Sunday, February 28, 2021

Pilgrims


We just learned about the Thirty Years' War.

Another part of early Christianity is the Pilgrims.

We learned before about the Puritans who wanted to worship God in a different way than the English church.
Some people decided to get away from England so they could worship in the way they thought was right.

A group of about 100 people got on a boat called the Mayflower, and landed in the area now known as Massachusetts.
These people were the ones who told the story of the first Thanksgiving, and also how they landed on Plymouth Rock.


(from: wikipedia - pilgrims (plymouth colony))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cyrillic Script

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Untitled - Donald Judd


We just learned about the Four Squares in Square Arrangement by George Rickey.

Another famous American sculpture is Untitled by Donald Judd, made in 1991 in New York.

Judd was born in 1928 in Missouri, and went to art school in New York.

He was famous for making art that was called Minimalism.
The sculptures that he made were very simple, with straight lines and edges and simple colors.
One big difference for his art is that he sometimes used machines to cut and shape his art, instead of making it using hand held tools.

His art "Untitled" is about 25 feet long, 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide.
It is made out of aluminum that is then painted.

Some of his art looks like a piece of furniture, and he even worked later on to make some tables and chairs for furniture companies.


(from: wikipedia - donald judd)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Standing Lincoln - Augustus Saint Gaudens

Friday, February 26, 2021

Swahili - We are surprised


We just learned that in Swahili I am happy is Nina furaha,
you are sad is Una huzuni,
he is angry is Ana hasira,
and they are excited is Wanafurahi.

Let's learn how to say We are surprised.

Tunashangaa - Sounds like too-nah-shah-n-gah - 文A



swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Мы удивлены (My udivleny)

Norwegian: Vi er overrasket

Greek: Είναι έκπληκτοι (Eínai ékpliktoi)

ASL: We are surprised

German: Wir sind begeistert

Spanish: Estamos sorprendido

French: Nous sommes surpris

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Camshaft


We just learned about the Oil Galleries.

Another part of a car engine is the Camshaft.

We learned a long time ago that a Cam is a disc with a bump on it that spins around and pushes down to open up valves for the engine.

The camshaft is the long metal pole that cams are attached to.
The shaft spins around, and the cams take turns pushing down with their bumps at different times.



(from: wikipedia - camshaft)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hydraulics

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Nomascus Gibbon


We just learned about the Siamang type of Gibbon Primate.

Another type of Primate is the Nomascus Gibbon.

This type of gibbon lives in southern China and Vietnam.
There are 7 types of these gibbons: Black crested gibbon, Eastern black crested gibbon, Hainan black crested gibbon, Northern white-cheeked gibbon, Southern white-cheeked gibbon, Yellow-cheeked gibbon, Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon.

Each of these types of Nomascus gibbons looks a little different and usually lives in a different part of China or Vietnam.
Some of them like the Northern White Cheeked Gibbon have some white fur on their cheeks, the Southern White-Cheeked Gibbon has a white mouth, and the Yellow-Cheeked Gibbon has yellow fur on it's cheeks.

They all have very long arms that help them live in the trees, and most of them start out brown and then the male Gibbons fur turns black when they get older.

Northern White Cheeked Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - northern white-cheeked gibbon)

Southern White-Cheeked Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - southern white-cheeked gibbon)

Yellow Cheeked-Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - yellow cheeked-gibbon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snow Leopard

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia


We've learned about the different types of Leukemia, whether it is Acute or Chronic, and whether it is Lymphoblastic or Myelogenous.

If the Leukemia is Acute and Lymphoblastic, it is called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL for short.

We know lymphocyte white blood cells are made in the bone marrow.

They start as stem cells, then turn into something called lymphoblasts, then later turn into lymphocytes, and then later turn into B-Cells, T-Cells or NK Cells.

The human body is only supposed to have so many B, T or NK cells, and only so many lymphoblasts.

With ALL, the body makes too many lymphoblasts over and over, they don't turn into B, T or NK cells, and the lymphoblasts cause problems in the human body like tiredness, pale skin, fever, bleeding, bruising, enlarged lymph nodes, or bone pain.

Chemotherapy is one of the ways to try and beat this cancer, which is a type of radiation that tries to kill the bad cells.


(from: wikipedia - acute lymphoblastic leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rapid Eye Movement

Monday, February 22, 2021

Luxembourg


We just learned about the country of Lithuania

Let's learn a little about the country of Luxembourg!

Luxembourg is a small country in Europe, bordering Belgium, Germany and France.
People in this country speak either French, German or Luxembourgish.
It is less than 1,000 square miles, and has less than 1 million people living there.


(from: wikipedia - luxembourg)

The flag of Luxembourg is sideways stripes of red, white, and blue.
It's colors come from the royal family of Grand Duke Henry IV who was a rule back in the 1300s.


