Friday, July 31, 2020

Russian - Counting to Forty Nine


We counted to 39 in Russian, let's keep going!

40 сорок (sorok) - sounds like soh-doh-k 文A

41 сорок один (sorok odin) - sounds like soh-doh-k oh-dee-n 文A

42 сорок два (sorok dva) - sounds like soh-doh-k d-vah 文A

43 сорок три (sorok tri) - sounds like sorok soh-doh-k t-dee 文A

44 сорок четыре (sorok chetyre) - sounds like soh-doh-k cheh-tee-dee 文A

45 сорок пять (sorok pyat') - sounds like soh-doh-k pee-yah-t 文A

46 сорок шесть (sorok shest') - sounds like soh-doh-k sheh-s-t 文A

47 сорок семь (sorok sem') - sounds like soh-doh-k seh-m 文A

48 сорок восемь (sorok vosem') - sounds like soh-doh-k voh-seh-m 文A

49 сорок девять (sorok devyat') - sounds like soh-doh-k day-v-yah-t 文A


russian language
(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: førti, førtien, førtito, førtitre, førtifire, førtifem, førtiseks, førtisyv, førtiåtte, førtini

Greek: τσαράντα (saránta), τσαράντα ένα (saránta éna), τσαράντα δύο (saránta dýo), τσαράντα τρεις (saránta treis), τσαράντα τέσσερις (saránta tésseris), τσαράντα πέντε (saránta pénte), τσαράντα έξι (saránta éxi), τσαράντα επτά (saránta eptá), τσαράντα οκτώ (saránta októ), τσαράντα εννέα (saránta ennéa)

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

Italian: quaranta, quarantuno, quarantadue, quarantatre, quarantaquattro, quarantacinque, quarantasei, quarantasette, quarantotto, quarantanove

German: vierzig, einundvierzig, zweiundvierzig, dreiundvierzig, vierundvierzig, fünfundvierzig, sechsundvierzig, siebenundvierzig, achtundvierzig, neunundvierzig

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

French: quarante, quarante et un, quarante-deux, quarante-trois, quarante-quatre, quarante-cinq, quarante-six, quarante-sept, quarante-huit, quarante-neuf

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Train Whistle


We just learned about the Cab where the Engineer and Fireman work.

Another part of the steam locomotive is the Train Whistle, also called the air whistle or steam trumpet.

When locomotives started becoming popular, people knew it would be dangerous for a big train to be rolling down the tracks and it was very tough for a train to stop.

The engineers put a whistle on the top of the train and hooked it up so that steam could get blown out of the whistle to make noise.

It was hooked up to a lever, and it could be pulled hard or soft, so it could make a little woo or a big WOOO or even a woo-ahh woo-ahh sound.

Because it made different noises, each engineer could have their own style of blowing the whistle, and people could sometimes figure out who was driving the train based on what the whistle sounded like.

Later on they made the whistles even better and would have 2 or 4 different notes combined to make a nice sounding whistle that could be heard for miles.

The engineers used the whistle to tell people the train was getting ready to go, to warn someone at a crossing that the train was coming, and also to let people at the train stations know they were coming.


(from: wikipedia - train whistle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulley

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Fishing Cat


We just learned about the Leopard Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Fishing Cat.

This is another cat that lives in South Asia, and looks a lot like the Leopard Cat.
It is about 2 feet long and weighs about 15 pounds.

The Fishing Cats are brown with stripes and spots just like the leopard cat, but they have a white spot on the back of their ears.

These cats live mostly in swamps, marshes and wetlands so they spend a lot of time in the water hunting for food.
They are very good swimmers and can even swim underwater.

Because these cats spend so much time in the water, they have layered fur that helps keep them warm, and keeps some of their fur dry even if the outside layers get wet.



(from: wikipedia - fishing cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Jellyfish

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Lymph


Let's learn more about the Lymphatic System.

One of the first things to learn about the lymphatic system is Lymph.

The word lymph comes from an ancient Roman goddess of water named Lympha.

Lymph is a liquid that is sent all around the body in little tubes, a lot like blood is carried all over the body.

