Nature Walk

This morning after our Just So Story Time, we began reading The Little Duke. The following excerpt sent us on a journey into science and math.
" The hall was large and low, the roof arched, and supported on thick short columns, almost like the crypt of a Cathedral; the walls were thick, and the windows, which had no glass..."

He stopped me abruptly to ask, "Where does glass come from?"

Yes! A teachable moment. He has a need to know. We searched for a video of glass being made. The look on his face when he discovered that sand + fire =glass was priceless. Temperatures of >3,200' F are required for this transformational process to take place. TC's eyes about popped out of his head at that number. The questions began to flow.
"Can we make glass in our oven?" No.
"I found obsidian that looks like glass but it is from a volcano."
So we talked about volcanic rock with glassy streaks like his obsidian and quartz. We wondered who made glass first. It appears the Egyptians were the first to turn sand into glass.  We also learned about The Egyptian Glass mystery

 This greenish desert glass is possibly the result of the Sahara desert being hit by a meteor thousands of years ago. Our curiosity and wonder were provoked.

Following this impressive discovery, TC headed off to observe and organize his rock collection. He wanted me to order a piece of the desert glass otherwise he plans to go get it for himself. 

After Math, we returned to the Egyptian video. On the side bar was a video on fractals in nature.  In case you are wondering...

1. A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. Driven by recursion, fractals are images of dynamic systems – the pictures of Chaos. Geometrically, they exist in between our familiar dimensions. Fractal patterns are extremely familiar, since nature is full of fractals. For instance: trees, rivers, coastlines, mountains, clouds, seashells, hurricanes, etc. Abstract fractals – such as the Mandelbrot Set – can be generated by a computer calculating a simple equation over and over.(source)

   
   

On our nature walk we found several examples of fractals. 

Today was one of those days that confirm this is the right education for our family. Being out in nature, observing the beauty and wonder, creates a transcendent life focused on beauty, truth, and goodness.