Abatis

We just learned about the Fujian Tulou.

Another type of fortification is an Abatis.

During a battle, sometimes people will chop trees down and lay them on the ground with the branches facing toward the enemy.
They tie them together with ropes or wires so they can't be moved out of the way.

This makes it very hard for the enemy to climb through, and helps keep away the attackers.


(from: wikipedia - abatis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peleș Castle

Saint Ninian in Scotland

We just learned about the Latin Vulgate Bible.

Another part of early Christian history is Saint Ninian in Scotland.

The center of emperor Constantine's missions to spread Christianity to the Roman empire was in Constantinople, in what is now called Turkey.
It spread west, to Greece, Italy, France and Spain, and even all the way to England.

North of England is the country of Scotland, and at the time there were people living there known as "Picts".
They worshiped animals, trees and all sorts of other mythological things.

A man named Ninian went to visit Scotland around 400 AD to talk to the Picts and tell them about Jesus and Christianity.
He built a church in the town of Whithorn and called it "Candida Casa" which means white house, and many of the Picts became Christians.


(from: wikipedia - ninian)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jason - Bishop of Tarsus

Were-Jaguar Sculpture

We just learned about the Aztec Sun Stone.

Another ancient Mesoamerican sculpture is the Were-Jaguar Sculpture.

Some time before 600 BC in the area of Mexico there were a bunch of sculptures created that showed people that seemed to be part jaguar and part human.
Kind of like a werewolf, but with a jaguar so they called it a were-jaguar.

People these days are not really sure what this meant back then, if it was something worshipped by people long ago or if it was some old story, but there are a bunch of these were-jaguar sculptures.

One of them is very famous, and is called the Las Limas figure.
It is about 22 inches tall and shows a person holding a little were-jaguar baby.
The statue is made of greenstone, which means it was made from one of the many greenish rocks found in the area, like omphacite or olivine.

Were-jaguar sculptures had a dip in the top middle of their head, almond shaped eyes with round irises, a frowning mouth with the upper lip lifted up, and gums with no teeth.



(from: wikipedia - werejaguar)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Haniwa

Norwegian - Drinks

We counted to 900 in Norwegian! Wow!

Let's learn how to say some things to drink.

water vann - sounds like vah-n
milk melk - sounds like melk
juice juice - sounds like yoo-s


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: water νερό (neró), milk γάλα (gála), juice χυμό (chymó)

ASL: water, milk, juice

Italian: acqua, latte, succo

German: Wasser, Milch, Saft

Spanish: agua, leche, jugo

French: eau, lait, jus

Electromagnet

We just learned about the Windings.

Another part of an electric motor is the Electromagnet.

An electromagnet is a bunch of wire wrapped around a pole, and the wire has electricity going through it.
The electricity and the winding of the wire creates an invisible field that can be used to charge or move metals.

In an electric motor, the electromagnet is what helps spin the rotor around inside the stator using electromagnetism.


(from: wikipedia - electromagnet)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lift

Mesoglea

We just learned about the Jellyfish - Epidermis.

Another part of the jellyfish body is the Mesoglea.

Underneath the bell part of the jellyfish is an open area that is made up of water and some other gooey stuff called collagen.
It's almost like a balloon full of jelly that helps the jellyfish keep it's shape in the water.


(from: wikipedia - mesoglea)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Octopus Beaks

Sclera

We just learned about the Optic Nerve that brings the eyes signals back to the brain.

Another part of the eye is the Sclera.

This is the name for the white part of the eye.
It is made up mostly of connective tissues called collagen and elastic fiber.


(from: wikipedia - sclera)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulp

Fujian Tulou

We just learned about the Meurtrière.

Another type of castle fortification is the Fujian Tulou.

This is a circle shaped building that is made out of dirt that is packed in tight, and mixed in with stone, bamboo and wood.
On the inside of the building are rooms for people to live in.
The top part of the buildings has gun holes to help fight against people that are attacking.


(from: wikipedia - fujian tulou)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Citadel of Qaitbay

Latin Vulgate Bible

We just learned about the The Great Persecution - Persia.

Another part of early Christianity was the Latin Vulgate Bible, made in 382 AD by Saint Jerome.

The original writings in the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament were in all different languages.
Some of the books were in the languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
So if someone wanted to read the whole Bible they had to know how to speak three different languages!

Some people had translated a few parts of the Bible into Latin, which was the most commonly spoken language in the Roman empire.

A man named Jerome was given the job of putting together one whole copy of the Bible in Latin, and trying to make it as perfect as possible with no mistakes.
Jerome did such a good job that he is called Saint Jerome, and the Bible that he made called the Vulgate became the most trusted Bible anywhere.
Even today some churches use the Latin Vulgate version for some of their church services in Latin.


