iron + magnets

The Rubber Band sat with our geologist friend Jug this afternoon for an exploration of the earth that started with tectonic plates and ended with burning iron filings from ordinary beach sand to see the colors it produced and experiment with the Curie point.Shifting sand on pieces of paper to mimic the shifting of the tectonic plates led to a conversation about the earth's shape and its layers...Which led to a discussion about how the center of our planet is made of iron and then leading into magnets and compasses and the North and South Poles. They took a look at ordinary sand and extracted the iron out of it using magnets.And what kind of Brightworks discussion would be complete without donning safety equipment and heading into the workshop to explore the Curie point, when a magnet becomes so hot that it demagnetizes, and then as it cools seeing when it becomes a magnet again?