Thursday, October 31, 2013

Lava Domes


We just learned about Pāhoehoe lava.

Let's learn about Lava domes!

Lava domes are kind of like big round bumps that show up in volcanoes, when lava is slowly erupting.

You can almost think of it like a big rock bubble that is ready to pop!
lava dome
(from: wikipedia - lava dome)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Car Ignition

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Albatross


The albatross is a bird with the largest wing span of any bird in the world, reaching up to 12 feet!
That's taller than any person!

They are sometimes called Gooney Birds.

albatross
(from: wikipedia - albatross)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bald Eagle - nest & plumage

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Lumbrical hand muscles


The lumbrical muscles in your hand are the muscles in between the metacarpal finger bones that are part of your hand.

They help you stick your fingers straight out.

lumbrical
(from: wikipedia - lumbricals of the hand)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pectoral Girdle

Monday, October 28, 2013

Switzerland


We just learned about the country of Vatican City.

Switzerland is another country in Europe!

switzerland
(from: wikipedia - switzerland)

For breakfast in Switzerland you might have a bowl of meusli,
a cereal invented there with oats grains nuts and fruits.
meusli
(from: wikipedia - swiss cuisine)

There is a big invention called the large hadron collider that scientists built
in Switzerland to maybe help us understand how the universe works!
large hadron collider
(from: wikipedia - large hadron collider)

In the old days people in the Swiss mountains used to use a big long horn
called the alphorn to talk to each other across the mountains.
alphorn
(from: wikipedia - alphorn)

The mountain range running through Switzerland is called the Alps,
and in the alps is a famous mountain called the Matterhorn.
matterhorn
(from: wikipedia - matterhorn)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cardinal Directions

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Jesus as a young boy


We just learned a little about what happened After Jesus' Birth

The bible doesn't tell us about how Jesus grew up as a baby or a little kid,
but it does tell us about one time when he was twelve years old.

Jesus whole family and many friends traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem for a big festival.
After the festival was over, everyone went back home, but Jesus was not with them.
His parents thought maybe he was lost in their crowd of family and friends,
because there were so many people it would be easy to get mixed up.

But Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem and was staying in the temple (which was like a church)
talking to the teachers and asking them questions.

All of the teachers were amazed at how much Jesus knew and understood!
They did not know he was the son of God!

When Jesus' parents found him, they asked why he didn't come home with them,
and he told them he was in his father's house.

They didn't understand at the time, but he meant that since he was the son of God
and he was in God's house, that being in the temple was being in his father's house.
jesus in the temple
(from: wikipedia - finding jesus in the temple)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fifth Commandment

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Planetary nebula


A planetary nebula is a bunch of burning glowing gas that was shot out from a red giant star at one point.

helix nebula
(from: wikipedia - planetary nebula)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Earth's Seasons

Friday, October 25, 2013

Spanish - How are you?


In Spanish, if you want to say How are you?
you say ¿Cómo estás? - sounds like coh-moh-ess-tah-s /?/
association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Comment allez-vous?

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Pāhoehoe lava


We just learned that ʻAʻā lava is a type of lava with big chunks of rock floating in it.

Another type of lava is called Pāhoehoe, pronounced like pah-ho-ee ho-ee.

Pāhoehoe lava is smooth and looks almost like rope or some sort of gooey thick stuff.
pahoehoe
(from: wikipedia - lava)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spark Plug

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Lobsters


We just learned about the type of animal the Echidna.

Let's learn about some more fun animals!

Lobsters are animals that live in the sea, that have something called an exoskeleton.

Our hard bones are on the inside of our body, but a lobster's hard bones
are like armor on the outside of it's body.

Lobsters live on the bottom of the ocean, usually hiding in cracks or holes in the ground.

lobster
(from: wikipedia - lobster)

Another funny thing about lobsters is that they have blue blood!

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Humpback Whale - Baleen Plates

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Hypothenar


We just learned about the thenar muscle in the hand by the thumb.

The other big muscle in your hand that you can feel is called the hypothenar.
It's over on the side of your hand by your pinky, and it controls all the movement of your pinky finger.

hypothenar
(from: wikipedia - hypothenar)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Clavicle and Scapula

Monday, October 21, 2013

Vatican City


Some countries in Europe like The Ukraine are pretty big, but others are as small as a single city!

Vatican City is the country where the Pope lives.

It is right inside the middle of the country of Italy.