Every time the heart pumps it pushes blood out to all the parts of the body, and then pulls it back to the heart to get more oxygen and nutrients.
When the blood is pulled back, it leaves behind a lot of things like proteins and other liquids that just float around in the body.

The digestive system also leaves some things like fatty white liquids and other things behind after digestion.

Lymph is all of these left over liquids that get sent back around the body through the lymphatic system.
It can be made of proteins, fats, bacteria or other liquids.


(from: wikipedia - lymph)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eyes

Monday, July 27, 2020

Antarctic Convergence


We just learned about the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

Another part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Convergence, also called the Antarctic Polar Front.

This is the line in the water around Antarctica where the cold water of Antarctica meets the warm water from the rest of the oceans.

Where the waters meet the cold water usually sinks down below, and the warm water goes to the top.
Because of this mixing, a lot of sea animals like krill live there, which also means a lot of other animals that eat krill come around.

The mixing of this cold and warm water has a lot of effects on the rest of the ocean.


(from: wikipedia - antarctic convergence)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bastion

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Heresy


We just learned about the Rosary.

Another part of early Christianity is Heresy.

Through the hundreds of years after Jesus died, the church had a lot of talks about what was true, and what was right.
Their decisions were put together into books like the Decretum Gratiani that we learned about.

Sometimes people would say things that went against those rules.
When some idea was against the rules the church decided, it was called heresy.
Someone who said something that was heresy was called a heretic.

The word comes from the Greek word αἵρεσις (haíresis) which means choice.

When the church started getting their own soldiers and having wars, they started using that new power to force people not to say any heresies.


(from: wikipedia - heresy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Seven Ecumenical Councils

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Crazy Horse Memorial


We just learned about the Mount Rushmore.

Another famous monument carved into a mountain is the Crazy Horse Memorial.

This is a carving of the famous Native American warrior named Crazy Horse who lived during the late 1800s.

The sculpture is not finished, but the plan is for it to be of Crazy Horse riding a horse.
It would be over 640 feet long and over 560 feet tall.

The statue was started a long time ago in 1948, and is still very far from being completed.
Korczak Ziolkowsk was the sculptor who first started it.
He had worked as a helper on Mount Rushmore before working on this sculpture.


(from: wikipedia - crazy horse memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Church of Saint George, Lalibela

Friday, July 24, 2020

Russian - Counting to Thirty Nine


We counted to 29 in Russian, let's keep going!

30 тридцать (tridtsat') - sounds like t-dee-d-sit 文A

31 тридцать один (tridtsat' odin) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit ah-d-yin 文A

32 тридцать два (tridtsat' dva) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit d-vah 文A

33 тридцать три (tridtsat' tri) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit t-dee 文A

34 тридцать четыре (tridtsat' chetyre) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit cheh-tee-dee 文A

35 тридцать пять (tridtsat' pyat') - sounds like t-dee-d-sit pee-yah-t 文A

36 тридцать шесть (tridtsat' shest') - sounds like t-deh-tee shay-st 文A

37 тридцать семь (tridtsat' sem') - sounds like t-dee-d-sit seh-m 文A

38 тридцать восемь (tridtsat' vosem') - sounds like t-deh-tee voh-ee-sem 文A

39 тридцать девять (tridtsat' devyat') - sounds like t-deh-tee dee-ay-vit 文A


russian language
(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: tretti, trettien, trettito, tretti tre, trettifire, trettifem, trettiseks, trettisyv, trettiåtte, trettini

Greek: τριάντα (triánta), τριάντα ένα (triánta éna), τριάντα δύο (triánta dýo), τριάντα τρεις (triánta treis), τριάντα τέσσερις (triánta tésseris), τριάντα πέντε (triánta pénte), τριάντα έξι (triánta éxi), τριάντα επτά (triánta eptá), τριάντα οκτώ (triánta októ), τριάντα εννέα (triánta ennéa)

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

Italian: Trenta, trentuno, trentadue, trentatré, trentaquattro, trentacinque, trentasei, trentasette, trentotto, trentanove

German: einunddreißig, zweiunddreißig, dreiunddreißig, vierunddreißig, fünfunddreißig, sechsunddreißig, siebenunddreißig, achtunddreißig, neununddreißig

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

French: trente et un, trente-deux, trente-trois, trente-quatre, trente-cinq, trente-six, trente-sept, trente-huit, trente-neuf

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Cab - Engineer and Fireman


We just learned about the Tender.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Cab.

