Homeschooling with The Sound of Music

Published:
November 11, 2020

Sarah Shelton

Contributor:
Sarah Shelton

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I grew up watching The Sound of Music every year around Thanksgiving time on live television. This was before the days of streaming services, and waiting for it to come on each year was something we always looked forward to doing as a family.

Homeschooling with the Sound of Music text with background image of mountains outside

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My son never cared for musical type of movies, but when I had a daughter I couldn’t wait for her to watch this classic musical with me. She was only 3 years old when she first watched it. We were at Grandma’s house and she was glued to the tv. She absolutely loved the music and the songs. My mother was blown away how she sat still for 3 full hours and how it held her complete attention. 

When it came on the next year we began a tradition of watching it together. My daughter remembered the movie! She started screaming “Maria! Maria!” as soon as the opening scene came on. We couldn’t believe it. Fast forward to now, this same daughter is 15 and a musical theater nerd. She is highly active in musical theater and performs in local musicals with our community theater. I have two more daughters who also love watching musicals and and participating in them when they can. 

The Sound of Music will always be a favorite. It brings me back to memories of my childhood, and I am now able to create those memories with my family as well. Since we homeschool, we always enjoy turning some of our favorite things excuse the pun, into learning and educational experiences. 

November 16th is The Sound of Music Day. This is really just the day that the musical debuted on Broadway in 1959, but it could be fun to devote a whole day to learning about this iconic classic!

Homeschooling with The Sound of Music:

The Sound of Music is a musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein that was based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers - The Story Which Inspired the Sound of Music text with an old background image of a family

After the hit on Broadway,  it was turned into the movie we all know and love. That film was the highest grossing movie of its time! You can watch the musical for free HERE if you have Amazon Prime.

History:

Just like movies are not like the books, they are also not like real life either! There are some very interesting facts about the real story of the Von Trapp family and they are much different than the movie.

Did you know they did not really cross the Alps? That if they did cross them, they would’ve ended up straight into Germany? Instead they boarded a train by escaping over rail road tracks behind their home!

Find out more about the history:

The Real History Behind “The Sound of Music”History.com

The Sound of Music Real History with videos of Maria Von Trapp teaching Julie Andrews how to yodel – Mental Floss

Real Life Story of Maria Von TrappSmithsonian Mag

Learn about Austria where the story took place:

Austria is known for its picturesque landscape and mountains that border Switzerland, Germany and Italy. The Austrian Alps are the backbone of the country.

Learn more about Austria and the people at their government website.

Austria maps and factsWorld Atlas

Austria Facts for KidsKids World Travel Guide

Music and Lesson Plans:

The songs from The Sound of Music are so much fun to listen to and sing with your children. We love singing my favorite things during a crazy, Florida rain storm.

Learn how to explore a musical scale of Do Re Mi while learning about The Sound of Music with this lesson plan from Musical Explorers.

FREE Sound of Music Sheet Music 

The Sound of Music Live Lesson PlansYMIClassroom

Teach With Movies: The Sound of Music Lesson Plan

Lesson Plans with Activities and QuestionsStudy.com

If your kids enjoy musicals, check out these unit studies for more musical fun:

Broadway Musical Unit Studies and FREE Resources

Homeschooling with The Sound of Music