Saturday, January 31, 2015

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - Georges Seurat


We just learned about the famous work of art Impression, Sunrise by artist Claude Monet.

Another famous work of art is the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by artist Georges Seurat.

Just like Claude Monet, Georges Seurat was part of the impressionist movement.

He also used something called pointillism, which means his painting is made up of tiny little dots of color.
If you look closely you can see bright colors up next to darker colors, and if you look from farther away the two colors mix together to make a medium color.

Seurat used this method to mix colors together, and make areas where the sun was shining look bright and the shady areas look darker.
The Island of La Grande Jatte is an island near Paris, and Seurat spent two years studying the park on this island.
He sat in the park and made many sketches of the figures there and how the light and colors looked on them in the sunlight.


(from: wikipedia - a sunday afternoon on the island of la grande jatte)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Moon Tides

Friday, January 30, 2015

German - Horse, Sheep, Duck


We know that in German, dog is hunt, cat is cat-suh, cow is Kuh, chicken is Huhn and pig is Schwein.
Let's learn more animals!

horse - Pferd - sounds like pfay-ah-t /?/

sheep - Schaf - sounds like shah-f /?/

duck - Ente - sounds like en-tuh /?/

Also in German horses say huii, sheeps say wäh wäh, and ducks say quaak quaak!

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
caballo, oveja, pato

Do you remember how to say it in French?
French - cheval, mouton, canard

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Stratus Clouds


We just learned that cumulonimbus clouds are tall mushroom shaped clouds that are sometimes seen during thunderstorms, lightning and tornadoes.

Another type of cloud is called a stratus cloud.

Stratus clouds are low in the sky, and look flat and hazy like a fog.
These clouds may cause a light drizzle of rain or snow flurries.


(from: wikipedia - stratus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lava Fountain

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Spider Cobwebs


We just learned about the spiders named orb weavers that build the big spiral webs.

Some spiders spin other types of webs called tangle webs or cobwebs.

Usually when we think of cobwebs they're messy dirty webs that are not well taken care of.
Sometimes cobweb spiders make them like that, but others have many different types.


(from: wikipedia - latrodectus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gazelle

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Subclavian Artery


We just learned about the External Carotid Artery.

We've learned that the aorta carries oxygenated blood from the heart, up to the aortic arch and then to the carotid arteries to bring blood to the neck and head.

The aortic arch also has two other arteries called the left and right subclavian arteries.

They carry the oxygenated blood to your left and right arms.

(from: wikipedia - subclavian artery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nose Muscles

Monday, January 26, 2015

Kansas


We just learned about the US state of Iowa.

Kansas is a state in the US, right in the middle of the 48 states that are all connected.

It's nicknames are The Sunflower State and The Wheat State.
It's motto is Ad astra per aspera which means Through Hardships to the Stars.

It was named after the Native American tribes that lived there.

(from: wikipedia - kansas)

The flag of Kansas is dark blue, and has the state seal in the middle of it, with a sunflower above the seal.

In the seal are many things that were part of Kansas history, like a river and steamboat, a wagon train, some Native Americans hunting bison, a cabin and a man plowing a field.

There are 34 stars on the seal because Kansas was the 34th state to be added to the US.

(from: wikipedia - flag of kansas)

In the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the little girl Dorothy's home was in Kansas.
One of the little girl's most famous sayings in the movie was "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
(from: wikipedia - the wizard of oz (1939 film))

Every year the town of Liberal Kansas has a race called the International Pancake Day race, where they invite people from Olney England to come run a race carrying a skillet with a pancake in it.


(from: wikipedia - shrove tuesday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Malaysia

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Jesus Trial - Sanhedrin


We just learned about when Jesus was arrested, and he told his apostles not to fight after they got out their swords.

After Jesus was arrested by the people who didn't like him, they took him to the leaders of the Hebrews at that time, a group of people called the Sanhedrin that were in charge of making sure people were following God's laws.

Most of them did not like Jesus and thought he was causing problems with the people, and they did not believe he was the son of God.

They made fun of him, beat him, and asked him many questions.
When they asked him if he was Christ the son of God, he said that he was.

For the Hebrews, it was against the law for a person to say that, and they did not believe that Jesus really was the son of God.
So they said that he was guilty of blasphemy, which means saying things against God.


