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My kids love the Penguins of Madagascar on Netflix - the antics of those birds crack us all up! And so when we visited an aquarium on a recent field trip, we had to spend quite a bit of time observing their penguins. We saw firsthand how these birds fly through the water and waddle on land. Penguins are flightless birds. They have “wings” that act like flippers instead - so they can’t soar in … [Read more...]
See a Beautiful Holiday Nature Spotlight {Christmas Lichen}
The first time I saw Christmas lichen I was stunned. This dinner-plate-like lichen is festively colored and perfect to learn about during December, even though it only grows in along the Gulf Coast and coastal plains. The Christmas lichen is a brightly colored example of a crustose lichen. These types of lichens are often round, flat, and somewhat crusty. Crustose lichens typically grow on tree … [Read more...]
Danger! Learn About the Attractive Beauty of Fire {Chemistry in Nature}
As the weather turns cooler, the idea of cozying up around a fire seems more appealing. But did you know that fire is the result of a chemical reaction that releases light and heat? For this reaction to occur, it requires oxygen, heat, and a fuel source, like wood, oil, or coal. The oxygen combusts, or burns up, the fuel source creating water, carbon dioxide, heat, and light. This reaction is … [Read more...]
My Favorite Rock in The World {Petrified Wood}
Petrified wood has always fascinated me. It was a dream of mine to see this rock in person for a long time - one that I finally got to fulfill several years ago during an epic road trip out west. Petrified wood is a perfect example of a replacement fossil, which is a replica of something that was once alive, such as trees or sea creatures. The fossil forms when the living thing is trapped and … [Read more...]
Travertine {InstaScience}
We went for a hike on a trail that boasted some of the largest travertine deposits in the area. I was super excited to see these deposits in person, but when we got there - my excitement temporarily fell. It looked like a bunch of mud piled up everywhere - not so pretty - until we got up close and could really see the beauty in this sedimentary rock. Travertine is a type of limestone. It … [Read more...]
Sand Layers {InstaScience}
Have you ever noticed the different layers of sand when you dig a hole on the beach? Sand is composed of tiny grains of minerals, but did you know that some of these grains are heavier than others. Lightly-colored sand, which is composed mainly of quartz is lighter than darkly-colored sand, which has other minerals, like iron, in each grain. The sand you see on the beach is constantly changing … [Read more...]