Piano Instructors 5 Tips for Planning Successful Lessons!

Piano Instructors 5 Tips for Planning Successful Lessons! A Guide to Planning Piano Lessons for Teachers in 5 Steps ChaptersEvaluate the level of your studentCreating a piano lessonSelf assessment of students’ workManaging the teacher-student relationshipAssess students’ progress and gradually set challengesChoose the right lessons materials for each studentIn  a recent feature for Intelligent Life magazine, renowned children’s author Philip Pullman has chosen music as the most important school subject. He writes,of all the things the body can do, the richest, the most interesting, the most emotionally and intellectually fulfilling thing is music. Every child needs to encounter music as early as possible, and I don’t mean just listen and then answer questions: I mean make, with voice, with clapping hands and stamping feet, with instruments of every kind.Other public figures  were also quizzed which subject they thought was most important at school. Alain de Botton chose ‘Emotional intelligence’, Jessica Lahey chose ‘Cultural Literacy’, Rose Tremain chose ‘History, backwards’, H erman Koch chose ‘Basic Geography’, Deb Wilenski chose ‘Open-air Dawdling’ and Simon Singh chose ‘Physics’.You’ve just hung up the telephone, your first hour of piano classes has been scheduled. That’s right, it’s September and school is back in session. The same goes for pianists!As a private instructor, you’ve been marketing your piano lessons all summer long and are now able to reap the benefits: you've got your first student!But from now until the first day of piano lessons you’ll need to prepare!In this article, Superprof  will help you plan your individual classes, both in terms of content and how to interact with your student. In no time at all, teaching piano will become a natural habit for you. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 ( 5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsEvaluate the level of your studentYou’ve just arrived at your student’s house for your first at-home piano lesson.You must now assess his or her level for playing the instrument. The first thing to do is simply ask the student to evaluate his or her own level of playing the piano. Good idea, right?!“Measure” your students’ levels â€" no pun intended…Ask if they’ve already practiced, if they’ve gotten in touch with you to begin piano instruction, acquire a music education, or if they already possess rudimentary music skills.Ask about his or her music theory level: as solfège and sight reading are of huge importance for learning the piano, evaluate your student’s capacity for reading sheet music (key of A, middle C, measures, sharps, etc.).Once this information is understood and discussed, you’ll be in a good position to have an honest an d clear conversation about the aims you and your student wish to achieve.The best evaluation method consists in giving the student a piano test.Seat him or her in front of a keyboard with a piece of piano music. As such, you’ll be able to observe if he or she knows how to read music.This exercise has several benefits:Detect whether or not the student has correct piano playing postureAssess their solfège knowledgeSee if he or she knows rhythmic codes and piano notes (quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, sixteenth notes, breathing and pauses, tongs, triplets, etc.)Evaluate left hand/right hand coordination and the use of piano pedalsLastly, see if the student has already learned piano chordsAs you don’t know one another very well yet, it would be a very nice gesture to teach the first class for free. (Nothing is better than free piano lessons!) This will ensure that you begin working together in the best possible conditions.What level of proficiency do you need to teach the pi ano?Creating a piano lessonWhether you’re a piano teacher of all ages, or a professor of music improvisation or introduction, you must prepare a lesson plan to present to the student who wants to learn piano. (This prep is included in the price of a piano lesson.)Solfège ExercisesAt the beginning of each beginner piano lesson,  start with ten or 15 minutes of solfège.This way, you can get the most annoying exercise for learning music over with quickly!Generally, beginner pianists hate solfège lessons, but they are mandatory!Get your students used to reading music with a  metronome. One trick consists of teaching them to tap the tempo with the foot, or hitting their hands on their thighs.This will accustom them to measure time well and to learn to be a perfectionist, precise in their playing. This is extremely important for those who wish to learn to play the piano!In developing solfège skills, your student will know if he or she is playing in tempo or not. Have them repeat the notes to a song out loud to you, or give them an informal singing lesson. Oh yes, as you know, singing is super useful for learning to play piano.In addition to reading notes, invite your students to do rhythm exercises: see if they are capable of playing music notes in tempo (quarter notes, half notes, eighth notes, etc.). This will help with their ear training! CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson f ree!