Thursday, February 28, 2013

Electrical Current


Remember we said before that the three basic parts for most of the electricity that we see every day are:
Voltage, current, and resistance.

We can learn about electricity by comparing it to how water flows through a pipe.
And we learned that voltage is like the speed that the water is going.

The current, sometimes called amps, is like the size of the pipe.
Is it a very wide open pipe like a sewer pipe? Or a very small pipe like a straw?

The bigger the pipe, the more water can go through it, right?
That's the same for electricity, the larger the current, the more electricity is flowing.
pipe
(from: wikipedia - hydraulic analogy)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Zebras


We just learned about Prairie Dogs.

Is a zebra white with black stripes, or black with white stripes?
zebra
(from: wikipedia - zebra)

Every zebra's stripe patterns are different, but if you look on their bodies
you can see the stripes on their face, neck and shoulders go up and down,
but on their legs and behind they go side to side.

There are lots of different ideas about why zebras have stripes.
Some people say it's to help them hide in grass, or confuse predators
by blending all of their stripes together.
Others have found that it helps confuse flies so they don't get bitten so much!

Whatever the reason is, they're definitely dressed to party.
Even an albino zebra still looks pretty wild!
albino zebra

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Foot Phalanges


We just learned about the Metatarsus bones in the foot.

We learned a while back about the three types of phalanges in the hand:
proximal, intermediate and distal.

The toe bones are also named phalanges, and they have the same parts as the finger bones.
foot phalanges
(from: wikipedia - phalanges of the foot)

Monday, February 25, 2013

Mexico


The country of Mexico is located in North America, just below the United States of America.

mexico
(from: wikipedia - mexico)

The language in Mexico is Spanish.

Mexico City has the most people of any city in North America, with over 21 million,
and is in the top 10 most populated cities in the world.

A long time ago in Mexico there were other people called the
Aztecs and the Mayans who built some huge pyramids.
In a city called Chichen Itza there is a pyramid about 100 feet tall.
chichen itza

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Apostle's Creed - Part 12


Apostle's Creed - all done!

We just learned about Part 11.

Let's learn the rest!

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,

Here's part 12:

and the life everlasting, Amen.


(from: wikipedia - apostle's creed)

This means we believe in heaven.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Jupiter


We just learned about the planet of Mars.

The largest planet in our solar system is Jupiter
jupiter
(from: wikipedia - jupiter)

Jupiter is called a gas giant because it is mostly made up of gases like air instead of solids or liquids.

It is so big, that it is over 11 times bigger around than earth is!

We only have one moon on the Earth, but Jupiter has 67 moons.
One of them called Ganymede is about half as big as Earth, and bigger than the planet Mercury!

Another interesting thing about Jupiter is something called the Great Red Spot.
It is a giant storm that can be seen on Jupiter's surface.
great red spot
(from: wikipedia - great red spot)

The spot is over 100 years old, and is so big you could fit more than two whole Earths inside it!

Friday, February 22, 2013

French - You are sad


We just learned how to say I am happy in French.

Now let's learn how to say You are sad.

We can break it up into the three words:
You - Vous - sounds like vooz /?/
Remember that we learned Vous is pronounced like voo, in très bien merci et vous?
But when there is a vowel sound after vous then you say a Z sound at the end.

are - êtes - sounds like et /?/
sad - triste - Sounds like tuh-east-uh /?/

Since the êtes ends with a t sound, and the triste starts with a t sound,
they mix together.

So all together Vous êtes triste sounds like vooz-eh-tuh-east-uh.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Voltage


We just learned about Neutrons, Protons and Electrons.

How does the electricity from the plug in the wall go through the wires,
and to the lamps, TVs and toys we use every day?

You can't see it with your eyes, but scientist have studied and discovered that
there are three basic parts for most of the electricity that we see every day:
Voltage, current, and resistance.

We'll take time to learn about these one at a time,
starting with voltage which is sometimes called potential difference.

It can be confusing to try and imagine the way electricity works when it's zapping through a wire or a plug,
so we try to compare it to a pipe filled with water, since that's something easy to picture in our imagination.

If you have a big pipe filled with water, you can think of the voltage
as the speed of the water going through, or the speed that it is being pushed through the pipe.
pipe
(from: wikipedia - hydraulic analogy)

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Prairie Dogs


We just learned about the Anteater.

