Here in SE MN we prepare to celebrate many things, The obvious is 4th of July holiday, but in addition we continue our Shakespeare Festival AND we’ve kicked off the 8th rendition of our Beethoven Festival.
Aside from the obvious sitting back and enjoying all of these wonderful events, they are also opportunities to turn our children onto the delightful STEM aspects of each.
The Fourth of July is obvious; we can elaborate how fireworks are in fact, a HUGE chemical experiment! http://www.manufacturing.net/videos/2014/07/the-chemistry-of-fireworks-fourth-of-july-science?et_cid=4027987&et_rid=652307152&type=cta
There are books and articles on how science influenced Shakespeare.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-shakespeare-knew-about-science-excerpt/
Lastly, the science of music and Beethoven is also an opportunity. When sitting through a performance of a Beethoven Symphony, we are interpreting the complex sound wave, which propagates through the air from the orchestra to our ears. We say that we are ‘listening to the music’ but a sound wave is something we study in physics. So just how much science is there behind the music? Can we use physics to explain why Ludwig’s harmony is harmonious? And does a complete ‘Theory of Music’ exist which explains our enjoyment of every movement, phrase, bar and note we hear?
The Science of Music
http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/
It would appear that SE Minnesota and Winona in particular is awash in STEM opportunities that are also VERY pleasant and enjoyable. While we already had our fireworks at Steamboat Days weeks ago, there are Fireworks to be had in the area.
Most certainly come to Winona to enjoy Shakespeare AND Beethoven both in the same place, scientifically of course.
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