(from: wikipedia - sanhedrin trial of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Healing the Paralyzed

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Impression, Sunrise - Monet


We just learned about the famous work of art the Raphael Rooms by artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, also known as Raphael.

Another famous work of art is the painting Impression, Sunrise by artist Claude Monet in 1872 in Paris.

When Monet made this painting, he used very small thin brush strokes.
He tried to make the sunlight look right in his paintings.
He tried to paint simple things like boats, and he tried to paint things that were moving.

When he made this painting, some of the people looking at his art did not like it, so they used the word Impressionism to describe his painting.
Lots of other people liked this style of painting a lot, and they started painting that way.
Today Monet is one of the most famous painters in history.

In this painting you may notice the bright red sun, and the lines in the painting that make it look like things have movement.

(from: wikipedia - impression, sunrise)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gravity On The Moon

Friday, January 23, 2015

German - Cow, Chicken, Pig


We already know that in German, dog is hunt and cat is cat-suh.

Now let's learn about some farm animals!

cow - Kuh - sounds like koo /?/

chicken - Huhn - sounds like hoon /?/

pig - Schwein - sounds like sh-vah-een /?/

Also in German cows say muh, chickens say gak-gak, and pigs say grunzen!

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
vaca, pollo, cerdo

Do you remember how to say it in French?
vache, poulet, porc

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Cumulonimbus Clouds


We just learned that cirrus clouds are thin wispy stringy clouds way up high in the sky,
and cumulus clouds are big and puffy, almost like cotton balls.

Another cloud type is called a cumulonimbus cloud.
They are usually tall and mushroom shaped, and they are usually around in thunderstorms, lightning and even sometimes tornadoes.

(from: wikipedia - cumulonimbus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mud Volcano

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Spider Spiral Orb Webs


We just learned about a spider exoskeleton.

Usually when we think of spider webs, we think of the big spirals, but not all spiders make webs like that.

The spiders that make the big spiral orbs, are called orb weavers.

When they build the web, the start off by using non-sticky silk so they don't get stuck to their own web.
They tie one line of silk across two spots.
Then they hook another line of silk in the middle and drag it down, so it is almost in a Y shape.
They keep adding more lines from the middle of that Y to the outside where they can hook the silk line.
These lines are called radial lines.

After the radial lines are done, the spider makes a small circle of threads in the middle to tie the web tightly.
Next it makes a few wide spaced spiral circles around the web.
That makes a nice starting point for the web, and a place for the spider to walk.

Next the spider starts with the sticky web. It walks around on the non-sticky spirals it just made, and replaces them with sticky spirals very close together so they can catch bugs.
They do this for the whole rest of the web, then sit there and wait for some food.

Many of the spiders take down their whole web every night and eat the silk, then rebuild it again right after!
That's a lot of work, but it helps keep the web from getting all covered in dirt.

(from: wikipedia - spider web)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kudu

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

External Carotid Artery


We just learned that the Common Carotid Artery brings oxygenated blood up to the neck, and splits into two tubes, and one of them is the internal carotid artery which brings blood to your brain.

The other artery is the external carotid artery.

This artery gives blood to all the other parts of your head, your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, teeth and skin.


(from: wikipedia - external carotid artery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ear Muscles

Monday, January 19, 2015

Iowa


We just learned about the US State of Indiana.

Iowa is a state in the midwest part of the US.
It's nickname is The Hawkeye State to honor Native American Chief Blackhawk.
It's motto is Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.

(from: wikipedia - iowa)

Iowa used to be owned by France a long time ago, and the flag of Iowa has blue, white and red stripes just like the flag of France.
There is a bald eagle in the middle, holding a ribbon that has the state motto on it.

(from: wikipedia - flag of iowa)

The state seal of Iowa has a soldier on it, some wheat for the wheat farmers from long ago, lead because of the old lead mines, and the Steamboat Iowa which was one of the largest and fastest boats on the Mississippi in the 1800s.

(from: wikipedia - seal of iowa)

There is a place in Iowa called the Grotto of the Redemption, that is made up of fancy rocks, seashells, statues and caves all built up near a church and displaying many statues.

(from: wikipedia - grotto of the redemption)

The famous painting American Gothic was painted based on a house that is in Eldon, Iowa. The house is now a historical location and you can tour it.

(from: wikipedia - american gothic)

Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the US was born in Iowa.

