Let it Snow! 3 Cold-Weather Tips for Carolers

Let it Snow! 3 Cold-Weather Tips for Carolers Suzy S. Heading out caroling this season? As youre bundling up and heading into the brisk air, youll want to take special precautions for your vocal health. Here are a few tips from Seattle vocal teacher Morgan P Remember that when your body is cold you have a tendency to tense your muscles. When you tense your muscles you are constricting them and not allowing them to produce natural and effective sound. Soon your breathing starts to suffer because of it, as does your vocal health. To combat this, dress warmly! Layering up as well as wearing a hat and scarf are very important to maintaining a relaxed and happy voice. Take it easy singing outside. You are competing with a lot of other noises, be it cars, or other people out and about.   You might feel the need to push your voice a little harder to sing a little louder. You dont. Trust your breath support and be mindful of the need to push for sound. Try to visualize sending your voice to the same direct and focused place, rather than trying to send it to the house across the street. Finally, stay hydrated! Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, as well as tea. Alternating between the two keeps you toasty and your vocal cords lubricated. Dont miss out on any of our tips, tricks and advice! Sign up for a free email subscription and get updates right to your inbox! You might also like Vocal Health Tips for Fall and Winter: Part 1 To Sing, Or Not to Sing: The Sore Throat Dilemma Improving Your Singing: Start With Your Posture Morgan P. teaches singing, dance, speaking voice and acting lessons to students of all ages in Seattle, WA. She joined the TakeLessons team in November 2012, with training in classical styles as well as contemporary. Learn more about Morgan, or search for a teacher near you! Photo by zemistor

Fun Physics Experiments For Kids

Fun Physics Experiments For Kids Experimenting With Physics For Kids ChaptersFun Physics Experiments For KidsSchool Science Project Fair TipsKids love to explore, discover and ask questions.Even by the age of two or three, when they first start speaking, many children begin to respond to anything you say to them with 'why?'! Even before they are mobile, a child will still spend time trying to get their head around how things in this world work, like switches, flaps and doorknobs, and so on.Their curious minds develop from the moment they are born and they spend their first years trying to take in as much about the world as they possibly can. This doesn't stop or slow down when they start school and begin to learn about entirely new subjects and concepts, in fact, this only makes them keener to explore more about this world they live in.Babies begin exploring the world around them from inside the womb and they become more curious as they become more mobile and their mind develops. Photo credit: quinn.anya on Foter.com / CC BY-SAIn an ideal world, paren ts and teachers want to encourage children in the care to:listenobserveexploreexperimentreinventtestevaluatequestionthink criticallyand more…Thankfully, Physics as a school science subject helps to answer many of their big questions, such as our place in our solar system, how cars work, how an airplane  stays up in the sky and more. What's more, it forces them to do most of the above without even giving it a second thought.From catapults to rockets, stars to planets, you will find something that will get children excited about learning about Physics at home or in the classroom, you simply need to keep the momentum up!Just take a look at some of the fun experiments, games, and quizzes that we've discovered which can add to the fun of educating your kids about Physics!With the help of these hands on  science activities, encourage your kids to make predictions, discuss what they've seen and learned, and re-test their ideas to absorb as much information as they can.Science is often a mysterious  thing for children to behold and, naturally, they just love to figure things out on their own (with your help and supervision, of course!).Don’t do the project for your child! Many parents tend to jump in and make children’s work cleaner and more presentable, or simply get too involved so that it is no longer the child's work. Instead, let them do the learning (which will also improve their ability to do scientific research and present their findings in the future) and the work in their own way. Think of yourself as a helpful guide who facilitates the project rather than controls it.3. Together, choose something age appropriate.When your child has the freedom to choose their prep, homework or science fair project, then choosing the idea they want to try is important but it must also be vetted by an adult to make sure it's not too ambitious a feat! Simply make sure your child is capable of completing the steps of the project themselves, with minimal input and supervis ion from you.Need some help? Get a Physics and Maths tutor S1.4. Use STEAM ideasSTEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths, and the buzzwork STEAM has 'stemmed' from this.  STEAM concepts incorporate science projects that crossover into art, math, engineering and more, so be sure to look up ideas online before you march ahead with your science project!As with most things, you can easily search for inspiration for science projects for kids online by using keywords or relevant questions, For instance, you might like to Google science videos on how to make slime, how does a lava lamp work, how to create a balloon rocket, how to construct simple machines, how to make dancing raisin, what happens when you mix diet coke and mentos, and other ideas for kids.