Rick Beato: Everything Music

Let's be honest. No one cares what music I think you should expose your kids to. Like me, you're going to raise them on what you dig, and hope your kids like what you like. Equally the case, there's a LOT of really amazing music and it's impossible to curate all of it for everyone in every way. One of the most important YouTubers in my opinion is Rick Beato: because he's teaching people to be better at listening to their own music. If you can learn to critically listen to the music you already know, then you can be better at choosing which material will impress your kiddos.

The linked video is a great video essay about Smells Like Teen Spirit, and breaks down what's actually in the recording-- what set Nirvana apart from other rock and made the music indelible. (Spoiler: there's jazz in there)

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Rory's Story Cubes: Language and Narrative

Before my son could read or write, he was able to make up vivid stories with his imagination thanks to these wonderful all-ages prompting devices. Honestly, I should not have to tell you about them, but since the internet and all the social media sites aren't riddled with Rory's based memes I am assuming I'm in the minority of people who've been blessed by the awesomeness that is breaking writer's block with this toy. I am no affiliate anywhere, and that's probably a shame, because here's how it works: Rory's Story Cubes are dice. They come in a set of nine inside a convenient box that closes with magnets. On each cube are 6 glyphs, and each glyph is an easy to interpret symbol. 9 cubes x 6 glyphs = 54 in total, with a ridiculous number of possible combinations. There are multiple sets with different sets of symbols. You'll get as much mileage out of them as your students.

Cardboard Creativity: Epic Cardboard Props

Welcome to the new world. I hope you're reducing, reusing, and recycling all that cardboard. And while you're at it, teach your kids how to make almost ANYTHING with it. One example is using templates and 3d software to make a life-size Xenomorph with just a bunch of amazon boxes and some wood glue. That's just awesome.

Time Management for Young Things

Ok, so there's a time spectrum for everything. For tasks you want to accomplish, there is a minimum time you must meet to make progress. For diversions, distractions, and recreation, there's a maximum time after which you see a detriment to other parts of your life. To be completely honest with ourselves, there is a max time for work and minimum time for play: too much work and you're not seeing to your life, and not enough play and what is all the work for anyway? This goes double for kids. They won't stay engaged if there isn't a payoff, and they most definitely don't easily understand the notion that staring at a screen for too long for games and videos can have unintended consequences. Being told time is up is never anything but disappointing. What's working in our house is an open conversation about balance. In order to get video game time, responsibilities have to all be met. It helps to have rewards that are on more than one scale. It's hard to b...

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