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsSelf assessment of students’ workIn this part of the class, ask your student to recite what you’ve given him or her to work on in the previous lesson.This is a quick and efficient way to see if your student has worked during the week.Wo rk on the spots the student finds challenging: if he or she stumbles over a piano chord, an arpeggio, a chord progression, or if there’s a lack of dexterity in their movement, for example, focus on it until you see progress.Undertake technique exercisesIn order to perfect your student’s music education, it’s important unknot the fingers, to make sure he or she doesn’t tense up on the keyboard for acquire a maximum dexterity.Have your student practice piano scales and chord progressions, and make sure to be strict on the position of the fingers (for the ascending scale, the passage of the thumb after a major key to the right hand, and the passage of the major key after the thumb to the left hand).Also, instruct him or her to work on octaves and harmony: this will also be a useful skill for alternating between classical piano and jazz piano.Assign work for the next lessonAt the end of each class, it’s important that the instructor gives the student work to do for the followi ng session. You’re not doing it to annoy your student, but so that he or she practices for a certain amount of time, training him or herself, when alone.This is also a way to “win the loyalty” of your student. That is, by spending their free time practicing, your students will be invested personally in their piano instruction. This will be even more the case if you let them choose the music they’d like to work on.There’s a lot in this for you, the piano instructor, too, who gets to be all proud when you point out your student’s improvement!Find out how to set competitive rates for your piano lessons!Managing the teacher-student relationshipWith all these preparations, your piano instruction session is sure to be successful.However, even the most prepared piano teacher has ups and downs: that is, external conditions may prevent an individual piano lesson from reaching its highest potential.The private instructor and the student in a piano lesson must get along well to wor k together.You might not always be on top of your game, and the same goes for your student, who might be feeling tired, sick, unmotivated or distracted.There are many factors â€" fatigue, stress, brain malfunction, personal problems, etc. â€" that explain why things don’t always work out as planned, even if you are well prepared for teaching.Personally, I’ve experienced this during my own tutoring sessions.Sometimes, nothing seems to go smoothly â€" because the student isn’t receptive to my lesson, or is tired or thinking of something else â€" even if I’ve prepared my lesson well in advance. Sometimes, it’s just the “mood” that isn’t right.To get around this, you must be creative and inventive.  Try not to show your frustration, or that the lesson’s progress has been disrupted.To get the lesson back on track, find your student an exercise to revise: a scale, some solfège, a piano chord progression, or a new piece of music to think about for the following week’s class… Or give your student a bit of breathing room. You’ll figure it out!Learn more about how to give piano lessons!Assess students’ progress and gradually set challengesIt’s super important to get a sense of the progress that your student has achieved by comparing the increments of difference in the level of piano playing as the weeks go by.We advise you to establish a means of assessing each class, and address it every two or three months. This will allow you to applaud your student if there is clear improvement, especially if he or she has progressed from a beginner piano level to an intermediate level rapidly.On the contrary, this assessment allows you to identify difficulties that persist and work harder on the aims that have not been achieved.If your student’s progress is continual, you’ll need to gradually increase the level of difficulty of piano instruction.Increase the level of difficulty little by little to motivate your student.Private piano instructors who ignore this step risk de-motivating their students in the long run, which could even prompt them to quit playing. Why not increase his or her motivate by planning a recital?When the student’s level begins to stabilize, change your music styles: for instance, if you give lessons in classical piano, why not propose an exploration of jazz piano in order to enrich his or her music education?Go from simplified arrangements to original scores. A beginner pianist doesn’t play like Beethoven or Chopin in one year of private lessons, but training on original pieces â€" the Clair de Lune Sonata or the Nocturne â€" will boost anyone’s level.How can you expand your teaching by finding more students for piano lessons?Choose the right lessons materials for each studentThe last step for planning your private piano lesson: work with good tools.As for any professional, the music instructor must use a distinct pedagogical method â€" just like for a guitar lessons, violin lessons or drum lessons . He or she must adapt didactic tools to each lesson.For instance, if your student is an absolute beginner on the piano, it’s vital that he or she buys a piano method manual for a beginner.Students’ playing and music styles will adapt to the manual. Suppose that they want to learn jazz music? You must then be aware of all the various piano jazz method books by different professors and swing virtuosos, and the available editions, in order to best guide students to become more advanced in their piano playing.And because we are in the digital age, raise your students’ awareness of online piano and well as Youtube tutorials: these are means of learning how to play the piano for free. And you’ll be sure that they are working between lessons! Happy teaching!Are you looking for a private music teacher for yourself or your child?  Piano teachers,  singing teachers,  guitar teachers  and many more  music tutors  can be contacted by  searching the Superprof database of UK tutors. Or a re you a teacher looking for jobs after teaching in schools? Why not consider private tutoring as an alternative.

