionary.  In addition, you will find resources to help you get acquainted with instruments in the orchestra, instrument families, music terms, musical periods, and musical careers.  Finally, there is a separate section dedicated to composers, which includes: list from A-Z, by location on a map, by timeline, and by musical period. 


The Classics for Kids website is made possible by a grant from the Charles H. Dater Foundation and has been honored with several awards:

• National Community Impact Award for Engagement
• Silver Award from the International Davey Awards
• Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications

Fun Ways to Learn About Music - Part 1

It's no secret that many of our top musicians - from Mozart to Lady Gaga, began their musical career at a very young.  So I guess, it's never too early to start your child's musical education.  Playing interactive musical games on the internet could be a great stepping stone to teach your kids about music.
 
PlayMusic.org is a fun and interactive musical website with loads of information on musical instruments and arrangements.  This website should appeal to kids of all ages, especially since there is a lot of interactivity.

On the website you can learn about  instruments, orchestras, and composers.  I like that they group the instruments by sections in an orchestra, so that you can see the various instruments that are all related.  Each of these "lessons" has an audio component, which enriches the learning process.

Finally, to help cement learning further, and make it fun, there is a related game.

At PlayMusic.org, there is a wealth of information.  Your kids can try their hand at writing your own music, learn about music careers, and even read music related news on topics geared specifically for kids.

PlayMusic.org was created by The League of American Orchestras, founded in 1942.  In the sixties, they league was chartered by Congress to provide leadership to American orchestras and inform the American public the value and importance of orchestras.  I think they have done a great job of providing a free resource for kids to really learn about orchestras and the music they perform.

How to Read Music

Last year my son took an online guitar class, which he really enjoyed.  However, he quickly fell behind because he did not know how to read music.  So unfortunately he struggled with trying to learn chords and frets, while at the same time, trying to get up to speed with everything involved with reading music. This made for one frazzled kid.

I wish I had know about the Ricci Adam's Music Theory website, which does an excellent job of teaching people how to read music.  Ricci Adam first envisioned this website during his senior year of high school. His first lesson was: The Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines. He then developed the Interval Ear Trainer and the site launched on January 1, 2000. Four years later, Adams graduated magna cum laude from Millikin University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

The website is divided into three sections:

Lessons - which provide animated step-by-step slides for beginners.  I especially like the interactive lessons because they really make the job of learning how to read music so easy.  And, it's great to have the yellow highlighted text move as I advance the slide.

Exercises - that help you practice

Tools - which provides an assortment of resources to help you measure notes, intervals, and chords.  For anyone that is learning to play the piano, you can access an online piano to learn the notes.

While there is no fee to use the website, there are offline lessons available (for a nominal fee) for use with an iPad or iPhone.  As a little tip, you can also download all of the lessons for free by accessing the older "classic edition" of the website.  To access that link, you just need to scroll down to the bottom of the home page.  Or to make your life simpler, here is a direct link:  http://www.8notes.com/school/theory/musictheory/files/index.html

I found this website simple and easy to use.  For anyone that needs to learn how to read music, or just wants a great music theory resource - Ricci Adam's Music Theory is worth checking out.

Your Own Music Video Station

When you think of online videos - most people think of the YouTube website.  Afterall, it is one of of the most popular websites out there.

YouTube has given us the ability to not only share new video creations of our own, but to watch commercially-produced videos on demand.  While it took music recording labels quite awhile to come onboard and agree to have their music videos on the site legally, it’s now pretty easy to find most of your favorite songs on YouTube. The only problem, is that when you do, you also have to do with a lot of annoying clutter.

Meet Tubalr, a website that takes the fun of watching music videos, and gives you a clean and simple interface to enjoy watching music videos online.

All you have to do is  type in an artist or a song, and you’ll be provided with music video playlist, with the first video queued and playing. You can move through your list, by clicking on the "previous" and "next" buttons.  You can also jump to a specific track on your playlist, by clicking on the title of the song.  Finally, if there is any music video you don't like, you can remove it by clicking on the "remove video" button.

Once a song finishes, Tublar will automatically move along to the next music video on your playlist. Occassionally, it can skip songs now and then, but that is most likely because the video is currently unavailable.

Tublar does not require you to sign up for an account to use their service.  However, if you would like to save your playlists, you would need an account.  There is no charge if you choose to sign up.

If you would like to broaden your playlist, you have the Tublar find "similar artists" when you type in an artist or song.  Tubalr is a nice little service that I think music video fans will really appreciate.  It's kind of like having your own personal music video station.  Oh, and Tubalr plays all kinds of music - easy listening, rock, country, and the classics.  Yes... even Beethoven.

