Learning about China and Japan

A couple of weeks after my birthday we went to visit Epcot to learn about China and Japan. We had a great day visiting Japan as the girls got to pick out a mollusk and see what kind of cultivated pearl they got to keep. We had them mounted on either a charm or setting for a white gold necklace. For science we have been learning about how pearls are formed. Emma's pearl was pinkish-yellow. Hannah's was white-yellow and Kristen's was blue. Only 10% of all pearls are blue, it is very rare. She was so happy.

Here is some information: A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is made up of of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl became a metaphor for something very rare, very fine, very admirable and very valuable.
Valuable pearls occur in the wild, but they are very rare. Cultured or farmed pearls make up the majority of those that are currently sold. Pearls from the sea are valued more highly than freshwater pearls. Imitation or fake pearls are also widely sold in inexpensive jewelry, but the quality of the iridescence is usually very poor, and generally speaking, fake pearls are usually quite easy to distinguish from the real thing. Pearls have been harvested, or more recently cultivated, primarily for use in jewelry, but in the past they were also stitched onto lavish clothing, as worn, for example, by royalty. Pearls have also been crushed and used in cosmetics, medicines, or in paint formulations.

While we were waiting for them to mount the pearls the girls tried on kimonos. They loved them so much ever since we got back Kristen has worn a kimono every day, even when we go out. She even greets people in Japanese. Yes, we've been learning Japenese. So far we know how to greet someone, how to say our name and we can count to five.