This is where the engineer and the fireman are at.
The engineer or driver is the person who uses all the controls to make the locomotive go faster or slower, and to help control the engine.

The fireman is the person who is in charge of the fire that keeps the train going.
So he has to shovel coal from the coal bunker into the engine, and also help refill the water compartment for the steam.




(from: wikipedia - cab (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sprocket

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Leopard Cat


We just learned about the Rusy-Spotted Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Leopard Cat, also called prionailurus bengalensis.

This cat lives in the South and East parts of Asia.
They can grow to be about 2 feet long and weigh 8 pounds.
On their head they have two dark stripes on their head and they have a white mouth.
Just like a leopard they have black spots all over their body, and yellow brown fur.

Scientists have discovered that this type of cat was kept as a pet in China 5,000 years ago.
One type of house cat called the Bengal Cat is related to the Leopard Cat, and has a lot of the same marks but is more friendly and makes a better pet.




(from: wikipedia - leopard cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Velella

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Lymphatic System


We just learned about Presbyopia.

We've learned a whole lot about Eyes, from the Cornea, Pupil, Iris and Retina to the Rods, Cones and Fovea!

Let's move on now and learn about something else, called the Lymphatic System.

This is a part of the body that helps make new blood cells, and also helps fight off diseases.
It's part of both the circulatory system and immune system, and goes through the whole body.

The lymphatic system isn't as well known as other parts of the body like the bones or muscles, but it was discovered over 300 years ago, so scientists have been studying it for a long time to figure out how the body works.


(from: wikipedia - lymphatic system)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tonsils

Monday, July 20, 2020

Antarctic Circumpolar Current


We just learned about the Nunatuk rock formations.

Another part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also called the ACC.

In the ocean around Antarctica the water flows around it in a clockwise loop.

This water flow called a current is the largest ocean current in the world, mostly because it flows around and around without hitting any other land.
Most other ocean currents eventually run into other continents.

The looping current goes around Antarctica and the south pole like a circle, which is why it's called "Circumpolar".
With the water going around and around, it helps keep the warmer ocean water from getting to Antarctica.
This helps keep the south pole cold and the glaciers from melting.


(from: wikipedia - antarctic circumpolar current)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butter Churn Tower

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Rosary


We just learned about the Franciscans.

Another part of early Christianity is the Rosary.

In 1214 AD, a Spanish priest named Saint Dominic said that he had a dream of Mary the mother of Jesus.
She told him to make a necklace with beads on it, and the beads would be used to help say prayers.

Most rosaries have 59 beads, and a cross. The beads are either "Our Father" beads or "Hail Mary" beads.

Four of the beads hang down from the circle necklace, with the cross.
The circle necklace is grouped in 5 sets of haily mary 10 beads called "decades" or "mysteries" and separated by 1 our father bead.

When praying, a person starts at the cross, then moves up the chain to the circle, then around the circle saying a prayer for each bead.
Many prayers have to be memorized in order to do the whole rosary: The Apostle's Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Glory Be, Hail Holy Queen.

So for a full rosary reading, you would say:
- (From the crucifix) - The Apostle's Creed, The Lord's Prayer, 3 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 1) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 2) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 3) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 4) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 5) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- Hail Holy Queen


(from: wikipedia - rosary)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity in Armenia

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Mount Rushmore


We just learned about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Maya Lin.

Another famous American sculpture is Mount Rushmore, made by Gutzon Borglum in 1941 in South Dakota.

This sculpture was made of 4 presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Each of the heads is about 60 feet tall, and mountain is about 5,700 feet high.

The first idea for a sculpture on this mountain was to have some American West heroes like Lewis and Clark, Scagawea, and some famous Lakota Native Americans, but sculptor Borglum chose the presidents as he thought they would be a more popular tourist attraction.