(from: wikipedia - herbert hoover)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nepal

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Arrest of Jesus - Sword


We just learned that Jesus had gone off to a place called Gethsemene and prayed to God about the job he knew he had to do,
and that Judas gave Jesus a kiss to betray him to the guards.

When the guards arrested Jesus, some of his apostles tried to fight them, and one of them cut off the ear of one of the people arresting Jesus.

Jesus told his followers not to fight, because he knew that he had to go and die on the cross, so he had to go with the guards.

He told them "Put your sword back in its place, .. for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
He said that if he wanted to he could call down angels to protect him if he wanted, but he knew that he had to die on the cross.


(from: wikipedia - arrest of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Healing Lepers

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Raphael Rooms - Raphael


We just learned about the famous work of art The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata by Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, also known as Donatello.

Another famous work of art is a collection of paintings called the Raphael Rooms by artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, also known as Raphael in Italy in 1509.

Just like Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, these were frescoes.
They were painted during the Italian Renaissance, which was a time when artists from all over Europe came to Italy to share their art and work with other artists.

The leaders of the Catholic church named Pope Julius II asked Raphael to paint four rooms, and in each room to paint all four walls and the ceiling, which is twenty paintings.

Unfortunately, Raphael died after he had only completed two of the rooms, so the other artists that he worked with finished the other rooms.

The first room he painted was The Stanza della segnatura, meaning Room of the Signatura.
The four paintings there were to represent theology (God), philosphy (wisdom), jurisprudence (law) and poetry.

The painting for philosophy was called The School of Athens and many people feel it was his greatest painting ever.

Raphael painted 21 different people in the painting, and the people in the painting are supposed to be famous philosophers through history.
Two of the most famous philosophers were Aristotle and Plato, who are in the middle of the room by the door.
Each of the philosophers is dressed and posed different, to help show who they all are and the things in life they tried to study.

(from: wikipedia - the school of athens)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lunar Rocks

Friday, January 16, 2015

German - Black, White, Brown, Gray


We just learned that red, yellow, orange in German is rot, orange, gelb,
and green, blue, purple, pink is grün, blau, lila, pink.

Let's learn some more colors!

Remember German has an R sound (xr) that is at the back of your throat, almost like you're gargling water.

black - schwarz - sounds like sh-vah-ts /?/

white - weiß - sounds like vah-eess /?/

brown - braun - sounds like b-xr-ah-oh-n /?/

gray - grau - sounds like g-xr-ow /?/

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

In Spanish:
negro, blanco, marrón, gris

In French:
noir, blanc, brun, gris

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Cumulus Clouds


We just learned about how cirrus clouds are thin wispy stringy clouds way up high in the sky.

Another type of cloud is called a cumulus cloud.
They are usually puffy, almost like cotton balls.

Cumulus clouds usually come from warm air that made water vaper rise up into the sky.
The water vapor cooled down and turned into water droplets for the clouds.

Sometimes cumulus clouds can turn into clouds that make rain, but the white puffy ones usually do not rain down.
Since they block the sun a little, these clouds can cause cooler temperatures.

(from: wikipedia - cumulus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Submarine Volcano

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Spider Exoskeleton


We just learned about the Spider Silk Cribellum

Our bones are on the inside of our body, and surrounded by muscles and fat and skin.

Spiders have their bones on the outside of their body, just like a big shell.
That is called an exoskeleton. Exo means outer.

Our skeleton on the inside is called an endoskeleton. Endo means inner.

A spider's exoskeleton is very hard and protects their heart and lungs and brain from getting hurt.

(from: wikipedia - spider)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antelope

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Internal Carotid Artery


We just learned that the Common Carotid Artery brings oxygenated blood up to the neck area from the aortic arch.

The common carotid artery divides into two smaller tubes, one is called the internal carotid artery.

This artery goes up to give blood to your brain.


(from: wikipedia - internal carotid artery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eyelid Muscles

Monday, January 12, 2015

Indiana


We just learned about the US State of Illinois.

Indiana is a state in the midwest part of the US, with the north west part of the state bordering Lake Michigan.
It's state nickname is The Hoosier State. A Hoosier is just a funny nickname for someone from Indiana.
The state motto is The Crossroads of America because there are many big roads that go through Indiana, and in the past many railroads and river canals went through the state.
The name Indiana means land of the indians.

