Massachusetts

We just learned about the US state of Maryland.

Massachusetts is a state on the east coast of the US, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

It's nicknames are: The Bay State, The Old Colony State and The Codfish State.

It's mottos are: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem which means by the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.


(from: wikipedia - massachusetts)

The flag of Massachusetts is mostly white, with the blue state seal in the middle.
The state seal has a Native American on it, holding a spear pointed downward meaning peace.
There is an arm holding a sword above the seal, to remind people that we had to fight for our country's freedom.


(from: wikipedia - flag of massachusetts)

Two of the best universities in the world are in Boston, Harvard and MIT.


(from: wikipedia - harvard university)

Massachusetts was one of the first places the travelers to America landed to build their homes, after sailing on ships like the Mayflower.

(from: wikipedia - mayflower)

A famous writer named Henry David Thoreau went to live in a cabin on a pond called Walden Pond, where he wrote a famous book called Walden about simple living in simple surroundings.

(from: wikipedia - walden pond)

There have been 4 presidents who were born in Massachusetts.
John Adams, the 2nd president from 1789 to 1797

(from: wikipedia - john adams)

John Quincy Adams, the 6th president from 1825 to 1829

(from: wikipedia - john quincy adams)

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president from 1953 to 1960

(from: wikipedia - john f. kennedy)

George H. W. Bush, the 41st president from 1989 to 1993

(from: wikipedia - george h. w. bush)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jordan

Jesus Crucifixion - Nailed to the cross

We learned that the hill where Jesus was crucified was called Calvary.

When they put him on the cross, they put nails through his hands and feet to hold him to the cross.


(from: wikipedia - crucifixion of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Healing the centurion's servant

Relativity - M.C. Escher

We just learned about the painting The Night Watch by Rembrandt.

Another famous painting was called Relativity by Dutch painter Maurits Cornelis Escher, also known as M. C. Escher, painted in 1953.
Escher was known for making his paintings very detailed and sometimes using math ideas to make his pictures interesting.

In his Relativity painting, there are many stairways that connect in strange ways, and people that look like they must be standing on the ceiling or on the walls.


(from: wikipedia - m. c. escher)

The way he made his painting was using something called a lithograph on limestone.

For a lithograph, first the artists take a large slab of limestone, and scrape it clean so there a nice flat surface to draw on.
Then they use something like a greasy oily crayon to draw the painting.
When the painting is done, they pour a type of acid and gooey sticky thing called gum arabic on the painting and spread it around and let it dry.
The acid and gum arabic sticks only to the parts that don't have oily crayon, and works like a clear cover for those areas.
After it is dry, they use something called a solvent, which washes away the oils from the crayon.
Then they pour liquid ink onto the limestone and rub it in, and that ink sticks only to where the oily crayon was.
They wash the limestone with water, and that washes off the liquid ink from the areas that didn't have crayon, because they are protected by that clear cover from the acid and gum arabic.
After all of that, the stone has oily ink only on the parts where the drawing is. They lay a sheet of paper on top of it, and press it down onto the stone, and when they remove the paper it has a copy of the painting the artist did.
They can make many copies from the same lithograph limestone, kind of like a copy machine before the copy machines were invented.



(from: wikipedia - lithography)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lunar Eclipse

German - They are excited

We just learned that I am happy in German is Ich bin glücklich, you are sad is Sie traurig sind,
and he is angry is er ist wütend.

Let's learn how to say they are excited.
Sie sind aufgeregt

We can break it up into three words:
They - Sie - sounds like Zee /?/
are - sind - sounds like zint /?/
excited - aufgeregt - Sounds like ow-f-guh-ray-kt /?/


So all together Sie sind aufgeregt sounds like Zee zint ow-f-guh-raykt.


(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Ellos estan emocionados

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Ils sont excité

Cirrocumulus cloud

We've now learned that cirrus clouds are thin wispy stringy clouds way up high in the sky,
cumulus clouds are big and puffy, almost like cotton balls,
cumulonimbus clouds are tall mushroom shaped clouds that are seen during storms,
stratus clouds are flat hazy foggy clouds that sometimes have light rain,
nimbostratus clouds are big, hazy and dark and are a sign of rain,
cirrostratus clouds are very high up in the sky and flat and hazy,
and altostratus clouds are flat and hazy and in the middle of the sky.

Another type of cloud is called a cirrocumulus cloud.
Just like cirrus clouds they are up high and spread out, and like cumulus clouds they are puffy looking, but a lot smaller cotton balls spread apart.


(from: wikipedia - cirrocumulus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sandstone

Australian Cattle Dog

We just learned about Spider Sheet Webs.

We've learned a lot about spiders, now let's learn about dogs!

There are many different types of dogs in the world, and each one of them is a little different.
Each dog has a different type of job and is good at a different type of thing!
The Australian Cattle Dog is a very smart, very strong with lots of energy.

This dog's job was to help herd cattle over long distances and rough land.
When it herds cattle, it nips at their heels to get them to go the right way.

The dog's colors can be red or blue. The blue color comes from the black and brown hairs mixing with gray hairs.

They have what looks like a mask over their face, with dark coloring over their eyes.


(from: wikipedia - australian cattle dog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bongo

Axillary artery

We know that the subclavian artery brings oxygenated blood from the heart toward the arm, and splits into some other arteries like the vertebral artery, internal thoracic artery and the dorsal scapular artery.

After those other arteries split off from the subclavian artery, it keeps going and turns into the axillary artery.
This brings blood to parts of the chest, the armpit and the upper arm.


(from: wikipedia - axillary artery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Trachea