Boxing Classes London

Boxing Classes London Boxing Lessons London ChaptersBoxing Clubs in LondonThe Benefits Of BoxingWhere To Find London-Based Boxing LessonsWhat Does Boxing Training Involve?French Kickboxing Classes LondonBritish Boxing Clubs In The CityThai Boxing And MMA Classes In LondonBoxercise And Boxfit In The CapitalAccording to figures, the number of registered female boxers in the UK rose from 70 in 2005 to over 900 just a few years later. After the inclusion of women's boxing in the 2012 Olympic Games, we can only imagine just how many more women are now committing to the sport.To give us just an idea of how drastically the numbers have changed in recent years, the Amateur Boxing Association of England confirmed that, in England alone, the number of female registered boxers increased by more than a quarter shortly after the announcement was made regarding the Olympics in 2009.Many women involved in other branches of the sport have now made the decision to switch disciplines just to be in with a chance to compete for a world title.The 2012 London Olympics included women's boxing for the very first time. Photo credit: Kent Capture on Visual Huntchosen to live a life of violence and crime. Regardless of whether street fights occur or not, when you imagine this kind of illegal boxing it is normally men that you think of.However, nowadays, with so many varieties of boxing available, the sport has been taken up by far more women and has continued to soar in popularity across sporting clubs in the capital and beyond.Unsurprisingly though, most women don't tend to fight in dresses like Tekken's Lili or Asuka! But while boxing is now a gender-neutral sport, the world isn't quite ready to allow men and women to compete against one another.More Women Seeking Boxing LessonsIn 1996,  the Amateur Boxing Association of England (now known as England Boxing) lifted its 116-year ban and allowed women to compete in boxing rings and join its affiliated clubs. Since then, London has seen more and more women showing an interest in t he sport.This is not unique to the capital either, we are seeing this trend emerge in all of the big UK cities.FighterFitLeft Hook Boxing Gym12 Rounds Boxing Gymand many more.Boasting dozens of suitable options, your best bet is to look at their websites, read customer reviews and go and visit them before deciding on a gym to sign up to.Thai Boxing And MMA Classes In LondonOnce again, Thai boxing is a highly popular sporting activity for UK residents, and no more so than those living in the capital city. That said, there are a few standout centres with 5* reviews from customers including:Bloodline GymSingdayt Muay ThaiScorpions Thai Boxing GymEast Finchley Combat AcademyThe MMA ClinicThe Iron ClubKO Next Generationand still the list goes on!Boxercise And Boxfit In The CapitalIt's that time of year again where everyone seems to be on a health kick. So if you want a class that will help you shed the pounds or at least keep them off until next December, then Boxercise or BoxFit classes are a fun and effective way of doing this.Power of Boxing is a centre which offers a one-hour high energy fitness class using non-contact boxing methods. It combines pad work with a cardio workout and is super-fast paced. As hard as it is, it will be over in no time at all!Similarly, Frame conducts a Boxfit-style class which is led to thumping music and offers a fun but fierce body workout.Finally, Another Space holds classes that are centred around punch bags but with floor work thrown in too. The class calls itself HIIT.Moving to another of the UK's populous cities? Take your boxing classes with you.  Look for Boxing Classes in Birmingham, see Boxing Classes in Manchester  or discover Boxing Classes in Liverpool.