Prairie Dogs are small animals found in North America, that are part of the squirrel family.

prairie dog
(from: wikipedia - prairie dog)

If you see the small hole in the ground for a prairie dog,
you might just think it's a small place for them to hide out in the storm,
but prairie dog holes, or burrows can be up to 33 feet long and 10 feet under ground!

And they're not just a simple hole either, they are tunnels with small little rooms (or chambers).
There can be up six different entrances to the underground tunnels,
and they sometimes have different chambers for raising babies,
sleeping, and hiding out from the cold in the winter.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Metatarsus


We just learned about the Tarsus.

The foot bones that make up the long part of your foot before your toes,
are called your Metatarsus or Metatarsal Bones.
metatarsus
(from: wikipedia - metatarsus)

There are five of them, just like the Metacarpals in your hand,
numbered one through five starting on the side of your big toe and going toward your pinky toe.

Monday, February 18, 2013

United States of America


We just learned about the country of Canada.

The United States of America is located in the North American continent.
It's often referred to as US, USA or America.

usa
(from: wikipedia - united states)

The US makes the most money in the world, and in 2012 made over $15 trillion dollars!

There are 50 different states in the US, which is why the flag has 50 stars.
usa

Over 300 million people live in the US, and it is one of the most diverse nations in the world.
That means that there are all types of different people from different places, like England, Russia, China, India, Japan, Mexico and many other countries!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Apostle's Creed - Part 11


Apostle's Creed - just two more lines!

We've learned up to Part 10 so far.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,

Here's part 11:

the resurrection of the body,


(from: wikipedia - apostle's creed)

This means you believe that some day after we die, Jesus will come again and bring us into eternal life.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Mars


The first planet on the other side of Earth further from the sun is Mars.

Mars is sometimes called the red planet, and you can see why!
mars
(from: wikipedia - mars)

Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system,
the temperatures are as cold as −225°F and hot as 95°F.
but it's possible that astronauts could survive in space suits on the planet's surface.

Scientists have been very curious about Mars, since it's so close.

There are two robotic machines on Mars right now:

NASA's Opportunity rover, which landed on January 25, 2004
opportunity rover
(from: wikipedia - opportunity rover)

NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on August 6, 2012
curiosity rover
(from: wikipedia - curiosity rover)

Friday, February 15, 2013

French - I am happy


Let's learn how to say I am happy in French!

We can break it up into the three words:
I - Je - sounds like zhu /?/
am - suis - sounds like soo-ee /?/
happy - heureux - Sounds like oo-uh-oo /?/

Together Je suis heureux sounds like zhu soo-ee oo-uh-oo.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Neutrons Protons & Electrons


We learned before about how small atoms are,
but there are even things smaller that that!

An atom is really made up of two parts.
The nucleus in the middle, and the electrons that spin around the nucleus.
atom
(from: wikipedia - atom)


The nucleus can be made up of two types of things, protons and neutrons.

Remember we've talked about positive and negative?

The electrons have negative charges, the protons have positive charges,
and the neutrons have no charge at all.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Anteater


We just learned about Shark Teeth.

How would you like to eat ants for dinner every day?

Ants and termites are the favorite meal of the anteater!
anteater
(from: wikipedia - anteater)

Anteaters use their large claws to dig through dirt or tree bark looking for ants,
and when they find them they use their big long tongue to lick up the ants.

They have to lick fast before the ants get away, and they can lick 150 times a minute.
Once the ants get in their mouth, they go right down to their belly because the anteaters don't have any teeth!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Tarsus


The tarsus is the name used for the bones in your ankle
that connect from your tibia and fibula to your main foot bones.
tarsus
(from: wikipedia - tarsus (skeleton)

The seven bones are:
A - Calcaneus
B - Talus
C - Cuboid
D - Navicular
E, F, G - Cuneiform bones

The calcaneus bone is the large bone that makes up the heel of your foot.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Canada


We just learned about Lattitude and Longitude.

Canada is a country located in the North American continent.

canada
(from: wikipedia - canada)

It is the second largest country in the world at over 3.8 million square miles,
and it has the longest coastline in the world at over 125,000 miles!