They have many wonderful pieces of artwork there, like the Cistine Chapel which has a beautiful painting on the ceiling done by Michelangelo.
cistine chapel
(from: wikipedia - vatican city)

Michelangelo also did a sculpture of Jesus with his mother Mary.
pieta
(from: wikipedia - vatican city)

They have guards for the pope called Swiss Guards because they are from Switzerland.
swiss guards
(from: wikipedia - vatican city)

It is the home of the Pope, who is the head of the Catholic church.
pope
(from: wikipedia - pope francis)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: North America Continent

Sunday, October 20, 2013

After Jesus' birth

After Jesus was born, his parents Mary and Joseph
moved their family to another country called Egypt
to get away from the bad king Herod.

Later they moved to a place called Nazareth, where Jesus grew up.

Sometimes Jesus is called Jesus of Nazareth
because that was his home town even though he was born in Bethlehem.

jesus in nazareth
(from: wikipedia - return of young jesus to nazareth)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fourth Commandment

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Black hole


We just learned about a star system that has stars spinning around stars.

Let's learn about Black Holes!

A black hole is an area in space that has gravity so strong
it will suck in anything, even light!
black hole
(from: wikipedia - black hole)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Orbit

Friday, October 18, 2013

Spanish - Sir Madam Miss


Let's learn the Spanish words for Mr. Mrs. and Miss!

Sir or Mr. - Señor - sounds like sayn-yoh-d /?/

Madam or Mrs. - Señora - sounds like sayn-yoh-dah /?/

Miss (usually for a young lady) - Señorita - sounds like sayn-yoh-deet-ah /?/

association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Monsieur, Madame, Madamoiselle

Thursday, October 17, 2013

ʻAʻā Lava


Did you know that there are different types of lava?

One type of lava is called ʻAʻā, pronounced like ah ah.

ʻAʻā means rough, stoney lava.
The lava looks rough, and has blocks in it that are called clinkers.

aa lava
(from: wikipedia - lava)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Muffler

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Echidna


Echidnas look kind of like a cross between an anteater and a hedgehog.

Just like a hedgehog, they have spines on their body that are poky to keep predators away.
And just like the platypus, they lay eggs like birds do!

Echidnas eat small insects with their tongues, just like anteaters do,
and some of them even have spikes on their tongue.
echidna
(from: wikipedia - echidna)

A baby echidna is called a puggle!


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lion's Mane

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Hand muscles - Thenar


Just like the wrist muscles, there are many muscles in your hand that do different things.

Let's start with the thenar muscle.

The big muscle that's part of your thumb is called the thenar.

It's responsible for all the movements of your thumb!
thenar
(from: wikipedia - thenar eminence)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Esophagus

Monday, October 14, 2013

European Union


We just learned about the country of Turkey.

Europe is a land of many small nations that are very close together, but with many people living there.

Through history, many of the nations have had wars with each other,
but now 28 of the countries have made an agreement to work together
in what they call the European Union, or just the EU.

eu map
(from: wikipedia - european union)

Before the EU, countries like Italy had money called the lira, France had the Franc, and Germany had the deutsche mark.
Now many of those countries have accepted a new type of money called the Euro,
and all the countries in the EU will accept it as money.

euro
(from: wikipedia - euro)




Kid Facts - Blast from the past: United States of America

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Jesus' birth


We just learned about John the Baptist.

Let's learn about Jesus' Birth.

We know from the four Gospels that Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph
in a manger (which is like a barn) in Bethlehem.

An angel appeared to Mary telling her that she would have a baby and he would be the son of God!
An angel appeared to Joseph telling him to call the baby Jesus.
An angel appeared to shepherds in the field telling them to come see the baby.
An angel appeared to the wise men telling them to come see the newborn king.

That's a pretty big deal for a baby being born, but this was not just any baby it was Jesus!

nativity of jesus
(from: wikipedia - nativity of jesus)




Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Third Commandment

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Star System


Remember we learned that a planetary system is a star
with a bunch of planets spinning around it, like our solar system.

There are also stars out there that have other stars spinning around them!

We call those star systems

star system
(from: wikipedia - star system)

So far scientists have only discovered star systems with up to 7 stars in them.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Solar System

Friday, October 11, 2013

Spanish - Hello and goodbye


We've now learned some French words for 52 weeks.
That's a whole year of French! Tres bien!

Let's try another language now, how about Spanish?

First let's learn how to say hello and goodbye.

Hello - Hola - sounds like oh-lah /?/

Good bye - adiós - sounds like ah-dee-oh-ss /?/

association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Bonjour! Au Revoir!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Magma


We learned that when a volcano erupts, it shoots out lava which is melted rock.

But where does that lava come from?