(from: wikipedia - flag of luxembourg)

To eat in Luxembourg you might have bouneschlupp, which is a soup with potatoes, bacon and onions.


(from: wikipedia - bouneschlupp)

Visiting Luxembourg you might go see the castle called Bourscheid Castle, built around the year 1000 AD.


(from: wikipedia - bourscheid castle)

The Court of Justice for the European Union is in Luxembourg City.


(from: wikipedia - court of justice of the european union)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Adrien de Gerlache

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Thirty Years' War


We just learned about Puritanism.

Another part of early Christianity was the Thirty Years' War.

We've learned that some people started becoming Protestants and worshipping God in different churches like Lutheran or Anglican instead of Catholic churches.

Sometimes leaders of countries like kings or queens would disagree with this.
The Thirty Years War was from 1618 AD to 1648 AD, where some countries in Europe went to war over whether people should be Protestants or Catholics.
Even though they all believed in God, they fought for 30 years and over 8 million people died in this war.


(from: wikipedia - thirty years' war)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity in Bulgaria

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Four Squares in Square Arrangement - George Rickey


We just learned about the Noguchi Table by Isama Noguchi.

Another sculpture by a famous American is Four Squares in Square Arrangement by George Rickey made in 1969 in Berlin Germany.

Rickey was born in 1907 in Indiana, and spent his life traveling all over Europe and America learning art.
He was in the military and worked on mechanical things like aircrafts and tanks, and when he got out he decided to make sculptures out of metal that moved.

Moving sculptures like these are called Kinetic Art.
Rickey's Four Squares sculpture is a metal pole with four metal squares on it that move a little as the wind blows.


(from: wikipedia - george rickey)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Charles Sumner by Anne Whitney

Friday, February 19, 2021

Swahili - They are excited


We just learned that in Swahili I am happy is Nina furaha,
you are sad is Una huzuni,
and he is angry is Ana hasira.

Let's learn how to say they are excited.

Wanafurahi - Sounds like wah-nah-foo-rah-hee
- 文A



swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Они взволнованы (Oni vzvolnovany)

Norwegian: De er begeistret

Greek: Είναι ενθουσιασμένοι

ASL: They are excited

Italian: Sono eccitati

German: Sie sind aufgeregt

Spanish: Ellos estan emocionados

French: Ils sont excité

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Oil Galleries


We just learned about the Coolant Passages.

Some other parts of a car's engine are called the Oil Galleries.

Oil in the engine helps things run smoothly, so that the metal parts don't grind against each other.
There are holes for oil that go like tunnels all through the engine block, carrying the oil around to keep everything slippery and smooth.


(from: wikipedia - engine block)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Negative Feedback

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Siamang


We just learned about the Hylobates Gibbon.

Another kind of primate is the Siamang.

This is the biggest of all the kinds of gibbons, and can grow to be over 3 feet tall and weigh over 30 pounds.

They are covered in black fur, darker than any other type of gibbon.

When the siamang yells, their throat blows up like a balloon, almost like a bullfrog before they make their sounds.



(from: wikipedia - siamang)



Siamang apes go wild - diana feeney


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Black Panther

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Lymphoblastic or Myelogenous Leukemia


We just learned about the Acute or Chronic Leukemia.

Another part of the Leukemia disease is whether it is Lymphoblastic or Myelogenous Leukemia.

If the leukemia is lymphoblastic, that means the problem is with the type of white blood cells called lymphocytes, usually the B cell lymphocytes.

If it is myelogenus, the problem is usually with red blood cells, some white blood cells, and some platelets.


(from: wikipedia - leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Smooth Pursuit

Monday, February 15, 2021

Lithuania


We just learned about the country of Liechtenstein

Let's learn a little about the country of Lithuania!

This is a small country in eastern Europe that borders Latvia, Belarus and Poland.
About 3 million people live there, and it's about 25,000 square miles. In this country they speak the language of Lithuanian.


(from: wikipedia - lithuania)

The flag of Lithuania is yellow, green and red stripes.
Yellow is for the sun and prosperity, green for nature and hope, red is for the blood of people who fought to protect the country.

(from: wikipedia - flag of lithuania)

To eat in Lithuania you might have cepelinai, which is potato dumplings stuff with meat, and covered with sour cream or gravy and bacon.
The name cepelinai means "zeppellins" because they look like the large flying blimps called zeppelins.


(from: wikipedia - cepelinai)

Visiting Lithuania you might go see Trakai Island Castle, built in the early 1400s.


(from: wikipedia - trakai island castle)

One special place is called the Hill of Crosses, where people have visited and left over 100,000 crosses through the years.