Top 10 Most Unique Instruments to Learn

Top 10 Most Unique Instruments to Learn Top 10 Unique Instruments to Learn Sign up successful Fun Facts About Finger Cymbals Finger cymbals are also known as “zills.” This set of four small, metallic cymbals is often used in belly dancing performances. Banjo Fun Facts About Banjos Not all banjos are alike the instruments can have anywhere from four to six strings. It’s now associated with country music, but the banjo was initially designed by the first African Americans. Harmonica Fun Facts About Harmonicas The harmonica is also known as a French harp or mouth organ. There are several different types of harmonicas, including diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, octave, orchestral, and bass. Because playing the harmonica helps promote deep breathing, it’s often used in physical therapy programs for pulmonary rehabilitation. SEE ALSO: The 5 Easiest Instruments Perfect for Adult Learners Accordion Fun Facts About Accordions An accordionist performs by expanding the instrument’s bellows while pressing down keys with both their right and left hands to play the melody and accompaniment. The accordion is commonly used in Brazilian pop music. Harp Fun Facts About Harps The use of harps can be traced all the way back to 3,500 BC, but they gained popularity during the middle ages and renaissance period in Europe. Harps vary in size some are small enough to be played on your lap! Oboe Fun Facts About Oboes Oboe is pronounced “oh-boh” and it stems from the French word “hautbois.” This woodwind instrument is most commonly played in concert bands and orchestras. Ukulele Fun Facts About Ukuleles One of the most popular unique instruments to learn, the ukulele originated in Hawaii before making its way to the mainland. Multiple celebrities have picked up the easy-to-learn instrument, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Ryan Gosling. SEE ALSO: 15 Awesome Musical Instruments You Can Make At Home Bassoon Fun Facts About Bassoons Like the oboe, this woodwind instrument is common in orchestras and concert bands. The bassoon is known for its wide range and its sound is comparable to a male baritone voice. Mandolin Fun Facts About Mandolins The most commonly played mandolin has eight strings and was first designed in Italy. Considered an easier instrument to learn, the mandolin can be heard in country, folk, and bluegrass music. Learn any one of these instruments and you’re sure to stand out from the crowd. With the right teacher, becoming a pro at banjo or mandolin is easy. Need help finding a music teacher who is experienced in an unusual instrument? You can easily search for a qualified music teacher here. If you know of any more unique instruments to learn, leave a comment below and let us know! We’d love to hear from you. Need Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

5 Talented Singers You Can Learn From in 2016

5 Talented Singers You Can Learn From in 2016 Suzy S. Ready to make 2016 your best year yet? Many vocalists stood out last year, and looking at their strategies and success stories can be a great source of inspiration especially if you want to be famous someday! Read on as voice teacher Molly R. shares her thoughts   2015 was a stellar year for lots of talented and famous singers. It seemed like you couldnt go anywhere without hearing about Taylor Swift and Adele, just to name two that stand out. Singers like those two generated a lot of buzz, and who wouldn’t want that? As we dive into 2016, its a great time to reflect on your goals as a singer. Do you want to be a famous singer someday? Do you want to start small, and overcome your stage fright? Do you want to learn how to write a song? Whatever your goals may be, theres a lot you can learn from the big artists of the past year. Here are some ways you can incorporate their major successes into your own New Year’s singer resolutions! Artist: Hozier What You Can Learn: Collaborate If you want to become a well-known singer within the music industry, your work is never done. Once you get yourself out there, you need to keep  yourself out there! To get extra buzz, many artists create more performance opportunities by collaborating with other singers which can be especially effective if its unexpected pairing. You can learn a lot from Irish singer Hozier; check out his electrifying Grammy performance with Annie Lennox here: On a smaller scale, you could ask another singer to be your duet partner for karaoke, or perhaps get a small group of singers together and put together a cabaret night! Artist:  Adele What You Can Learn: Know when to rest It’s tempting to say “yes” to everything, especially when you are just starting out. It’s great to be passionate about singing, but remember you’re human! You only get one voice, so be careful with it. Just look at  Adele, the hottest artist of the year: she underwent major vocal surgery a few years ago, yet didnt jump back into performing right away because she wanted to take her time healing. Not only thatâ€" she has also become a proud mom and wanted to put family first! Make it a goal to have balance in your life. Feeling worn out after a run of another musical, even though there’s another one holding auditions for vocalists next