Patterns in Nature

In nature, symmetry is all around us. We find branching in lightning, trees, and even in in the network of our own veins. Spiral symmetry exists both in a shell, or as a macrocosm, the galaxy itself. We see polygons within a honeycomb or The Giants Causeway in Ireland. We have radio waves, waves in the ocean, and the waves of sand which make up sand dunes. Symmetry is such an intrinsic part of our reality and we can find it in art, architecture, science, and math.

The beautiful shot below (provided by Stress Free Kids ) captures the beauty of the spiral snail shell in contrast with the radial succulents. One doesn't need to have an understanding of right brain geometry in order to appreciate the wonder of patterns in nature. The concept can easily be introduced to even the youngest children. What child doesn't like inspecting the branching veins of a leaf, the polygons of an orb web or the radial symmetry of a daisy?

Earlier this summer, when studying the life cycle of a butterfly I found the perfect opportunity to introduce Bilateral symmetry to my preschooler. We printed butterfly templates from Learner.org onto cardstock and made a craft with corn syrup paint.

The first time I heard about corn syrup paintings from from a blog post on Eighteen25 and I had wanted to try it ever since. I was really pleased with how well it turned out. Be aware that they take a LONG time to dry and melt in the heat.

                 
        We started out painting one side of the template with our corn syrup paint, and then folding.

  
               This part is really tricky because if you don't open it quickly it will tear the paper.
                                         Firmly and quickly press and then pull open.

                                

                   We taped ours to bamboo skewers and proudly displayed them in the kitchen!

                Please check in again at the end of the month to see what we are doing this Fall.