(from: wikipedia - mount rushmore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Obelisk of Axum

Friday, July 17, 2020

Russian - Counting to Twenty Nine


We counted to 20 in Russian, let's keep going!

21 двадцать один (dvadtsat' odin) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit ah-din 文A

22 двадцать два (dvadtsat' dva) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit d-vah 文A

23 двадцать три (dvadtsat' tri) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit t-dee 文A

24 двадцать четыре (dvadtsat' chetyre) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit cheh-tear-dee-ah 文A

25 двадцать пять (dvadtsat' pyat') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit pee-ah-t 文A

26 двадцать шесть (dvadtsat' shest') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit shay-st 文A

27 двадцать семь (dvadtsat' sem') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit say-m 文A

28 двадцать восемь (dvadtsat' vosem') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit voh-ee-seh-m 文A

29 двадцать девять (dvadtsat' devyat') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit day-vih-t 文A


russian language
(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: tjueen, tjueto, tjue-tre, tjuefire, tjuefem, tjueseks, tjuesju, tjue åtte, tjue ni

Greek: είκοσι ένα (eíkosi éna), είκοσι δύο (eíkosi dýo), είκοσι τρεις (eíkosi treis), είκοσι τέσσερις (eíkosi tésseris), είκοσι πέντε (eíkosi pénte), είκοσι έξι (eíkosi éxi), είκοσι επτά (eíkosi eptá), είκοσι οκτώ (eíkosi októ), είκοσι εννέα (eíkosi ennéa)

ASL: twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine

Italian: ventuno, ventidue, ventitré, ventiquattro, venticinque, ventisei, ventisette, ventotto, ventinove

German: einundzwanzig, zweiundzwanzig, dreiundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, fünfundzwanzig, sechsundzwanzig, siebenundzwanzig, achtundzwanzig, neunundzwanzig

Spanish: veintiún, veintidós, veintitrés, veinticuatro, veinticinco, veintiséis, veintisiete, veintiocho, veintinueve

French: vingt et un, vingt-deux, vingt-trois, vingt-quatre, vingt-cinc, vingt-six, vingt-sept, vingt-huit, vingt-neuf

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Tender


We just learned about the Fire-Tube Boiler.

Let's go step by step and learn all the parts of a working steam locomotive!

One part of the locomotive is the Tender, or coal car.

This is a big box that is pulled behind the engine that is full of the fuel that the locomotive needs to run.
It can be full of wood, coal or oil, and it also is full of water that is used for the steam.

Usually the water was on the bottom of the tender, in a place called the water compartment.
The coal or other fuel was on top in a place called the coal bunker.

The engines used a lot of water, which is why railroads came up with places to refill with water using big cranes when they stopped at train stations.



(from: wikipedia - tender (rail))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gear

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Rusty-Spotted Cat


We just learned about the Pallas's Cat.

Another Rusty-Spotted Cat, also called prionailurus rubiginosus.

This is one of the smallest cats around, only 19 inches long and weighing only 3.5 pounds.

They mostly live in the forests of India and Sri Lanka.

Their fur is short and a red grey color, with spots on its back.
It has black lines going up on its head and down its neck.




(from: wikipedia - rusty-spotted cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portuguese Man o'War

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Presbyopia


We just learned about the Astigmatism.

Another kind of refractive error is Presbyopia.

This is something that usually happens to older people, when the lens of the eye gets harder.
When that happens the eye focuses light behind the retina instead of right on it.

If someone has this presbyopia, they usually can't read small printed words, and a lot of times they have to hold things away from them to see them better.



(from: wikipedia - presbyopia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Parotid Gland

Monday, July 13, 2020

Nunatak


We just learned about the Onyx River.

Another part of Antarctica is a Nunatak.

This is a rocky part of a mountain that sticks up out of a glacier.

Nunataks are important because many times they are the only place that plants and animals can live in cold places like Antarctica.


(from: wikipedia - nunatak)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Outworks

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Franciscans


We just learned about the Battle on the Ice.

Another part of early Christianity is the Franciscans.

Long ago a man named Francis of Assisi decided to go live by himself like a hermit.

A bunch of other people who also wanted to live away from other people to worship God together and called themselves Franciscans, because of Francis.

