Although it is very sad that the iconic Apple founder and leader has had to step down to focus on his health, it is inspiring to see such courage and grace in the face of incredible personal adversity. As most are aware, Steve Jobs has battled pancreatic cancer since 2004.It is likely that his health [...]
Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Steve Jobs – Living Outside the Box
Posted by ginac on August 25th, 2011
Posted in Culture, Design, Electronics, Music, STEAM, technology 
Tags: Apple, Arts, Humanities, iPad, IPod, NeXT, OSX, Pixar, STEAM, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee 
Comments OffPowerful Learning Outside the Classroom
Posted by ginac on August 15th, 2011
What happens when you bring together over one hundred young people from all different age groups, schools, abilities, and from diverse backgrounds for a weekend of intense orchestral site reading? Learning happens. Under professional musicians, regional conductors, and college professors, the young musicians sat on a state-of-the-art stage as a unique group unlikely ever to sit together [...]
Posted in Art, Learning Methods, Music Tags: child-led learning, homeschool, Music, Unschooling Comments OffHow to Play the Guitar on Your iPad
Posted by ginac on August 5th, 2011
The iPad is truly amazing. Not only is it a web-browsing, note-taking, schedule-keeping, game-playing, e-mail-checking, sky-watching, map-displaying device, it is also a musical instrument! We found this nice tutorial on playing the guitar on Garageband, an Apple program now available as an iPad app ($4.99). Garageband is a very useful program and is worth $4.99 [...]
Musical Instruments on the iPod Touch
Posted by ginac on March 14th, 2011
The iPod touch is a computer, game center, camera, music player, calendar, web browser, and now musical instrument. With a bit of practice and some nice little speakers, kids can jam together on these little electronic versions of real instruments. Don’t laugh. A band named Atomic Tom performed a tiny concert on the New York [...]
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Music, technology Tags: drumkit, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch, Music, Musical instrument, ocarina, pocketguitar, virtuoso Comments OffHowtoons: Geeky Comics Show Kids How to Make Stuff from Household Items
Posted by ginac on February 26th, 2011
Howtoons is a comic-based website full of rich comic strips containing ingenious instructions on how to make things using basic science and engineering principles. Aimed at 8 to 12-year olds, Howtoons uses rich, colorful animation and a fun story to engage children’s natural interest in humor, comic strips, and having fun. Our youngster gravitated to the marshmallow [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Programming, Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, Environmental Conservation, Interdisciplinary, Make, Music, Physics, Science Tags: Arts, comic, Comic strip, Howtoons, Online 2 Comments »10 Reasons Why Your Homeschooler Needs an iPod Touch
Posted by ginac on December 20th, 2009
10. Get Comfortable with the Future. The Device uses natural finger gestures and a virtual keyboard — future devices are sure to adapt and refine this interface. Everything from e-book readers to the desktop and laptop computers may soon be touch screen and keyboard-less. 9. Experiment with Voice Applications. Record voice memos, poetry reading, interviews, [...]
Project-Based Learning Meets ‘Student Becomes Teacher’
Posted by ginac on September 29th, 2009
We combined two of our favorite learning techniques together to create a really fun mini unit study. First, we chose our topic – dinosaurs. Then, we challenged our homeschooler to create a short video that teaches something about dinosaurs. The project involved research, writing, narration, music performance and original art work. We practiced using lots [...]
Posted in Art, Eclectic Homeschooling, Interdisciplinary, Language Arts, Library, Music, Writing Comments OffBack to Homeschool: What Does Education Mean to You?
Posted by ginac on August 15th, 2009
As you are gearing up for another year of homeschool after a summer break, take time to consider what the word ‘education’ means to you. According to Webster’s Dictionary, it means : the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or [...]
Posted in Art, Chemistry, Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, History, Interdisciplinary, Math, Music, Science Comments OffMath Night: Insightful, Fun and Creative Math Activities
Posted by ginac on August 6th, 2009
Homeschoolers who love learning by doing will love ‘Math Night’. Math Night, supported by National Science Foundation grants, is a very cool concept that engages kids in creative math activities. The Iowa State University Department of Mathematics hosts a wonderful ‘Math Night’ website containing dozens of high-quality concepts, just waiting to be developed into full-fledged [...]
Homeschooling over the summer?
Posted by ginac on April 25th, 2009
UPDATE: Last year, we posted some of our plans for homeschooling over the summer, and we had lots of fun. This year, we plan to have just as much fun and figured that last year’s post is still a great place to start if you are trying to get ideas for your summer homeschool. Please [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, Environmental Conservation, Music, Reading, Science Tags: Activities, homeschool, projects, summer 1 Comment »
