Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Subthalamus


We just learned about the epithalamus.

Another part of the brain is called the subthalamus.

This part of the brain helps move the arms and legs.


(from: wikipedia - subthalamus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tarsal Arteries

Monday, May 30, 2016

Lhotse


We just learned about the mountain kangchenjunga.

The next highest mountain is Lhotse in Nepal.

The word means "South Peak".

(from: wikipedia - lhotse)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: North Dakota

Sunday, May 29, 2016

All Saint's Day


We just learned about Ordinary Time.

The next part of the church calendar is All Saint's Day.

On this day people remember all of the believers who have passed on to heaven long ago.


(from: wikipedia - all saint's day)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears to Thomas

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Peplos Kore


We just learned about the ancient greek statue the Sphinx of Naxos.

Another ancient greek statue is called Peplose Kore.

Peplos is a type of clothing, kind of like a robe, and kore means a young girl.

When it was first made it was painted, but the paint has all worn off.
Some people have made other statues and painted them how they think the Peplos Kore was painted.




(from: wikipedia - peplos kore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: His Station and Four Aces - Coolidge

Friday, May 27, 2016

Italian - January, February


Let's learn about the months of the year in Italian!

January - Gennaio - sounds like jen-ah-ee-oh /?/
February - Febbraio - sounds like feb-dah-ee-oh /?/

academy of the bran
(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Januar, Februar

In Spanish:
Enero, Febrero

In French:
Janvier, Février

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Metalwork


We've learned a lot about the weather. Everything from clouds to hurricanes and more.

Now let's learn about metalwork.

This means everything from pouring hot metal into a mold, to banging hot metal to make things into different shapes.

Metalworking is used for everything from artwork to knives and forks, to cars and airplanes.


(from: wikipedia - blacksmith)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cloud to Cloud Lightning

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

False Coral Snake


We just learned about the Grass Snake.

Another type of snake is the American pipe snake or false coral snake.

It looks a lot like the venomous coral snake, but it is not venomous.

Sometimes when the snake is threatened, it curls up its tail kind of like a cobra standing up.


(from: wikipedia - aniliidae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dachsund

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Epithalamus


We just learned about Hypothalamus.

Another part of the brain is the epithalamus.

This part of the brain helps control our sleep and our feelings.


(from: wikipedia - epithalamus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dorsalis Pedis Artery

Monday, May 23, 2016

Kangchenjunga


We just learned about the K2.

The next highest mountain is Kangchenjunga which means The five treasures of the high snow.

There are stories about treasures hidden in the mountains, like gold and jewels.
Some people believe that there are giant beasts like a yeti living on the mountain.
Others say that there are magical valleys in the mountains where people can live forever if they find them.


(from: wikipedia - kangchenjunga)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: North Carolina

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Ordinary Time


We just learned about Trinity Sunday.

Another part of the church calendar is called Ordinary Time.
There are two parts of the calendar for Ordinary Time, and they are the time after Christmas and before Easter, and then after Easter and before Christmas.


(from: wikipedia - ordinary time)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears in his disciples house

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Sphinx of Naxos


We just learned about the ancient sculpture Charioteer of Delphi.

Another ancient sculpture from Greece is the Sphinx of Naxos.

This sculpture was built over 2,000 years ago on the island of Naxos as a shrine to Apollo.
It is made of marble, and is 41 feet tall.
The sphinx creature has the head of a woman, the body of a lion and the feathers of a bird.


(from: wikipedia - sphinx of naxos)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: At the Front - George Cochran Lambdin

Friday, May 20, 2016

Italian - Saturday, Sunday


We just learned that in Italian:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Italian is Lunedi, Martedì, Mercoledì,
and Thursday, Friday is Giovedi, Venerdi.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Saturday - Sabato - sounds like sah-bah-toh /?/
Sunday - Domenica - sounds like doh-may-nee-kah /?/

academy of the bran
(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Samstag, Sonntag

In Spanish:
Sabado, Domingo

In French:
Samedi, Dimanche

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Typhoon


We just learned about Category 5 Hurricanes.