These groups of people became the monks that we know about today.


(from: wikipedia - franciscans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: First Council of Nicea

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Maya Lin


We just learned about the Marine Corps War Memorial - Felix de Weldon.

Another famous American monument is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial made by Maya Lin in Washington D.C. in 1981.

In 1981 there was a contest to see who could come up with the best sculpture for a new memorial for the people who died in the Vietnam War.

Maya Lin won the contest, and her idea was to have a big black wall made of granite, with the names of all of the people who died engraved on it.

The memorial is v-shaped when you look at it from above, and her idea was that it would look kind of like a wound that needed to heal for America.


(from: wikipedia - vietnam veterans memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Akan Goldweights

Friday, July 10, 2020

Russian - Counting to Twenty


We counted to 15 in Russian, let's keep going!

16 шестнадцать (shestnadtsat') - sounds like sheh-st-nah-t-sit 文A

17 семнадцать (semnadtsat') - sounds like see-im-nah-t-sit 文A

18 восемнадцать (vosemnadtsat') - sounds like voy-see-im-st-nah-t-sit 文A

19 девятнадцать (devyatnadtsat') - sounds like dee-ay-vit-nah-t-sit 文A

20 двадцать (dvadtsat') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit 文A


russian language
(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: seksten, sytten, atten, nitten, tjue

Greek: δεκαέξι (dekaéxi), δεκαεπτά (dekaeptá), δεκαοχτώ (dekaochtó), δεκαεννέα (dekaennéa), είκοσι (eíkosi)

ASL: sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty

Italian: sedici, diciassette, diciotto, diciannove, venti

German: sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn, zwanzig

Spanish: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte

French: seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Fire-Tube Boiler


We just learned about the Locomotion No. 1.

Another part of how steam locomotives work is the Fire-Tube Boiler.

A boiler is a big tank of water that is heated up to where the water boils and turns to steam.
There are a lot of different kinds of boilers, and the one called a fire-tube boiler was the one most used by steam locomotives to run the engine.

It's called a fire-tube boiler because there are a bunch of metal tubes that take in heat from a fire and then the heated up tubes make the water hot.

The hot water then turns to steam that is used with a steam pump to drive the gears that turn the wheels of the train.



(from: wikipedia - fire-tube boiler)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Motor

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Pallas's Cat


We just learned about the Caracal.

Another type of wild cat is the Pallas's Cat, also called the manul, or otocolubs manul.

This is a cat about the size of a house cat, 2 feet long and weighing about 10 pounds.
It has thick grey fur that makes it look short and fat, with a flat face.

It lives in the grasslands of Asia, mostly living in caves and hunting small animals.




(from: wikipedia - pallas's cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Button

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Astigmatism


We just learned about the Far Sightedness.

Another type of refractive error that makes the eye not see as well is Astigmatism.

This happens when the cornea at the front of the eye is not shaped right, causing light to get focused in the wrong place and not where it is supposed to go on the back of the retina.


(from: wikipedia - astigmatism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Labial Commissure of Mouth

Monday, July 6, 2020

Onyx River


We just learned about the Subglacial Lakes.

Another part of Antarctica is the Onyx River.

This is the longest river in Antarctica, at 32 kilometers long and ends up at Lake Vanda.
The water for this river is from meltwater, and goes toward the middle of Antarctica away from the ocean, during the summer months.

Water levels change depending on the season, and the river can flow as fast as 20 cubic meters per second. There were even some researchers from New Zealand that rafted down the river one time!

There are no fish in the river, but there are some tiny animals like bacteria and algea living there, along with some gulls that fly around.

Most of the time the water is just barely higher than the 32 degrees F it needs to melt, so it is really ice cold water!



(from: wikipedia - onyx river)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Roundel

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Battle on the Ice


We just learned about the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Another part of early Christianity was the Battle on the Ice.

We learned before about some of the first groups of people fighting wars in the name of Christianity, called Crusades.
From the years 1200 through 1300 there were a lot more wars like this.

There were around a dozen different crusades through these years, and they fought all over Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Western Asia, and even Northern Africa.

