In honor of Samuel F. B. Morse’s birthday (April 27, 1791), today we have an article on teaching your kids Morse Code.
Morse Code, while seemingly obsolete in today’s technology-driven world, is a good system of communication that can still be put to use. Morse Code was originally used for telegraph communication; however, long after the telegraph went extinct and was replced by Mr. Bell’s telephone, militaries and radio broadcasters still used Morse Code.
Morse Code, at its base, is simply a series of dots (short sounds) and dashes (long sounds) that represent letters and numbers. they can be clicks on a Ham Radio, blasts on a car horn, beams from a flashlight–anything that can be made to signal audibly or visually from one person to another. You can see why it’s such a versatile way to sommunicate!
To aid in learning Morse Code, I’m linking up, once again, with an article from Brett McKay over at the Art of Manliness. Brett has a full history of Morse Code laid out on his site along with a chart you can use to help your kids memorize Morse Code. Bonus: The internet is full of schematics and designs for simple contraptions that allow your kids to practice Morse Code; these devices are usually nothing more than a piezoelectric buzzer connected to a battery and a push-button switch. They’re easy (and cheap) to build, and can provide lots of educational entertainment for children and adults alike. If you find such a design, leave a link to it in the comment box below so that we can all check it out.
David is a former home school student. In 2007 he graduated from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with a bachelors degree in Business Administration. He currently works as Education Alliance's primary IT employee, webmaster, and blogger. David and his wife live in Little Rock.