If a large tropical cyclone is in the northwest part of the Pacific Ocean, it is called a Typhoon instead of a hurricane.


(from: wikipedia - typhoon haiyan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lightning

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Grass Snake


We just learned about the Sri Lanka cat snake.

Another snake is the Grass Snake, also known as the ringed snake, water snake or Natrix natrix.

This snake lives in the United Kingdom, and is the largest reptile living there.

It is non-venomous, so sometimes when it is scared it makes a bad smell or even fakes like it is dead.
Sometimes it pretends to be dangerous by hissing and pretending to bite, but it does not bite.

If it plays dead, it might even throw up to make it look like it is dead.


(from: wikipedia - grass snake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lhasa Apso

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Hypothalamus


We just learned about the part of the brain called the thalamus.

Another part of the brain is the hypothalamus.

Just like the thalamus, this is part of the forebrain, and it helps control your body temperature, your hunger, sleep and even what you do when you are afraid.


(from: wikipedia - hypothalamus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Plantar Arteries

Monday, May 16, 2016

K2


We just learned about Mount Everest.

The next highest mountain is K2.

It gets its name because it is part of the Karakoram mountains, and it is the second peak discovered.

It is such a dangerous mountain to climb, that 1 out of every 4 people that have tried to climb it, died.


(from: wikipedia - K2)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New York

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Trinity Sunday


We just learned about the church day of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.

The next day in the calendar is Trinity Sunday.

This day is for Christians to celebrate the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


(from: wikipedia - trinity sunday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears to Peter fishing

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Charioteer of Delphi


We just learned about the ancient Egyptian sculpture the Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra.

The ancient Greeks were also very famous for their sculptures.
One famous sculpture that has survived through the years is the Charioteer of Delphi.

It is a bronze sculpture of a man on a chariot, made to honor someone after they had won a race in a competition like the Olympics.
It was made to look like the person at the end of the race after winning, calm, confident and happy.

The statue has lost it's arm, and it used to have horses with it also.
It still has it's glass eyes, but it is missing its silver eyelashes and headband.

Many bronze statues were melted down for the metal long after they were made, but this statue had been buried under a building that had collapsed, so it survived and was found hundreds of years later.

Statues like this were usually made in a few different pieces and then put together when they were all sculpted.


(from: wikipedia - charioteer of delphi)


(from: wikipedia - charioteer of delphi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Detroit Industry Murals - Diego Rivera

Friday, May 13, 2016

Italian - Thursday, Friday


We just learned that in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Italian is Lunedi, Martedì, Mercoledì.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Thursday - Giovedì - sounds like Gee-oh-vay-dee /?/
Friday - Venerdì - sounds like Vay-nay-d-dee /?/

academy of the bran
(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

German:
Donnerstag, Freitag.

Spanish:
Viernes, Jueves

French:
Jeudi, Vendredi.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Category 5 Hurricane


We just learned about the Category 4 Hurricane.

The next level of hurricane is Category 5 Hurricane - Catastrophic damage will occur.

These hurricanes have wind speeds over 157 mph.

This is the highest level a tropical cyclone can get to.
These hurricanes totally destroy entire buildings.
They flood large areas, uproot trees, cause power outages for a long time, and people have to leave their homes and go to a safer place.


(from: wikipedia - saffir-simpson hurricane)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fog

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Sri Lanka cat snake


We just learned about the Spiny Bush Viper.

Another type of snake is the Sri Lanka cat snake, also known as Boiga ceylonensis.

This snake is usually about 4 feet long, and lives in Sri Lanka and India.

It will sometimes go into houses looking for food, like rats or lizards, and isn't afraid to try and bite people.

They do have venom so their bites will hurt, but it is not enough to kill a person.

They are called a cat snake because of their eyes.


(from: wikipedia - boiga ceylonensis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Irish Wolfhound

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Thalamus


We just learned about the Occipital Lobe in the Cerebrum.

Another part of the brain by the cerebrum is called the Thalamus.