(from: wikipedia - vulgate)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lucius - Bishop of Laodicea in Syria

Aztec Sun Stone

We just learned about the La Mojarra Stela 1.

Another famous Mesoamerican sculpture is the Aztec Sun Stone, made some time around 1500 AD in Mexico.

This stone is about over 11 feet wide, and over 3 feet thick.

The design of the stone is split up into a few different parts.

The very middle is a sculpture of a face that people think was the sun god that the people believed in.
Around the face are four squares representing symbols for past times. The jaguar, wind, rain and water.

The first circle around that is a type of calendar, with different parts of the year shown as symbols like crocodiles, monkeys or dogs.

The second circle has sculptures of arches, feathers, and different lines that people think are for the suns rays.

The last circle on the outside has two big serpents meeting face to face, that have flame carvings all over their bodies.

(from: wikipedia - aztec sun stone)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shakōki-dogū

Norwegian - Nine Hundred

We counted to 100 in Norwegian, let's keep going!

200 to hundre - sounds like too hoo-n-d-r-uh
300 tre hundre - sounds like t-day hoo-n-d-r-uh
400 fire hundre - sounds like fee-dah hoo-n-d-r-uh
500 fam hundre - sounds like fah-m hoo-n-d-r-uh
600 seks hundre - sounds like seh-ks hoo-n-d-r-uh
700 syv hundre - sounds like see-v hoo-n-d-r-uh
800 åtte hundre - sounds like oh-tuh hoo-n-d-r-uh
900 ni hundre - sounds like nee hoo-n-d-r-uh


And here are some of the even bigger numbers!

one thousand ett tusen - sounds like eh-t too-sen
one million en million - sounds like mee-lee-ohn
one billion en milliard - sounds like eh-n mee-lee-a-rd
one trillion en trillion - sounds like eh-n t-dee-lee-oh-n
one google en google - sounds like eh-n goo-ghel


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: διακόσια (diakósia), τριακόσια (triakósia), τετρακόσια (tetrakósia), πεντακόσια (pentakósia), εξακόσια (exakósia), επτακόσια (eptakósia), οκτακόσια (oktakósia), εννιακόσια (enniakósia)

ASL: two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred

Italian: duecento, trecento, quattrocento, cinquecento, seicento, settecento, ottocento, novecento

German: zweihundert, dreihundert, vierhundert, fünfhundert, sechshundert, siebenhundert, achthundert, neunhundert

Spanish: doscientos, trescientos, cuatrocientos, quinientos, seiscientos, sietecientos, ochocientos, novecientos

French: deux cent, trois cent, quatre cent, cinq cent, six cent, sept cent, huit cent, neuf cent

Windings

We just learned about the Stator in an electric motor.

Another part of an electric motor is the Windings.

These are the metal wires that are wrapped around the stator or the rotor.
They are wrapped in loops around and around, and when electricity goes through these wires it creates something called an electric or magnetic field that can spin the rotor around.

This works kind of like magnets that can move metal without even touching them.


(from: wikipedia - electric motor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Air Resistance

Jellyfish Epidermis

We just learned about the Jellyfish Bell.

Another part of the jellyfish is the Epidermis.

The epidermis is the skin on the outside of the bell.
Just like humans, jellyfish have skin, and their epidermis has a bunch of nerves in it called a "nerve net".

This nerve net helps them feel movement in the water and tell their body where to try and swim to get food.


(from: wikipedia - jellyfish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Japanese Flying Squid

Optic Nerve

We just learned about the Lens in the eye that helps focus light for us to see.

Another part of the eye is the Optic Nerve.

We learned before about the retina in the back of the eye that takes the light from the eye and turns it into signals that the brain can understand.

The retina is connected to a big long nerve called the optic nerve.

This nerve takes the signals from the retina and carries them all the way to the back of the brain, to the part of the brain called the occipital lobe where the signals from the eyes get turned into pictures for the brain to understand.


(from: wikipedia - optic nerve)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cementum

Meurtrière

We just learned about the Battery Tower in a castle.

Another type of fortification is the Meurtrière, also called a murder hole.

These were holes in the ceiling where people from above could throw rocks, shoot arrows or pour hot water on attackers to keep them out of the castle.


(from: wikipedia - murder hole)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Windsor Castle

The Great Persecution - Persia

We just learned about the city of Constantinople.

Another part of early Christianity is the The Great Persecution - Persia.

The great persecution is the name for when Christians were killed or put in jail for being Christian.
It had happened in Rome a long time ago, until Constantine took over.