(from: wikipedia - indiana)

The flag has a blue background, with a gold torch for liberty and enlightenment, and 19 golden stars since it was the 19th state to join the union.
13 of the stars are in the outside circle for the original 13 colonies in the US.
5 of the stars are in the next circle for the next 5 states that joined the US.
1 star above the torch is for Indiana.

(from: wikipedia - flag of indiana)

The Indiana state seal has a sun rising over mountains, a bison running, a woodsman chopping a sycamore tree, and the state tree of the tulip in the border.

(from: wikipedia - seal of indiana)

Indiana has many sand dunes on Lake Michigan.

(from: wikipedia - indiana dunes state park)

There is a famous car race in the city of Indianapolis, called the Indianapolis 500.

(from: wikipedia - indianapolis 500)

There is a town in Indiana named Santa Claus.
The whole town is Christmas themed, and has lakes named Christmas Lake, Lake Holly and Lake Noel.

The town has Santa's Candy Castle, Santa Claus Museum, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Frosty's Fun Center, Christmas Lake Golf Course, Santa's Stables, Santa's Lodge and Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort.

The Holiday World theme park has different rides for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Fourth of July.

(from: wikipedia - santa claus, indiana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Burma

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Arrest of Jesus - Judas' Kiss


We just learned that Jesus had gone off to a place called Gethsemene and prayed to God about the job he knew he had to do.

When he was there with his apostles, Judas came up to Jesus and gave him a kiss.

There were guards with Judas, hired by people that did not like Jesus.
When Judas gave Jesus a kiss, that was to tell the guards who Jesus was, and they came and arrested him.


(from: wikipedia - kiss of judas)

Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, as he had told him at the Last Supper.

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Healing the Blind

Saturday, January 10, 2015

The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata - Donatello


We just learned about the famous artwork Whistler's Mother.

Another famous piece of art is a sculpture called The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata made by Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, also known as Donatello in Padua Italy in 1453.

The statue is made of bronze, which is copper mixed with some other metals.

To make a bronze statue back then, people had to do something called Lost Wax Casting.
First they had to carve a statue out of wax, then cover it with a lot of a type of sand.
Then they took the sand and heated it up until it was a hard ceramic shell, almost like a pottery vase.
When they did that, the wax melted and poured out.
After that they heated up the metal until it was liquid and poured it into the ceramic shell.
They let the metal cool down, and then broke off the pottery.
Underneath was a metal copy of the wax sculpture!
They polished it up and they were all done.

The statue that he made was of a man named Erasmo of Narni, but his nickname was Gattamelata, which means sweet cat.
He was a powerful warrior in Italy a long time ago.

The horse has his foot on a globe which is supposed to mean that Gattamelata could control the world, and he sat on his horse standing up holding a staff and wearing a sword showing that he was powerful.

The big box underneath the horse statue has sculptures on it of some angels, and gates for where he might go when he died.

(from: wikipedia - equestrian statue of gattamelata)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lunar Lava Tube

Friday, January 9, 2015

German - Green, Blue, Purple, Pink


We just learned that red, yellow, orange in German is rot, orange, gelb.

Let's learn some more colors!

green - grün - sounds like guh-oon /?/

blue - blau - sounds like blah-oh /?/

purple - lila - sounds like lee-lah /?/

pink - rosa - sounds like uh-oza /?/

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
verde, azul, morado, rosa

Do you remember how to say it in French?
vert, bleu, violet, rose

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Cirrus Clouds


We know now that water vapor in the air that rises up to collect with more water vapor and cool down is what makes clouds.

There are many different types of clouds!
One type is called a cirrus cloud..

They look like thin wispy strands like white string or hair in the sky.
Cirrus clouds are higher up in the sky than most other cloud types.

When you see cirrus clouds, it usually means that a weather front is on it's way soon.
(from: wikipedia - cirrus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Volcanic Crater

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Spider silk - cribellum


We just learned a little about the Spider Silk Webs.

Some spiders have something called a cribellum instead of just normal spinnerets.
When they make silk, it comes out as very tiny string which gets all wrapped around itself and looks almost like it is made of wool.

Because the silk is so tiny and all bunched up, insects get tangled up in it and the spiders can go capture them.


(from: wikipedia - cribellum)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Jay

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Common Carotid Artery


We've learned how the oxygenated blood goes up the ascending aorta and then turns at the aortic arch.