week? Ask yourself if you need a break, and really listen to your body. Artist:  Taylor Swift What You Can Learn: Market yourself You may have heard the advice “you gotta have a gimmick!” Thats originally from the musical “Gypsy”, and its often true! Being a talented singer is one thing, but what makes you interesting to your audience? Singers need to be savvy about marketing themselves. Taylor Swift happens to be brilliant at this. We should all look to her as an expert on a variety of things! She has revamped her image completely (country to pop!), she’s always out and about with her huge fan base, and how about that “squad” of hers? Ok, so a lot of that’s pretty hard to do if you’re well not Taylor. But heres what you CAN do: get out there in your community! Offer to sing at fundraisers, nursing homes, and so on. Show that you’re a singer with character who cares about a few causes. And yes, why not build up a “squad” of your own? Make this squad filled with trusted accompanists, like voice teachers, dancers, and other singers. Connecting with a group of like-minded artists is essential for your growth! Artists:  Tori Kelly and Shawn Mendes What You Can Learn: Keep plugging away YouTube is where today’s singer hopes to be noticed. But youll want to have a strategy in mind. Are your videos high quality? Are you posting good content? How often? What are you doing to promote your music videos? How about your audience what are you doing to grow them? Are you cross-promoting across other social media channels, like Twitter and Instagram? These are the important questions to ask. To get inspired, take a look at the success story of Tori Kelly! She was eliminated from American Idol, but took matters into her own hands and built up a huge YouTube following. Shawn Mendes, another great artist to learn from, got his start on Vine and now has a top 10 hit and a recording contract. Of course, youre not restricted to finding an audience online, or with one of those platforms specifically. The key is to keep plugging awayâ€" in any medium! Whether it’s YouTube or a local coffee shop, keep giving your best to your audience. Now put your learning into practice! No matter what your resolution is as a singer, remember to bring your best vocally every time. Look at what other successful and famous singers are doing, and find what you can learn from them. Working with a great voice teacher is also key he or she can help you become a better singer, and may even have insider advice or a network to connect you with. Happy New Year, and happy singing! Post Author:  Molly R. Molly R. teaches online and in-person singing lessons in Hayward, CA. Her specialties include teaching beginner vocalists, shy singers, children, teens, lapsed singers, and older beginners. She joined TakeLessons in November 2013.  Learn more about Molly  here! Photos by  Austen Maddox, Karen Blue,  Eva Rinaldi, Disney | ABC Television Group,  Justin Higuchi Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Summer 2012 practice SAT and ACT tests at the San Jose office

Summer 2012 practice SAT and ACT tests at the San Jose office San Jose, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara, Campbell, Los Gatos, and Saratoga students did you know that AJ Tutoring is offering free proctored SAT and ACT exams on Saturdays this summer for our current students?   The mock SAT and ACT exams are held most Saturday mornings at AJ Tutorings San Jose office, located near the Almaden neighborhood across from Oakridge Mall.Taking a practice timed SAT or ACT is a great way to keep your edge over the summer and make sure youre on track for the September and October tests.   The mock exams are timed like the real test, and AJ Tutoring will give you score feedback after the test is over.AJ Tutoring will hold practice SAT and ACT tests at the San Jose office on Saturday July 7 and July 14, 2012, from 8:30 am 12:30 pm.   After that, practice tests will happen most Saturdays in July and August 2012.   For a complete schedule, please check our website.If youd like to register for a practice SAT or ACT, or speak with someone about tutoring for fall 2012 tests, please email info@ajtutoring.com.

Food in the United States Its not all Hamburgers and Hotdogs

Food in the United States Its not all Hamburgers and Hotdogs One of my favorite English lessons to give students is about food. We talk about what they eat in their country, and ask what dishes and cuisine they associate with different countries, including Mexico, Japan and the United States.When I ask what food they associate with the United States, they almost always say hamburgers and hotdogs. Or Mcdonalds, or fast food in general. Ive been trying to convince them that there really is a variety of food here, that its not all hamburgers and hotdogs and fast food, but its been hard for me to pin down just what I would call cuisine from the United States.So, rather than try to explain it with words anymore, Im going to start posting a regular series of photos to show people just what it is we eat in the U.S.Heres two I took with my iPhone in the last few weeks:This is the pastry case at my favorite local coffee shop in Whitefish, Montana. I had the chocolate raspberry bread.Brussels sprouts from the local Farmers Market.

