Thursday, January 19, 2017

Charcoal


We just learned about Flux.

Another thing used in blacksmithing is charcoal.

When the blacksmith is making a fire in the blast furnace or the forge, they need something to burn very hot, very fast.
Charcoal is something that is made after burning up some fuel like wood, but not burning it up all the way.

After some of the water and other parts of the wood are burned up, the left over blackened pieces of wood chips are saved after being cooled, and then used later in large piles to burn up very fast and hot.


(from: wikipedia - charcoal)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wall Cloud

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Frogs and Toads


We've learned a whole lot about snakes, now let's learn about frogs!

Frogs and toads are all part of the same group of animals in nature, called the "Anura" order.
Anura comes from an old Greek word meaning "without tail".

There is a smaller group of animals that is part of the Anura order, called the "Bufonidae" family, or sometimes called the "True toad" family.
But even in that family, some of those animals are still named frogs, like the harlequin frog which is a true toad!

So all toads are frogs (Anura), but not all frogs are toads (Anura Bufonidae).

A lot of times people think of frogs as the ones that go into water or are wet all the time, and toads as the ones with warts that are dry and live on land.

That's not always true either!
The European fire-bellied toad isn't a true toad even though it's called a toad, and it lives in the water.
And the Panamanian golden frog which is a true toad even though it's called a frog has smooth skin and lives in the water.

There are about 4,800 types of Anura, and only a few hundred of them are true toads.
So really most of them are frogs, even if we call them toads.

True toads don't have any teeth, and they have glands to spit poison from their skin, and they sometimes are warty but not always.
To really tell if it is a toad, you have to know about its skeleton, skin, mouth, glands and a lot of other things that you can't tell without a lot of research!


(from: wikipedia - frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Boston Terrier

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Soma


We just learned about the Neuron in the nervous system that sends messages in the body.

One part of the neuron is called the Soma.

The soma is the big part of one end of the neuron that has smaller parts inside of it.
It comes from the Greek word meaning "body", so the soma is the main body of the neuron.


(from: wikipedia - soma (biology))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mitral Valve

Monday, January 16, 2017

Calapooya Mountains


We just learned about the Oregon Coast Range.

Another mountain range in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera is the Calapooya Mountains in Oregon.

These mountains have a lot of forests, and long ago they acted like a wall that people had trouble getting around, so they built the Applegate Trail to help travelers get to the gold mines that were in Northern California.


(from: wikipedia - calapooya mountains)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lake Erie

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Aaron


We just learned about Moses.

Another person from the Bible is Aaron.

Aaron was the brother of Moses, and helped Moses lead the Isrealites.
Moses was nervous speaking to people, so when Moses had to go talk to Pharaoh, he had Aaron do the talking.
He also helped Moses lead the people through the desert.
Because Aaron was such a good speaker, he was made as the first High Priest.


(from: wikipedia - aaron)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Acts

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Bernward Doors


We just learned about the Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church, Liège.

Another Romanesque sculpture is the Bernward Doors made in 1015 for the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany.

These metal doors were made mostly of copper, and have 16 different pieces, each one made with it's own picture.
Each picture is a relief, meaning the sculpture stands out above the background.
The 8 pictures on the left are from the book of Genesis, telling the story of Adam and Even and Cain and Abel.
The 8 pictures on the right are from the Gospel, telling the story of Jesus from the angels visiting Mary to going up to heaven.


(from: wikipedia - bernward doors)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Metz & Co showroom - van der Leck

Friday, January 13, 2017

ASL - Black, White, Brown, Gray


We just learned in ASL how to sign red, yellow, orange and green, blue, purple, pink.

Let's learn some more colors!


black - Hold up just your right pointer finger pointing to the left at your forehead, almost like a salute. Pull your arm backwards like it is drawing a black line on your forehead.

white - With your open hand, put your fingertips on your chest, and then close your fingers together with your fingers still all straight, and pull your hand out away from your chest.

brown - Using the hand shape for the letter B, put your hand up next to your face with your palm facing outward and your fingertips pointed up. Move your hand downward, keeping the pointer finger by your face.

gray - With both hands open, arms out and your palms facing toward your chest and your thumbs pointed up, move your hands back and forth, alternating either hand. So when your right hand is going forward, your left hand is going backward.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

Colors - Mrs. Rodriguez's ASL Classes



ASL
(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: nero, bianco, marrone, grigio

German: schwarz, weiß, braun, grau

Spanish: negro, blanco, marrón, gris

French: noir, blanc, brun, gris