There are ten provinces and three territories in Canada.
Provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador
Territories: Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut

There are two official languages in Canada: English and French.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Apostle's Creed - Part 10


Apostle's Creed - we're getting there!

We just learned up through Part 9.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,

Here's part 10:

the forgiveness of sins,


(from: wikipedia - apostle's creed)

This means you believe that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Earth


We just learned about Venus.

Since we're learning about all the planets, we can't skip the best one... Earth!

earth
(from: wikipedia - earth)

Earth is sometimes known as the Blue Planet because from outer space it is blue from all the water.

Well over half of the planet is water, unlike any other planet in our solar system.

It is the 3rd closest to the sun, and the 5th largest planet.

And as far as we can tell so far, Earth is the only planet in our solar system with life!

Friday, February 8, 2013

French - Horse, sheep, duck


We learned last week that the farm animals cow chicken and pig
in French are vache, poulet and porc.

Let's learn a few more farm animals!


horse - cheval - sounds like shay-vahl /?/
sheep - mouton - sounds like moo-toon /?/
duck - canard - sounds like cay-nah /?/

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Atom


We just learned about Binary.

What's the smallest thing you can think of?
A grain of sand?
A drop of water?

Well even smaller than any of those is something called an atom.

An atom is so small, that in one single grain of sand there aren't just millions,
billions or trillions of atoms, but quadrillions or quintillions of them!

A quintillion is a 1 with 18 zeroes after it: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000

Atoms are the building blocks of our world, they make up every part of our bodies,
and every thing around us from the ground we stand on to the air we breathe.


(from: wikipedia - atom)

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Shark Teeth


We just learned about Coyote Yips.

Ever wonder why sharks have so many big sharp teeth?

Sharks don't get teeth like humans, they develop row after row of new teeth.

So when the teeth right at the edge of their mouth break off
from chomping on too many tasty fish, a whole new set pushes forward to replace them!
great white shark
(from: wikipedia - great white shark)

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Tibia & Fibula


We just learned about the femur and patella.

The bones attached below those two are called the tibia and fibula.
patella
(from: wikipedia - fibula)

The tibia is the big one in front, also known as the shin bone.
It's the big flat bone you can feel in the front of your lower leg.
If you feel down around the outside of your ankle you can feel the smaller tibia bone.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Lattitude & longitude


Could you imagine if there were a bunch of lines all over the Earth,
that people could use to make maps and figure out where things were at on the planet?

Well there aren't really lines, but people have made up imaginary lines called latitude and longitude.
latitude longitude
(from: wikipedia - latitude)

latitude is the word we use for the lines that go side to side,
and longitude is for the lines that go up and down.

Using those lines you can tell exactly where a place is on the map!

For latitude, the equator is in the middle so it is at 0° latitude.
The North pole is at 90° (or 90°N), and the South pole is at -90° (or 90°S).

For longitude, the 0° mark is at the prime meridian.
You can go East all the way to 180° (or 180°E) and West all the way to -180° (or 180°W).

For example, Detroit, MI is located at: 42.35, -83.05

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Apostle's Creed - Part 9


Apostle's Creed - we're getting there!

We've learned through Part 8 now.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,

Here's part 9:

the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,


(from: wikipedia - apostle's creed)

This means you believe in Christian people getting together and worshiping God together.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Planet Venus


We've already learned about the planet Mercury,
so let's move on to the next planet in our solar system: Venus!
venus
(from: wikipedia - venus)

Venus is the second closest planet to the sun, right between Earth and Mercury.

It's the hottest planet in our solar system, at over 850 °F!

Even though it's close to the same size as Earth, you wouldn't want to live there.
The clouds around the planet are made of sulfuric acid which would burn your skin if you touched them.

Besides the moon, Venus is the brightest planet in our sky at night.

Friday, February 1, 2013

French - Cow, chicken, pig


We already know that in French, dog is chien and cat is chat.

Now let's learn about some farm animals!

cow - vache - sounds like vash /?/
chicken - poulet - sounds like pooh-lay /?/
pig - porc - sounds like pah-uh /?/

Also in French cows say meuh, chickens say coco-rico (co-co-uhee-co), and pigs say groin (guh-oo-ah)!