Is It Worth It Pros and Cons of Ordering Food Delivery

Is It Worth It Pros and Cons of Ordering Food Delivery via Unsplash The Pros: Convenience You can’t deny that ordering food delivery is one of the most convenient services we have in present day. With just a few clicks on a keyboard or swipes on your phone, you can have a delicious hot meal delivered right to your door in under an hour. Ordering food is great for the busy college student who may not have time to prepare a fully home-cooked meal. You don’t want to have to worry about when you’re going to eat next or if you’ll have time to cook it. Ordering food ensures that you won’t go hungry and will enjoy what you eat. Saves Time In just under an hour, depending on where you live and who is delivering, you can receive a full hot meal right to your doorstep. You don’t have to worry about going out to the grocery store and buying all of the ingredients to your favorite meal. You don’t want to spend time at home preparing and cooking those ingredients. Instead, you can just call up your favorite restaurant and have it delivered. A busy and dedicated college student doesn’t have time to waste spending an hour cooking and cleaning up their lunch and dinner every single day. There is nothing better than crossing things off of your to-do list while waiting for your food. You have much better things to do! No Mess When ordering food, the restaurant will usually provide you with plastic utensils, napkins, and any condiments you may need. They also make their packaging so that you can eat your meal right from it. What does this mean for you? No mess! Ordering food means you save time preparing your meal and cleaning up from it. All you have to do is throw it out. That means you have more time to spend with friends or studying for your next exam. Choices are Endless Ordering food means that you have endless choices of what kind of food you can eat. This is especially true if you live in a city known for its food options. No matter what you’re craving, you can most likely have it delivered to you. It also gives you a chance to try foods from different cultures. When cooking at home, we tend to stick to what we know because we don’t want to make a mistake or put any effort into cooking a new dish. When ordering food, you just have to take a chance and order a dish you’ve been meaning to try. It’ll open your mind and tastebuds! Great Food How many times have you tried to cook for yourself and it turns out bland or burnt? You are left hungry, frustrated, and probably thinking about ordering food for the night anyway. Ordering food is great for those of you who don’t know the first thing about cooking. Sure, you can live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and pasta, but it sure gets boring after a while. Ordering food means that you’ll be sure to have a tasty meal that won’t be burnt so you won’t go hungry. Coupons Some restaurants offer rewards for ordering from them a certain number of times or coupons to their most loyal customers. You don’t want to always pay full price, so use coupons to optimize your food delivery. This will save you some money while ordering your favorite food. Online Ordering The beauty of today’s technology is that everything is done online. Long gone are the days of calling a busy restaurant, ordering your food, and hoping that they heard you correctly. When ordering food online you decrease the chances of the restaurant messing up your order. Mobile apps such as GrubHub and Eat24 make ordering food that much easier. GrubHub will even text you updates on the status of your order! Not only does it decrease miscommunication, but you can view a restaurants full menu. You may find something that you never thought the restaurant offered with different options and substitutions with their online menu. The Cons: Can Get Expensive It’s undeniable that eating at home is much less expensive than ordering food or eating out. When you eat at home you don’t have to pay for the Infographic by Brittany Loeffler labor that it takes to make your meal, sales taxes, or tips. Instead, you just have to pay for the food that you are going to eat, which is ultimately very inexpensive. On average, an American will spend $45 every two weeks ordering food. Just think of how much money you could save if you stopped ordering food and cooked at home for three months. Delivery Minimum and Other Charges Many restaurants have delivery minimums when customers are ordering food. This is to ensure that sending their delivery driver is worth it for them financially. So, when you plan on ordering a burger that is $7 but the delivery minimum is $10, what do you do? You’ll probably add another food item. The chances of finding an item for $3 are slim so you will end up paying more than $10 to have your food delivered. On top of the delivery minimum when ordering food, there are additional fees such as sales tax, delivery fee, and the tip. When ordering prepared food, a sales tax is added on. When buying unprepared food at a grocery store or farmers market, sales tax is not added. It may be a small percentage, but it definitely adds up when ordering food multiple times a week. Sometimes you can spend an extra $10 just on these additional fees! Consuming More Calories Food prepared at restaurants are packed with calories. The most common foods people buy when ordering food are fried and full of fat. Pizza, French fries, burgers, wings, and Chinese food are among some of the most common foods people order. These fried foods can sometimes contain a day’s worth of calories! Surprisingly, even food that you may assume is healthy, such as a salad or wrap, may also be packed with hundreds of calories. A Caesar salad from a restaurant can easily be over 500 