Right at the arch there are two tubes that go up your neck, called common carotid arteries.
The one on the left is called the left common carotid artery and of course the one on the right is the right common carotid artery.
They go up the side of your neck to bring oxygenated blood to your brain and all the parts of your head like mouth, eyes and nose.


(from: wikipedia - common carotid artery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eyebrow Muscles

Monday, January 5, 2015

Illinois


We just learned about the US state of Idaho.

Illinois is a state in the midwest area in the US. It borders Lake Michigan on it's north east side, and the Mississippi river on the west side.
It's nicknames are Land of Lincoln because president Abraham Lincoln grew up there, and The "Prairie State" because it was a land covered in prairie grass.

The state motto is: State sovereignty, national union

(from: wikipedia - illinois)

The flag of Illinois has the state seal on it, which shows an eagle holding a shield with USA stars and stripes on it.
In it's beak the eagle is holding a banner that has the state motto in it, state sovereignty, national union.

When Illinois first made their motto they were trying to say that the states should have the rights to do whatever they wanted without the rest of the USA's permission.
So state sovereignty meant the state was the boss, and national union meant they still wanted the USA to be connected as a bunch of states.
That was one of the things that the civil war was fought over. The states on the north union side thought the USA should be the boss over the states, and the south confederates thought the states should be the boss over USA.

Illinois fought in the civil war on the north union side, so later when the flag was redesigned, one of the people who didn't think it was right to have state sovereignty like that had the flag redesigned to have the word sovereignty printed upside down because the south confederacy lost the war.


(from: wikipedia - flag and seal of illinois)

The west border of the state is the Mississippi river, one of the longest rivers in the whole world.


(from: wikipedia - quincy, illinois)

The city of Chicago which is the third biggest city in the US is right on Lake Michigan.

(from: wikipedia - chicago)

There is a large statue honoring the Black Hawk War of Native Americans in Illinois.

(from: wikipedia - black hawk statue)

One of the tallest buildings in the world is called the Willis or Sears Tower.

(from: wikipedia - willis tower)

The 40th president of the US Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois.

(from: wikipedia - ronald reagan)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Philippines

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Arrest of Jesus - Jesus' Prayer


After Jesus had eaten the Last Supper with his disciples, they went out to a place called Gethsemene.

There Jesus went for a walk by himself to pray.
He prayed to God the Father and said "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

He wasn't talking about an actual cup, but the job that he had to do that was very difficult.
Jesus knew that very soon he was going to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world, and this was a very hard thing to do.
He asked God for help, and said that he would do whatever God commanded.
When he got done praying he want back to his disciples who had all fallen asleep!
He told them to wake up and pray so that they would be strong.


(from: wikipedia - arrest of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Apostles and Disciples

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Whistler's Mother - Whistler


We just learned about the famous painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.

Another famous piece of art is the painting Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1 by painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871.

The painting is better known by it's nickname Whistler's Mother, because it is a painting of Anna McNeill Whistler, who was the painter's mother.

Many people have asked what the painting means or what is the story behind it, but the artist Whistler very strongly believed in something called Art for Art's sake.
This means that he believed his paintings should be good enough for someone to enjoy, just by looking at them.
In French this was called l'art pour l'art which means "the art for the art".

Since it is a famous painting of an artist's mother, this painting has been used many times as a way to get people to remember their mothers and feel good about them.

(from: wikipedia - whistler's mother)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lunar Soil

Friday, January 2, 2015

German - Red, Orange, Yellow


We just learned about the different letters in the German alphabet, ä, ö, ü, ß

Now let's learn some colors!

red - rot - sounds like row-t /?/

orange - orange - sounds like oh-ahn-zhe /?/

yellow - gelb - sounds like geh-lp /?/

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
rojo, naranja, amarillo

Do you remember how to say it in French?
rouge, orange, jaune

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Dew Point


We've just learned about all types of weather fronts, like a stationary front and what happens when warm air and cold air run into each other.

When the water vapor in warm air is lifted high up into the sky, it gets colder.
The colder temperatures will eventually turn the water vapor back into tiny water droplets if it gets too cold.

The temperature that the water vapor changes into water drops is called the dew point.
If it is colder than the dew point, it turns to water.
If it is hotter than the dew point, it turns to vapor.


(from: wikipedia - dew point)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lava Tube