Teach kids Morse code

Hard to believe but it's once again Morse Code Day! Yes, today is the beloved annual celebration of the birth of Samuel Morse (April 27, 1791–April 2, 1872), American painter, inventor, and co-developer of the international code bearing his name.

Do you remember learning Morse code in school? I do. A refresher: Morse code (according to Wikipedia) "is a method of transmitting text information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...Each character (letter or numeral) is represented by a unique sequence of dots and dashes."

And it's a fun, off-the-wall thing to share with the grandkids! Try sending messages to one another using the code above, tapping it out with flashlights or taps on the tabletop.

For added fun and amusement, here's a jazzy little video to help with memorization:

Happy Morse Code Day to one and all!

GRAND Social No. 153 link party for grandparents

The fun continues with the GRAND Social link party. If you're a grandparent and you have a blog, you're invited to share a link or three. And whether you're a grandparent or not, you're invited to read the links of the kind souls who share their work here.

Thank you for participating! Enjoy!

How it works:

• All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog about grandparenting, just be a grandparent who blogs.

• To link up a post, copy the direct URL to the specific post — new or old — that you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue button below marked "Add your link" and follow the directions.

• Adding a mention such as This post linked to the GRAND Social to your linked posts is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button anywhere on your page using the following code:

• The GRAND Social linky accepts posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

• If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. Those sharing a link would be honored to have you visit, read and, if so moved, leave a comment even if just "Hey, stopping by from the GRAND Social." Bloggers who link are encouraged to visit and comment on the links of other bloggers, as well.