calories while at home it can be as little as 200. If you are looking to eat a healthy diet, then ordering food is not the best option. You Don’t Know What’s In Your Food The best thing about making food at home is that you know exactly what is in your meal. This is beneficial to people who watch what they eat or have food allergies. When ordering food, you probably have an idea of what kind of ingredients are used to make your meal, but you can never be one hundred percent sure. Not knowing what is used in your meal can also make it difficult to track calories, especially because it isn’t measured. Chefs will use usually use butter when frying something in a pan, but you may never know because it’s melted and you can’t see it. One tablespoon of butter is around 102 calories. That’s a lot of calories for something that melts and used to season your food! Unaware of Restaurant’s Cleanliness A disadvantage of ordering food is that you have no idea how clean the restaurant you are ordering from is. There are times you walk into a restaurant, intending to eat there until you notice the place doesn’t look very sanitary. So, you decide to leave. When ordering food, you never step into the restaurant so you don’t have a feel for the kind of sanitary conditions it may be in. Of course, the country has a food and health code that restaurants must follow, but not everyone follows them to the T. Large Portions America is already known around the world for the large portions that restaurants serve. It’s easy to eat a day’s worth of calories in one sitting when ordering food from a restaurant. These large portions lead to overeating, which then leads to weight gain and other health risks. It’s important to recognize that the portions served when ordering food are not normal and you should only eat half of what is served. You may also overeat because of delivery minimums that require you to order more food than you intended. Keep in mind the portion size you receive when ordering food and try to make it into two meals. Not only will you keep from overeating, but you now have a meal for tomorrow! More Likely to Eat Unhealthy Food There are more restaurants that serve unhealthy food than restaurants that serve healthy food. A restaurant’s job is to make their food taste good for its customers, which means cooking with lots of fats, sugars, and carbohydrates. Biologically, that’s just what we crave! So, when ordering food you’re more likely to buy fried and fatty foods than a healthy meal like a salad. Looking at a restaurant’s menu you may feel more tempted to order a dessert or side to your dinner too. Won’t Learn How to Cook If you depend on ordering food to eat, then you will never successfully learn how to cook. Cooking is a skill that will benefit you throughout your life, so it doesn’t hurt to start early! When you grow older and have a family, you’ll want to cook at home because it is cheaper. If you like to host during holidays and celebrations, you’ll have to cook food for your guests too. When you stop ordering food, follow recipes, and teach yourself how to cook some of your favorite meals, it will result in healthier eating and spending less money on food. via Unsplash Cooking for Yourself If you dedicate some time to cooking for yourself, you will definitely see a great change in your bank account and your health. Meal Prep You see fitness stars on Instagram do it. You read articles for tips on how to meal prep. Now it’s time to actually put it into your routine! Every Sunday, cut out two to three hours to cook yourself five to ten meals for the week. You should make lunch and dinner that consists of protein, vegetables, and a grain. It’s so easy to pop one of your meals into the microwave. It may even be faster than ordering food! If you just put some time aside to cook your meals ahead of time, you will learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, learn how to cook, and save money. It doesn’t get any better than that! Is It Worth It? Now that we have explored the pros and cons of ordering food, it’s up to you to decide, is it worth it? We know that ordering food is extremely convenient and will save you a lot of time especially if you don’t have time to cook that day. However, the money you spend on ordering food can really add up. You don’t know what you’re eating and are probably consuming more calories than is recommended. When you cook for yourself, you’ll save money and learn an essential lifelong skill. Taking just three hours at the beginning of the week to prepare your food ahead of time will make it easier to eat healthily and save money. So, is ordering food worth it?

How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer

How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer Oh, summer nights! They bring us right back to memories of eating ice cream on the porch, watching a baseball game, or playing with friends. These are the carefree nights filled with experiences that you and your kids will remember for a lifetime. Summer is also the perfect time to teach your children about the stars. Treat your kids to a late night (they don’t have to worry about waking up for school, after all!). Grab some blankets and head out to your backyard for a fun, educational evening gazing at the night sky. Here are some tips to make it the perfect night: Choose a Moonless Night A bright, full moon may be beautiful, but moonlight can make it more difficult to see the stars in the sky. Choose a clear night during the new moon when it is just a sliver in the sky and won’t obscure your view. You can take this opportunity to teach your kids about the phases of the moon. Discover Constellations Constellations are groups of stars that form a pattern when viewed from Earth. Many of the