She'll teach me

[wayfaringwordhack]

The other day, Sprout and I set up a crystal growing experiment.* After the water evaporated from a shallow dish with Epsom salts, we observed the bits of string, wood, rock, cement, etc. to see which materials the crystals grew on the best.

Sprout: The crystals didn't like this metallic pipe cleaner.
Me: Yeah, they seem to prefer natural materials over synthetic ones, man-made things.
Sprout: Human-made, Mom. You don't know if a man or a woman made them.

Right you are, Sprout. :P

_______
We set up three different solutions: 1) Borax 2) Epsom salts, and 3) Borax and Epsom salts.  Both 1 and 2 grew crystals, but the mix of Borax and Epsom salt, tested both hot and cold, didn't "grow" anything and nothing has formed upon evaporation.

Comments

[oiktirmos.livejournal.com]

She is a genius.
Ironically, right before seeing your entry I was reading about Louis Pasteur and crystals of tartaric acid, their chirality and optical activity.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Ha! :p

(And I remember making salt crystals as a kid)

[folklorelei]

Fascinating. And very well brought up Sprout. :-)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

How interesting that two things that grow crystals on their own, when mixed together, produce something that won't grow crystals.

And good for Sprout. She's right!

[me-1956.livejournal.com]

Good to hear you are both ok after your "crash landing". Haven't been on in a while but check on you when I can. Don't remember if I told you but Michael's wife, Amanda, is due the end of June. it's their first, a boy, gonna name him Augustus Leo and call him Gus. It's after the main character in the Lonesome Dove series by Larry McMurtry. Every one doing fine. Love to all from Oklahoma