On our second day we started by working on an Islamic Art Project which I bought on Amazon. The kids each chose one of the geometric boxes. They had to color them with markers, then pop them out and tape the pieces together - base, sides, lid. While the kids were coloring, I gave them a basic introduction to Geometry. What the word means: Geo - metry, the measurement of the earth. Then we talked about where Geometry is being used in real life: architects, engineers, wood work, interior designers, scientists, computer design, medical imaging... and I wore a traditional Abaya with geometric embroidery to show that even clothes designers use geometry. Then we talked about the founder of Geometry - Euclid, who was born in Egypt and studied in Greece with Plato and Aristotle, and his 13 volume book about points, lines, 2D shapes, and 3D shapes. In the end, we discussed how Islam influenced the field of Geometry. Muslim scientists were inspired by Euclid's book, and due to their inability to decorate using statues, they turned Geometry into a form of art to decorate their mosques, madrasas, and palaces. I showed them how they used a compass and ruler to draw a series of circles and lines inside a square, and then used colored ink to highlight certain lines to make a design.
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