Underneath the ground below the volcano, the melted rock is called magma.
pahoehoe
(from: wikipedia - magma)

Once it shoots out from the volcano we call it lava, but underground it is called magma.

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pistons

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Duck


We just learned about the Naked Mole Rat.

Another fun animal is the duck!

There are many colors and types of ducks in the world.
Some of them are so beautifully painted that people carve and paint wooden ducks to look just like them!

Ducks are mostly aquatic animals, which means they live around water.

duck
(from: wikipedia - duck)

Some types of ducks have what looks like a comb inside their beak.
This is called pecten. Ducks will get a big mouthful of water and food, and then squish the water out of their mouth. The pecten keeps the food from squishing out with the water.
pecten
(from: wikipedia - duck)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Giraffe Horns

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Forearm supinators


Let's keep learning about the muscles in the human body!

We've now learned that the forearm flexors are used to help flex your elbow together,
the forearm extensors are used to move the back of your hand toward your forearm, or spread your fingers out.
and the forearm pronators are to turn your wrist so your hand is facing away from you.

The last of the four forearm muscles we're going to learn about is the supinator muscles.

The opposite of the pronator, the supinator is when you turn your wrist to move the palm of your hand to be toward your face. forearm supinator
(from: wikipedia - pronation)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lumbar Vertebrae

Monday, October 7, 2013

Turkey


Last time we learned about Russia.
Next up is Turkey!

Just like Russia, Turkey is part of both Europe and Asia
It is on the very Southeastern edge of Europe.
turkey
(from: wikipedia - turkey)

For breakfast in Turkey you might have simit, which is bread with sesame seeds.
simit
(from: wikipedia - turkish cuisine)

There are some famous rock formations in Turkey, called the Fairy Chimneys.
fairy chimneys
(from: wikipedia - cappadocia)

An old Roman emperor called Constantine the Great built a city to be the capitol of the whole Roman empire at the time. He called it Byzantium, it was renamed Constantinople, and then renamed Istanbul.
constantine
(from: wikipedia - constantine)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Great Lakes (HOMES)

Sunday, October 6, 2013

John the Baptist


In the Gospels, before people knew who Jesus was there was a man that came along
and warned people that Jesus was coming and that everyone should be good
or else they'd be in trouble when Jesus showed up!

That man's name was John, and because he was baptizing people for God,
they call him John the Baptist.

When Jesus came to meet John, he asked to be baptized.
John baptized him, and the bible says that heaven opened up
and the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus like a dove.
john the baptist
(from: wikipedia - john the baptist)

John's mother was Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was also related to Jesus mother Mary.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Second Commandmnet

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Galaxy


A galaxy is a whole bunch of stars and planets all together in one area in space.

galaxy
(from: wikipedia - galaxy)

Our solar system is in a galaxy called the Milky Way


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Planet Names

Friday, October 4, 2013

French - counting to 900


We just learned how to count to 100 in French! Wow!

What about 200 to 900?

Just like in English, in French they just use the number and then the word for hundred.
So 200 in French is deux cent.

200 deux cent - sounds like doo-sown /?/

300 trois cent - sounds like twah-sown /?/

400 quatre cent - sounds like cat-uh-ah-son /?/

500 cinq cent - sounds like sah-sown /?/

600 six cent - sounds like see-sown /?/

700 sept cent - sounds like set-sown /?/

800 huit cent - sounds like oo-ee-sown /?/

900 neuf cent - sounds like nef-sown /?/

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
(from: wikipedia - OIF)

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Volcano


We learned before that lava is melted rock.

Lava comes from volcanoes, when they erupt (or shoot out).

They also let out a lot of ash which is very thick smoke.

erupt
(from: wikipedia - volcano)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hardware & Software

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Naked mole rat


We just learned about the big bird called the Ostrich.

The naked mole rat is a rat that lives mostly underground and has almost no hair.

Their families are like bees or ants, where they have one queen who is in charge of having babies,
and a bunch of workers rats who do all the work to take care of her.

naked mole rat
(from: wikipedia - naked mole rat)

The naked mole rat's skin is interesting because they feel very little pain!


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Inside Bees

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Forearm pronators


Let's keep learning about the muscles in the human body!

We've now learned that the forearm flexors are used to help flex your elbow together,
and the forearm extensors are used to move the bank of your hand toward your forearm, or spread your fingers out.

The forearm does even more than that!

There is another group of muscles called pronators.
They spin your wrist around, so that your hand is pointing away from you.

pronation
(from: wikipedia - pronation)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Thoracic Vertebrae