Online Music Library

Sometimes it is amazing to discover the wealth of information that exists on the web. That is how I felt when I first discovered Musopen, an online music library of music in the public domain. The mission of Musopen is to record or obtain recordings that have no copyrights - so that users can listen or re-use music as they please.  Their motto is "set music free."

On the Musopen website you will find copyright-free music recordings, sheet music, and even a in-progress music textbook.  Their goal in creating this music library was to give the world free access to music without any legal hassles.  By providing recordings, sheet music, and a textbook for free - Musopen is an incredible resource for homeschoolers.

Beethoven was actually the inspiration for the Musopen website with his belief that there should be one place for artists to store and access each other's works.  The team at Musopen has quoted him as saying:

"There ought to be but one large art warehouse in the world, to which the artist could carry his art-works and from which he could carry away whatever he needed."
~ Beethoven

 Here are just some of the things you can do at Musopen:

• Browse their music collection by composer, performer, instrument, form, and time period.
• You can help collaborate on a public domain Music Theory Textbook.
• Listen to streaming music live.
• View and download sheet music.

What I really about the site is that while you are learning about a composer, you can also get a detailed description about their compositions.  Then add in the ability to actually listen, and even download, that piece.  Talk about a real music appreciation gem.

 I urge all classical music fans to check out this website.  It is not only a great educational resource, but might also be a great cause to support by making either a monetary donation or becoming a contributor to the website.  In my opinion, Musopen is such a great project, I think that Beethoven would be proud. 

Internet Music Stations

Internet music stations are very cool.  Every since we discovered them, all the cd players in my house have been doing nothing but collecting dust.  Since internet music stations are web-based, there is no software to download or install.  In addition, they allow you to tune-in from any computer (Windows or Mac), tablet, or mobile phone.

There are quite a few different internet music stations to choose from.  Some are free and others require a paid subscription.  Some require an email address and others require you apply with your facebook account.  My favorite internet music station is Pandora, which is probably one of the most popular ones out there. In my opinion, there's simply no better way to hear great music with a minimal amount of fuss. 

Once you create a Pandora account (you will need an email address to do this), you simply type in a the title of a song or artist, and Pandora creates a stream of music based on your selections.  With Pandora you can create up to 100 different stations.  Once you've created a music station, you can customize to your specific desire.  If you don’t like a song that’s being played, you can just skip it to move along to another song.  If you absolutely hate it, you can give it a thumbs down, which will prevent that song from ever being played again.  In contrast, if you like a song being played, give it a thumbs up to hear more just like it.  The more that you interact with Pandora, the more the website begins to learn you likes and dislikes, and hones in on your musical tastes.

Most Pandora users usually just stop there.  But, if you are willing to dig a little deeper in Pandora's menus and settings, you can learn some pretty cool tricks. For instance, you can choose specific genres of music to create a wide variety of music stations.  Genres are a collection of artists assembled to match a specific theme.  Genres range from: classical music, movie soundtracks, work-out music, and a whole lot more. 

Pandora also has a cool sharing feature that allows you to share specific music tracks, or even an entire station, with other people.  To share, you merely click on the Share button (located directly below the track that is currently playing), and a box appears enabling you to share via Facebook, Twitter, or Email.

One neat thing about Pandora is that it allows you to learn about music and musicians, while you are listening to their music.  When a track is playing, most often you will be provided with a song's lyrics and a biography of the artist.  Pandora also displays a list of similar artists, which can help you expand your musical tastes.

There are a few downsides to the free version of Pandora.  First, about every 30-45 minutes the program will pause and check to see if you are still listening.  To continue listening, all you have to do is click on your computer screen.  But when you're lounging on the couch reading a book, it can be annoying to have to get up.  Another negative is that the free version displays print ads and occasionally plays a 5-10 second video ad.  For the most part, they really don't bother me, I figure that's the price you have to pay to get free stuff.  If at anytime you get sick of the ads, you always have the option of upgrading to the ad-free version of Pandora for $36 per year. 

If you are looking for more internet music stations, some others to check out are:  Mog, Last.fm, Maestro, Spotify, and Grooveshark.  While I have taken a peek at a few of these, I wasn't impressed enough to jump ship and leave Pandora.  At my house, everyone loves Pandora and we all have our own accounts.  That way, when any of us log-in to our computers we have our own music stations, waiting to play the music we love.