There was even a crusade that went into Russia and was fought on a frozen lake.
The Western church from places like Germany and France was fighting against the Eastern church in places like Russia.
In the battle the Russians won by a lot and Lake Peipus became a famous place in Russia where the Eastern church won an important battle.


(from: wikipedia - battle on the ice)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Golden Legend

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Marine Corps War Memorial - Felix de Weldon


We just learned about the George Washington as President - Alexander Stirling Calder.

Another famous American statue is the Marine Corps War Memorial, also called the Iwo Jima Memorial, in Virginia, made in 1954 by Felix de Weldon.

In 1945 during World War II, the US was in a battle with Japan on the island of Iwo Jima.
It was a very important battle for the war, and when the US finally took over the island they raised up a big flag that was 8 feet long by 4 feet tall so that all of the soldiers could see it on the island.

Someone took a picture of them while they were putting it up, and it became a very famous picture that was used to help give Americans hope for our soldiers to win the war.

Felix de Weldon was famous for making great memorial sculptures, so they asked him to make a sculpture to match the picture.
It is made of bronze and weighs over 200,000 pounds.
There were six men in the statue, and when he sculpted it he had some of the soldiers who were the ones who actually raised up the flag pose for him to make sure his sculpture matched what they looked like.

On the front of the statue are the words "Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" – "Semper Fidelis"
and on the back are the words "In Honor And Memory Of The Men Of The United States Marine Corps Who Have Given Their Lives To Their Country Since 10 November 1775"

The sculptor Felix de Weldon was born in Austria in 1907.
When he was 30 years old he moved to the US, where he became a citizen of the US.
He served in the Navy during world war II, and was famous for making over a thousand memorials all over the world, even Antarctica!


(from: wikipedia - marine corps war memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Burkina Faso Masks

Friday, July 3, 2020

Russian - Fifteen


We just learned about all the months of the year in Russian!

Let's learn about some more numbers.
We already counted to 10 in Russian, now let's learn some bigger numbers!

11 одиннадцать (odinnadtsat') - sounds like ah-din-nah-d-sit 文A

12 двенадцать (dvenadtsat') - sounds like d-vih-nah-d-sit 文A

13 тринадцать (trinadtsat') - sounds like t-dee-nah-d-sit 文A

14 четырнадцать (chetyrnadtsat') - sounds like ch-eh-tee-der-nah-d-sit 文A

15 пятнадцать (pyatnadtsat') - sounds like pee-ah-t-nah-d-sit 文A


russian language
(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: elleve, tolv, tretten, fjorten, femten

Greek: ένδεκα (éndeka), δώδεκα (dódeka), δεκατρία (dekatría), δεκατέσσερα (dekatéssera), δεκαπέντε (dekapénte)

ASL: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen

Italian: undici, dodici, tredici, quattordici, quindici

German: elf, zwölf, dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn

Spanish: once, doce, trese, catorce, quince

French: onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Locomotion No. 1


We just learned about the Salamanca steam locomotive.

Another famous steam locomotive was called Locomotion No. 1, made by George and Robert Stephenson in 1825 in England.

This was the first steam locomotive that was used to bring people along in passenger cars.

The first time this locomotive was put to the test it hauled 11 wagons of coal, and special passenger carriage, and then 20 more wagons that were filled with people.

The train could go about 12 miles per hour, and it took the people on a 10 mile trip from Shildon to Darlington.



(from: wikipedia - locomotion no. 1)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Machines

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Caracal


We just learned about the Serval.

Another type of wild cat is the Caracal, also called the Persian Lynx.
The name caracal comes from the Turkish words for "Cat with black ears".

This type of cat lives in Africa and Asia.
It has long legs, and long ears with black tufts on the end of them.

Caracals can be almost 2 feet tall, almost 3 feet long, and weigh about 40 pounds.
Their fur can be either light brown or red brown.

These cats are great jumpers, and can jump over 12 feet high!
Sometimes when they are hunting, they can jump into the air and catch a bird as it is flying by.

Long ago in ancient Egypt people used to keep caracals for pets to help with hunting.




(from: wikipedia - caracal)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bathrocyroe Fosteri