This part of the brain helps send messages back and forth from the cerebrum to all parts of the body like your eyes and ears.

It also helps you stay awake when you want or fall asleep when you're tired.


(from: wikipedia - thalamus)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fibular Arteries

Monday, May 9, 2016

Mount Everest


We just learned about Lake Vänern.

Let's learn about the highest mountain peaks in the world.

The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest in Nepal and Tibet.
It was named Mount Everest after Sir George Everest, who was in charge of mapping out that land when it was discovered.

It is known in Nepal as Sagarmāthā which means "the Head in the Great Blue Sky", and in Tibet as Chomolungma which means "Goddess Mother of Mountains".

It's tallest peak is 29,029 feet above sea level.
Sea level is the height on earth where the ocean is.

The tallest building in the world is only 2,722 feet high, so this mountain is ten times taller than the tallest building in the world.


(from: wikipedia - mount everest)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Mexico

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Pentecost


We just learned about Easter Sunday.

The next time in the church calendar is Pentecost.

The word means 50th day, and the day is 50 days after Easter.
This is the time when churches remember the Holy Spirit coming to the Apostles.

Many churches use rose petals or images of doves to remember the holy spirit coming down, and some even will lower a dove from the ceiling or drop rose petals from the roof.

Other churches remember the day with confirmation, when young people confirm their faith.

The churches are usually decorated in red, the color of fire.

(from: wikipedia - pentecost)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears on the Road to Emmaus

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra


We just learned about the Ka Statue of Hor.

Another ancient Egyptian statue is the Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra.

Block statues were made of people that were important, but were not royalty like pharaohs.
This statue is of someone named Pa-Ankh-Ra who was a ship master, and he is sculpted holding a smaller statue of the mythical person Ptah.

These block statues were usually put in temples and were statues of the person sitting on a square block, with some words written on the square block.

(from: wikipedia - block statue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I - Gustav Klimt

Friday, May 6, 2016

Italian - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday


Let's learn the days of the week in Italian!

Monday - Lunedi - sounds like loo-nay-dee /?/
Tuesday - Martedì - sounds like mah-d-tay-dee /?/
Wednesday - Mercoledì - Sounds like may-d-koh-lay-dee /?/

academy of the bran
(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch

In Spanish:
Lunes, Martes, Miercoles

In French:
Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Category 4 Hurricane


We just learned about a Category 3 Hurricane.

The next level is a Category 4 Hurricane - Catastrophic damage will occur.

These hurricanes have wind speeds between 130 and 156 mph.

This kind of hurricane can totally knock over a house, rip up and snap most trees, flood very far inland, and cause power and water losses for weeks.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane gustav)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snowflake

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Spiny Bush Viper


We just learned about Indian Cobra.

Another type of snake is the spiny bush viper, also called the atheris hispida.

This snake has scales that stick out, so it is very spiky looking, and can be green or red.

It is also sometimes called the rough-scaled bush viper, or hairy viper.


(from: wikipedia - atheris hispida)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Alaskan Malamute

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Occipital Lobe


We just learned about Temporal Lobe.

Another part of the brain is the Occipital Lobe.

This part of the brain is used to take the things you see and turn them into pictures that your brain can understand.


(from: wikipedia - occipital lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tibial Arteries

Monday, May 2, 2016

Lake Vänern


We just learned about Lake Urmia in Iran.

The next biggest lake is Lake Vänern in Sweden.

This lake was made when the ice age melted, and is very old.

An old viking ship was found at the bottom of the lake.


(from: wikipedia - vänern)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Jersey

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Easter Sunday


We just learned about Holy Saturday.

The next day of the church calendar is Easter Sunday.

This is the day when the church remembers Jesus Christ being resurrected from the dead.

There are many different ways that people celebrate this day, like decorating and finding Easter eggs to remember the tomb Jesus was in, or having parades.
Many churches have a sunrise service, where people greet each other by saying Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.
The decorations on the church are usually white, to show the purity of Christ after coming back from the dead.

(from: wikipedia - easter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears to Mary