Take a deep breath in, fill your lungs up high,

Like a balloon floating up in the sky!

Air comes rushing in through your nose and your mouth,

Ready to travel from the north to the south.

Oh, the human voice is a magical thing,

From the air in our lungs, we can make words sing!

Vocal cords vibrate, the sound starts to flow,

Then our mouth and tongue help the words grow!

That air you just took starts to push its way out,

Going up past your larynx without a doubt.

Inside your throat, there are two tiny strings,

They're your vocal cords, and the sound is what they bring!

They start to flutter, and they start to shake,

That's the buzzing sound that the air will make!

Oh, the human voice is a magical thing,

From the air in our lungs, we can make words sing!

Vocal cords vibrate, the sound starts to flow,

Then our mouth and tongue help the words grow!

Sometimes the air goes out your nose, too!

Making sounds like "Mmmm" and "Nnnn" for me and you.

Your mouth and nose work together just right,

To help your voice be happy and bright!

Now the sound is ready, it's a little "Mmmmmm,"

But how do we change it to "Hi!" or "Hmmm"?

Your tongue is a sculptor, your lips are the clay,

They shape the sounds we want to say.

With every little movement, the sound will change,

To form every word in a fun, new range!

So breathe in, buzz out, and then move your mouth,

To talk to a friend in the north or the south!

That's how we speak and that's how we say,

"Hello!" to the world in a wonderful way!

Did you know? The human vocal cords are very small! In adults, they are only about the length of a small coin, and in children, they are even shorter. The shorter the vocal cords, the higher the pitch of the voice!

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