After he created the city of Constantinople and was the ruler of the Roman empire, some of the other countries did not like him and were worried that he would come and try to take them over.

In the country of Persia, there was an emperor named Shapur II who was at war with the country of Rome.
The leader of the Christian church in Persia was named Simeon Barsabae.
Shapur II got angry with him and all the other leaders of the church because they were Christian, and the Roman empire was the head of the Christian church, so he killed Simeon and thousands of other Christians to try and stop Christianity from coming into his country.


(from: wikipedia - shemon bar sabbae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Olympus and Rhodion

La Mojarra Stela 1

We just learned about the Double Headed Serpent.

Another ancient sculpture from Mesoamerica is the La Mojarra Stela 1 made some time before 200 AD, in Veracruz Mexico.

We've learned before that a stele or stela is a tall stone or wooden slab that has carvings and usually writings on it, to honor someone that died, someone winning a battle, or an important set of words that people need to remember.

This stela is a carving of an warrior in a costume, and it has some writing on it about the warrior.


(from: wikipedia - la mojarra stela 1)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eight Nested Relic Boxes

Norwegian - One Hundred

We counted to 99 in Norwegian, let's keep going!

100 ett hundre - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r
101 ett hundre og en - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee eh-n
102 ett hundre og to - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee too
103 ett hundre og tre - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee t-day
104 ett hundre og fire - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee fee-dah
105 ett hundre og fam - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee feh-m
106 ett hundre og seks - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee seh-ks
107 ett hundre og syv - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee see-v
108 ett hundre og åtte - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee oh-tuh
109 ett hundre og ni - sounds like eh-t hoo-n-deh-r oh-ee nee


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: εκατό (ekató), εκατόν ένα (ekatón éna), εκατόν δύο (ekatón dýo), εκατόν τρεις (ekatón treis), εκατόν τέσσερις (ekatón tésseris), εκατόν πέντε (ekatón pénte), εκατόν έξι (ekatón éxi), εκατόν επτά (ekatón eptá), εκατόν οκτώ (ekatón októ), εκατόν εννέα (ekatón ennéa)

ASL: One hundred, one hundred one, one hundred two, one hundred three, one hundred four, one hundred five, one hundred six, one hundred seven, one hundred eight, one hundred nine

Italian: cento, centodue, centotre, centoquattro, centocinque, centosei, centosette, sentotto, sentonove

German: einhundert, einhunderteins, einhundertzwei, einhundertdrei, einhundertvier, einhundertfünf, einhundertsechs, einhundertsieben, einhundertacht, einhundertneun

Spanish: ciento, ciento uno, ciento dos, ciento tres, ciento cuatro, ciento cinco, ciento seis, ciento siete, ciento ocho, ciento nueve

French: cent, cent, cent deux, cent trois, cent quatre, cent cinq, cent six, cent sept, cent huit

Stator

We just learned about the Rotor shaft that spins inside an electric motor.

Another part of an electric motor is the Stator.

This is the circle hole that the rotor goes into when it is spinning.

Usually the stator has something like an electromagnet in it that is used to make the rotor spin around.
The stator doesn't move, and the rotor spins around inside it.


(from: wikipedia - stator)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ballistics

Jellyfish Bell

We just learned about the long bubbly hydrozoan, the Marrus Orthocanna.

Let's learn a little bit about Jellyfish bodies.
The big part of the jellyfish that looks kind of like the head is called the Bell.


(from: wikipedia - jellyfish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Opalescent Inshore Squid

Lens

We just learned about the Retina at the back of the eye.

Another part of the eye is the Lens.

This is a part of the eye right behind iris and pupil.
It is clear and works like a magnifying glass to help the eye focus on things close or far away.

The eye has muscles to push and pull on the lens to change the focus.


(from: wikipedia - lens (anatomy))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dentin

Battery Tower

We just learned about the Hoarding wooden shed attached to the castle wall.

Another fortification is a Battery Tower.

This is a type of tall tower on the edge of a castle, with holes in it for cannons and guns that people can use to defend the castle.


(from: wikipedia - battery tower)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hohensalzburg Fortress

Constantinople

We just learned about the life of monks, called Monasticism.

Another part of early Christianity is the city of Constantinople.

In the old Roman empire, the head of the capital was the city of Rome in Italy.

When Constantine was the emperor, he wanted to make a new city to rule from that wasn't Rome. In the city of Byzantium in what is now the country of Turkey he built up the city and called it "Nova Roma" or "New Rome", and it was later called Constantinople.

In this city the emperor ruled the Roman empire and also helped churches get started and help spread Christianity.


(from: wikipedia - constantinople)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Philologus - Bishop of Sinope