A Yearlong Music Curriculum for Kids

I try to post about a variety of subjects here to inspire different kinds of learning with kids, but I think this is the first time I’ve posted something about music.

Every Star is Different shares her yearlong music curriculum, and I really like her ideas. All her kids are learning piano, and she has a musical concept to focus on each month (such as scales, opera, marching band, etc.) and a musical for the kids to watch each month (starting with Newsies, so you know it’s going to be good).

I love this idea even if you aren’t developing a full curriculum for your kids. It’s a great idea to mindfully introduce them to different kinds of music, different styles — though this is mostly classical — and a range of musicals to help them understand the range of music that is out there.

Do you do anything to teach your kids about music? We listen to jazz on Sunday mornings, but that’s about it. I’d love to hear your ideas.

[Photo via Every Star is Different.]There are lot’s of music learning resources available online too. Check out these Music games and Learning tools and Music Learning Flash Cards.

Leif Erikson Day is celebrated on Oct. 9, and it’s a great time to learn more about the Vikings and why we still remember Erikson all these years later.

If you don’t know about Leif Erikson (sometimes spelled Eriksson), he’s believed to have been born in Iceland, and is considered the first European to set foot on continental America, more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

123 Homeschool 4 Me has a printable mini book about Leif Erikson and the Vikings for kids to read and color. It talks about who the Vikings were, what kind of ships they used, how they got to America and more. It’s a good overview for younger kids to use.

A good unit study is available from Simple Living Creative Learning, which includes a page where kids can write what they know, what they want to learn and what they learned through the unit, as well as information on the Vikings, longships, helmets, clothing and more.

Get a printable Viking unit study with reading passages, comprehension questions and other activities aimed at grades 4-8 from Creative Classroom Core at Teachers Pay Teachers. (And see more Vikings content from TPT here.)

Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus has some great unit study ideas, too, including suggested books and videos. The post includes information about the Viking voyages, society, mythology and ships, as well as some vocabulary and a list of famous Vikings. While you’re over there also check out her free printable lapbook, which includes mini books on ships, a timeline, a Viking women coloring page, draw your own Vikings, geography, ancient runes and more.

Piqolo Kids has a lesson on Viking women with (available for purchase) worksheets about a day in the life of Viking women. Even if you don’t grab the printables there’s some good resources on that page and a link to a video on Viking women.

Learn how to draw a Viking ship with instructions from Drawing How to Draw, or grab Vikings coloring and labeling worksheets from Kids Puzzles and Games.

There’s a Leif Erikson Festival annually in Norway, Michigan, which you can learn more about here.

Have you read?

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