For all you homeschooling parents, or for parents wanting to enrich your child’s education, Homeschool Legacy offers once-a-week unit studies which (wouldn’t you know it?) knock off Boy Scout Merit Badge requirements along the way.

I’m all about efficiency, so I thought that was a great idea. Sharon Gibson of Homeschool Legacy very kindly sent me the unit of my choice to review (I choose “We the People: Getting to Know Your Constitution”). I’ve received no other compensation, coercive threats, bribes, or chocolate, and give you my honest opinion. Keep in mind, however, I am not a homeschooling parent.

I found the material well-organized and consistent. Each unit is divided by week. Each week has a list of library reading/video options which relate to that week’s subject matter along with an (often short) list of supplies needed for the week. The week’s study always includes “Daily Activities” (usually consisting of reading relevant material), and a weekly “Family Devotional” relating the week’s topic to Biblical themes.

These units were designed to be used just once a week, but sometimes the material/activities seemed an awful lot to cover in one day. That may just be my inexperience talking, though.

I liked the variety of the format from week to week. One week may have an art appreciation activity, another may have a drama activity, while another may have a “copy and cut” game like “Preamble Scramble.”

These units are designed to be user-friendly and prep free. A huge amount of planning and prep work has gone into these books. What you’ll find is a fully-designed series of lessons that even include instruction scripts and question prompts. Pretty cool.

I don’t think “no prep” means “go into it blind,” however. I would advise parents wanting to use these books to go over the instruction scripts ahead of time, before starting the unit. I would either delete or be prepared to explain items mentioned in the instruction (for example, there is passing mention made of things such as Cicero’s Principles of the Natural Law, and the Iroquois Confederacy). There may be certain things you want to cover in more depth, possibly before starting the unit.

You definitely want to pay attention to the “timeline” activities, as dates for events and/or people are not always provided. (This was the one oversight I saw, in terms of prep work being done for you.)

There are lots of cool extras sprinkled throughout the lessons, including “Stump Your Dad Trivia” and a link to see Howard Chandler Christy’s acclaimed painting, Signing of the Constitution. (Said link also provides a neat “scroll over” feature which names the signers shown in the painting, and gives more information about the signer if you click on his name.)

Being the art lover I am, I would flesh out her art appreciation activities a bit more, but I think her suggestions make for a great starting point. Flexibility in your own curriculum is one of the beauties of homeschooling. Given that, I think her units can be used however parents please, either as a framework for customizing their instruction, or as a “ready to go” unit parents can follow page by page and week by week.

I chose this particular unit to review because I wanted to see how she incorporated the requirements for the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge, one which I’ve seen “milled out” in a rather disappointing way. This is an Eagle-required badge for a reason. When properly done, I think young men earning this badge gain a deeper respect for their country and feel an increased measure of responsibility toward their own country. When improperly done, it is a mind-numbing experience beginning with mindlessly filling out a workbook and ending with receiving a merit badge that means nothing to the recipient.

If you want your young man to experience the former, the We the People unit study is not a bad way to go.

Here are the merit badges you can earn via her unit studies, as of this writing:

Birds of a Feather unit fulfills requirements for the Bird Study merit badge.

Forest for the Trees unit fulfills requirements for the Forestry merit badge.

Horsing Around unit fulfills requirements for the Horsemanship merit badge.

Weather on the Move unit fulfills most of the requirements for the Weather merit badge.

Knights and Nobles unit fulfills requirements for the Art merit badge. (Interesting! Makes me wish I’d checked it out!)

Native America unit fulfills requirements for the Indian Lore merit badge.

Early Settlers unit fulfills requirements for the Reading merit badge.

Revolutionary Ideas: the Story of the American Revolution unit fulfills most of the requirements for the American Heritage merit badge.

We the People: Getting to Know Your Constitution unit fulfills requirements for the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge.

Christmas Comes to America unit fulfills requirements for the Music merit badge.

Screen shot of LDS Church Interactive Music Player

I discovered LDS Interactive Church Music Player as I was writing an upcoming post for this blog and thought it was awesome! If you have not yet discovered this site, you must go check it out.

Just about every hymn and children’s hymn is available for the player. It will play the hymn with music and words, just with the music or in the interactive mode.

Interactive mode is music only, but with a highlighted bar going across the sheet music in time with the notes. I assume that’s to help you learn how to play it on the piano.

Within the interactive player you can change the tempo and key.  Kinda fun if you want to hear the high-pitched version of “Give Said the Little Stream” at about 100 mph.

I’m sure there are more legitimate musical applications for those features, but I don’t know what they would be.

The LDS Church Music website has all kinds of cool helps, including tips for teaching songs to children and an interactive conducting course with videos to help you practice.

By the way, this a great resource for kids too. In fact, there’s a whole slew of requirements involving learning how to conduct a hymn or play a song. And because that’s what I do, here’s a convenient list for you.

Cheers and Happy Singing

Related LDS Youth and Scouting Program Requirements:

Faith in God – Developing Talents #2: “Learn to sing, play, or lead a song from the Children’s Songbook. Teach or share the song in a family home evening or at Primary. Discuss how developing talents helps prepare us for service to Heavenly Father and others.”

Faith in God – Gospel #9: “Learn to sing “Choose the Right” (Hymns, no. 239). Explain what agency is and what it means to be responsible for your choices. Discuss how making good choices has helped you develop greater faith.”

Bear Cub Scout Elective 8b: “Learn to play two familiar tunes on any musical instrument.”

Bear Cub Scout Elective 8d: “Play two tunes on any recognized band or orchestra instrument.”

Webelos Showman Activity Badge requirement 8: “Play four tunes on any band or orchestra instrument. Read these from music.”

Webelos Showman Activity Badge requirement 13: “Draw a staff. Draw on it a clef, sharp, flat, natural, note, and rest. Tell what each is used for.” (The LDS Church Music site has a guide to musical symbols and terms.)

Webelos Showman Activity Badge requirement 14: “Show the difference between 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time by beating time or playing an instrument.” (See the interactive conducting course for all these time measures.)

Cub Scout Music Belt Loop requirement 2: “Pick a song with at least two verses and learn it by heart.”

Cub Scout Music Belt Loop requirement 3: ” Listen to four different types of music either recorded or live.”

Cub Scout Music Pin requirement 7: “Demonstrate conducting patterns for two songs using two different meters (two-, three-, or four-beat meter) while your adult partner or den members sing or play the songs you have selected.”

Personal Progress Knowledge requirement 6: “Memorize two of your favorite hymns from the hymnbook. Learn the correct conducting pattern for the hymns and then conduct them at least two times at a family home evening, in a Young Women or other Church meeting, or at seminary. Read the scriptures listed at the bottom of each hymn.”

Duty to God Teacher – Family requirement 5: “Memorize the words and learn to conduct at least 3 hymns each year, 1 hymn in 2/4 time, 1 in 3/4 time, and 1 in 4/4 time.”

Duty to God Priest – Quorum requirement 6: “Learn the basic skills of conducting music, memorize a hymn, and lead others in singing it during opening exercises of priesthood meeting at least once a year.”

Duty to God Priest – Spiritual Development requirement 5: “Learn to play the piano or organ well enough to accompany 2 hymns in a Church meeting.”

Music Merit Badge requirement 1: “Sing or play a simple song or hymn chosen by your counselor using good technique, phrasing, tone, rhythm, and dynamics. Read all the signs and terms of the score.”

Music Merit Badge requirement 4a: “Teach three songs to a group of people. Lead them in singing the songs, using proper hand motions.”