Making Connections

The boys and I had fun with making a "non-newtonian" fluid (a fluid whose viscosity is variable based on applied stress) last week.  Kept them, and me, entertained for about an hour.  You just mix equal parts cornstarch and water (although we had to add a bit more cornstarch to get a good mixture that would hold together when pressure was applied).  Once mixed, you grab a handful and start applying pressure by rolling it into a ball and miraculously it actually does roll into a ball, once you stop it turns back into a liquid.  Very cool!

Last night Damek and I were reading on the book 'The Beyonders; A World Without Heros' by Brandon Mull and we came to this part in the story:

Jason crouched, selected a flat rock, and winged it sidearm out into the lake.  It took a huge skip, then another, and several smaller bounces, until it had traveled a very impressive distance.  When it lost it's momentum, the rock finally sank.  "Did you see that?" he asked.  "The rock skipped like ten times!"  "Yes", Ferrin answered in an intrigued tone.  Jason threw another with a similar result.  Rachel grabbed a stone, this one less flat, and threw it almost straight down at the water.  It rebounded quite high, as if the surface was solid, then took a smaller hop and sank.  "Weird", Rachel murmured, taking a stone in her hand and kneeling beside the lake.  Holding the stone firmly, she struck the white fluid sharply.  The surface felt solid.  She pounded it several more times.  Nothing splashed.  The surface barely rippled.  She examined the stone, observing no fluid on it anywhere.  Dropping the stone softly into the lake it sank."  "The surface hardens against pressure," Jason observed.  "Let's try a big rock."  Together he and Rachel heaved a heavy stone against the surface of the lake.  Sure enough, it rebounded once before losing momentum and sinking.

While reading the above, Damek's eyes started getting wide and before we were through he shouted out  "it's a non-newtonian liquid!".

Learning is all about making connections.  The more connections you can make, the more you know and the more you are learning.  When life flows, like it does naturally, then ideas come from many places and connections are formed and we take off in terms of learning and growing.

Damek will always remember what a "non-newtonian fluid" is due to being interested in making  and playing with one and then later making a connection in a book we were reading.  If the interest isn't there the information goes in one ear and out the other.  I can't count the number of times I memorized answers for a test, only to have totally forgotten them by the end of the day.

I love the quote "Learning can only happen when a child is interested.  If their not interested, it's like throwing marshmallows at their head and calling it eating" - Barbara Lamping