Homeschool Tech Mom
Pandora Demo

The Sound of Music

The other day I was chatting with a teenage girl at a chess tournament.  She was telling me how she likes to listen to music when she is studying chess.  When she says "stud"ying chess", what she means is working on chess puzzles to help improve her game.  She volunteered that the music she liked listening to best was "old music".  Hmmm.  Old music?  I couldn't help but wonder what that meant to a 14 year old girl?  It ended up that to her, that meant classical music - like Beethoven, Brahms, and Bach.  She further explained that the reason she liked that kind of music was that it helped her relax and also helped her remember things.

When I watch my sons do their school work each day, they usually have earphones on.   Initially they started wearing them because they were a neccessity for working with Rosetta Stone to learn a foreign language.  But, now they wear them all the time, to listen to music.  

 However, unlike that sweet chess player who likes "old music", my boys listen to music that is relatively modern.  One of my sons is a big rock & roller, he pretty much likes any top-hits from the 50s, 60s, early 70's.  My other son, has some rather eclectic tastes and is a big fan of video game soundtracks.   Yep, to each his own I guess!

While I have never had any problems with them listening to music, it's always been a point of contention on what type of music is most appropriate.  It has always been my opinion, that you can't concentrate on subjects like math, creative writing, etc., while you are listening to music with lyrics.  Afterall, I know that when I need to totally concentrate I need to have complete silence.

So I started doing a little research to see the effect listening to music has on doing school work.  I came across an interesting study that was released by the University of Wales.  In the study, researchers looked at the ability to recall information in the presence of different sounds.  Twenty-five participants (between the ages 18 and 30) tried to memorize, and later recall, a list of letters in a certain order.  The various test "listening conditions" ranged from: absolute silence, music the subjects liked, music the subjects didn't like, a voice repeating the number three, and a voice reciting random single-digit numbers.  The results found that participants performed worst while listening to music, regardless of whether they liked it or not.  They also did not do well listening to someone reciting random numbers.  In contrast, the subjects performed best while studying in silence or when listening to the word "three" repeated.  I wonder if the repetiton of a single word produced a feeling of relaxation, not unlike how people chant the word "ohmm" during meditation?

Of course, just because a study comes up with some sound evidence vindicating me and my theory of music's effect on studying, my kids would still beg to differ.  They hate having to work in silence.  If they were forced to put away the headphones, they would probably tell me the sound of the clock ticking, the dogs barking, or their own breathing was driving them crazy.  Perhaps they'd be right.  Maybe, just maybe, when my kids are listening to the music they like, all those good vibrations help them overcome any interference with learning?

Regardless of whether music has a positive or negative effect on school work, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the musical resources available.  So I am dedicating a series of posts this week on the sound of music.

Organizing Your Family

At Homeschool Tech Mom, I try to review and inform readers about a wide variety of tech savvy resources.  So it's always exciting when I can pass along a single resource that serves more than one function.

Let me introduce you to Cozi, a really cool online organizer that you can use to: manage your family's schedule, organize shopping lists, compile and execute to do lists, and capture favorite memories - all in one place.  This program has been specially designed to meet the needs of busy families.  Because it's a web based program, Cozi is accessible from any computer, mobile phone, or tablet.

Best of all - Cozi is free.  All  you need to get started is create a free account for your family.  Since Cozi is a shared application, you will only need to create one Cozi account for your entire family.

  

Cozi Features: 

Family Calendar

• Centralized online calendar the whole family can access.  The calendar can be color-coded for each person, and you can view the schedule for one individual or the entire family.

Journal

• Record special memories you don’t want to forget in an online journal made especially for your family.  This is a wonderful way to record special events like vacations, birthdays, etc.

Meals 

• Plan dinners for the week, store your recipes online, and easily add ingredients to your shopping list.

Mobile access

• Access your family calendar and lists when you are away from home using the Cozi iPhone app, Android app, or BlackBerry app. 

Other Calendars

• With Cozi, you do not have to maintain yet another calendar.  Instead, you can sync Cozi with Microsoft Outlook, import an Internet calendar (ex. Google Calendar), or even export a read-only view of a family member's calendar. 

Reminders and Messages

• You can set up appointment reminders to be sent to anyone in the family via text or email messages.

Shopping Lists

• Cozi remembers your grocery lists and shopping lists so you don't have to.  While Cozi is great for creating shopping lists, you can also create other any kind of list: gift ideas, packing lists, invitations, etc.

To-Do Lists

• Track and manage all the things you need to get done.   You can assign a member of the family to a list, or keep a shared list that everyone can access.

So for anyone that is looking for one web-based program that will plan and organize your family's busy schedule, you might want to take a peek at cozy.  It seems to have a lot to offer.  With all the awards, rave reviews, and family testimonials, Cozi seems to be a sure bet.



Youtube
Cozi Demo