constellations we still look for today were discovered and named over 2,000 years ago by the Ancient Greeks. Explain to your kids that viewing constellations is just like playing connect the dotsâ€"in the sky! Before you go stargazing, try these fun activity sheets from Ready Jet Go! on PBS Kids. Kumon is a proud sponsor of Ready Jet Go!, an animated series that teaches kids about science and astronomy. Your kids can “connect the stars” in several constellations on paper before they see them in the night sky. Bring the completed sheets with you on your stargazing adventure to help guide your experience. Start With the Big Dipper The Big Dipper is one of the easiest constellations to spot, and a great starting point to find others. Once you find the Big Dipper, follow the two stars at the end of the cup to see the North Star, Polaris. Polaris is the final star in the handle of the Little Dipper, also known as Ursa Minor. If that’s all you spot in the night sky, you’ve already learned a lot! Photo Credit: Jerry Lodriguss Did you know that the Big Dipper is actually just a small part of a larger constellation called Ursa Major? Like its smaller counterpart Ursa Minor, Ursa Major is in the shape of a bear. See if you can connect the stars for the entire Ursa Major constellation. Source: PBS Kids After you’ve found Ursa Major, your options are endless. You can try to find more constellations, like Draco, which is most visible in July. Or you can look for planets, which may appear at first to be stars, but don’t have the same twinkle. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to catch a meteor shower! Keep Learning The fun doesn’t have to stop just because of a rainy or cloudy day. If you can’t see the stars in the sky, watch an episode of Ready Jet Go! and get transported into the stars yourself! Jet and his friends Sydney, Sean, and Mindy will take you with them as they explore space. Learning opportunities are all around us, including in the sky! Summer is an exciting time to explore the world around us. Discover 6 more ways to make summer learning fun. You might also be interested in: 6 Practical Tips for Summer Parenting Meet Etash, a Kumon Program Completer Who is Using his Technology Skills to Teach Kids to Code What Could Your Kids Gain (or Lose) This Summer? Soar Past the Summer Slide with Kumon’s Summer Learning Roundup How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer Oh, summer nights! They bring us right back to memories of eating ice cream on the porch, watching a baseball game, or playing with friends. These are the carefree nights filled with experiences that you and your kids will remember for a lifetime. Summer is also the perfect time to teach your children about the stars. Treat your kids to a late night (they don’t have to worry about waking up for school, after all!). Grab some blankets and head out to your backyard for a fun, educational evening gazing at the night sky. Here are some tips to make it the perfect night: Choose a Moonless Night A bright, full moon may be beautiful, but moonlight can make it more difficult to see the stars in the sky. Choose a clear night during the new moon when it is just a sliver in the sky and won’t obscure your view. You can take this opportunity to teach your kids about the phases of the moon. Discover Constellations Constellations are groups of stars that form a pattern when viewed from Earth. Many of the constellations we still look for today were discovered and named over 2,000 years ago by the Ancient Greeks. Explain to your kids that viewing constellations is just like playing connect the dotsâ€"in the sky! Before you go stargazing, try these fun activity sheets from Ready Jet Go! on PBS Kids. Kumon is a proud sponsor of Ready Jet Go!, an animated series that teaches kids about science and astronomy. Your kids can “connect the stars” in several constellations on paper before they see them in the night sky. Bring the completed sheets with you on your stargazing adventure to help guide your experience. Start With the Big Dipper The Big Dipper is one of the easiest constellations to spot, and a great starting point to find others. Once you find the Big Dipper, follow the two stars at the end of the cup to see the North Star, Polaris. Polaris is the final star in the handle of the Little Dipper, also known as Ursa Minor. If that’s all you spot in the night sky, you’ve already learned a lot! Photo Credit: Jerry Lodriguss Did you know that the Big Dipper is actually just a small part of a larger constellation called Ursa Major? Like its smaller counterpart Ursa Minor, Ursa Major is in the shape of a bear. See if you can connect the stars for the entire Ursa Major constellation. Source: PBS Kids After you’ve found Ursa Major, your options are endless. You can try to find more constellations, like Draco, which is most visible in July. Or you can look for planets, which may appear at first to be stars, but don’t have the same twinkle. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to catch a meteor shower! Keep Learning The fun doesn’t have to stop just because of a rainy or cloudy day. If you can’t see the stars in the sky, watch an episode of Ready Jet Go! and get transported into the stars yourself! Jet and his friends Sydney, Sean, and Mindy will take you with them as they explore space. Learning opportunities are all around us, including in the sky! Summer is an exciting time to explore the world around us. Discover 6 more ways to make summer learning fun. You might also be interested in: 6 Practical Tips for Summer Parenting Meet Etash, a Kumon Program Completer Who is Using his Technology Skills to Teach Kids to Code What Could Your Kids Gain (or Lose) This Summer? Soar Past the Summer Slide with Kumon’s Summer Learning Roundup