(from: wikipedia - hill of crosses)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctic Territories

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Puritanism


We just learned about the King James Version of the Bible.

Another part of early Christianity is Puritanism.

During the Protestant Reformation time when people were protesting to be able to worship God the way they wanted, there was a group of people in England and America who called themselves Puritans.
The word Puritan meant they wanted to have a pure church because they thought the Catholic church and Anglican church were both bad.

They were a very powerful group in Great Britain and the American colonies and they had very strict rules on what people could do.
Men and women were not allowed to dance together, people were not allowed to go to the theater, and they did not even let people play musical instruments in their church services.

They also did not like Christmas, and for a few years even made it illegal to celebrate Christmas because they thought people were just having crazy parties, and not worshipping God.


(from: wikipedia - puritans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Glagolitic Script

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Noguchi Table - Isamu Noguchi


We just learned about the Untitled by Larry Bell.

Another famous American Sculpture is the Noguchi Table made in 1947 by Isamu Noguchi.

Isamu Noguchi was born in California, then moved to Japan when he was young.
He moved back to America when he was a teenager, and then later went to art college in New York.
In the 1940s during World War II people thought that Japanese people in America were spies, and he was almost forced to leave America and go live in Japan.

Later in his life he was hired to design a nice looking table out of rosewood and glass.
A furniture maker named Herman Miller liked his table so much he asked Noguchi to make another one that they could make and sell.
It was very popular and became a famous thing for people to collect and have as fancy art that was also a table.


(from: wikipedia - noguchi table)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Abraham Lincoln - Vinnie Ream

Friday, February 12, 2021

Swahili - He is angry


We just learned that in Swahili I am happy is Nina furaha, and you are sad is Una huzuni.

Now let's learn how to say He is angry.

Ana hasira

He is - Ana - sounds like ah-nah - 文A

angry - hasira - Sounds like hah-see-rah - 文A


So all together Ana hasira sounds like ah-nah hah-see-rah.

swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Он сердится (On serditsya)

Norwegian: Han er sint

Greek: Είναι θυμωμένος

ASL: He is angry

Italian: Lui è arrabbiato

German: Er ist wütend

Spanish: Él está enojado

French: Il est en colère

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Coolant Passages


We just learned about the Head Gasket.

Some more parts of the engine block on a car are the Coolant Passages.

The pistons going up and down with the burning fuel makes a lot of heat for the engine.
To cool the engine down, there are little tunnels or passages that go through the engine, and when the engine is running there is cooling liquid that goes in one side of those holes and out the other.

The cool liquid helps keep the engine from overheating.


(from: wikipedia - engine block)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Encoder

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Hylobates Gibbon


We just learned about the Hoolock Gibbon.

Another type of gibbon is the Hylobates Gibbon also called the Dwarf gibbon.

This type of gibbon all lives in southern China or the island of Java in Indonesia.
Hylobates means "forest walker" which makes sense because these gibbons can climb through the trees very fast.

There are 17 different types of hylobates gibbons, from the Lar gibbons with white feet and hands, to the Bornean white bearded gibbon with a big white fluffy beard.
Some gibbons like the silvery gibbon have grey silvery fur, and then some are like the Pileated gibbon where the males have black fur and the females have white fur.

All of the gibbons have a kind of beard around their face, but these 17 different hylobates gibbons all look a little different and usually live in different places.

Lar gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - lar gibbon)

Bornean White-Bearded Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - bornead white-bearded gibbon)

Agile Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - agile gibbon)

Müller Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - müller gibbon)

Silvery Gibbon:

(from: wikipedia - silvery gibbon)

Pileated Gibbon:


(from: wikipedia - pileated gibbon)



Gibbons sing - oschu1000


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Leopard

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Acute or Chronic Leukemia


We just learned a little about Leukemia.

Let's learn about Acute or Chronic Leukemia.

Remember we learned that there are 4 main kinds of Leukemia:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)

The "Acute" or "Chronic" word at the beginning of the disease has to do with what kinds of blood cells are going bad, and how fast the leukemia is spreading.

Acute leukemia is very fast, and is made up of immature blood cells.
Chronic leukemia spreads slower, and is made up of mostly mature blood cells that are just not made right.


(from: wikipedia - acute lymphoblastic leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saccade

Monday, February 8, 2021

Liechtenstein


We just learned about the country of Latvia

Let's learn a little about the country of Liechtenstein!

This is a small country that borders Switzerland and Austria.
It is only 62 square miles, and about 39,000 people live there, and they speak German.


(from: wikipedia - liechtenstein)

The flag of Liechtenstein is a red and blue stripe with a golden crown on it.
Blue is for the sky, red is for the fires in people's fireplaces at night, and the crown is for the royalty.


(from: wikipedia - flag of liechtenstein)

The Rhine river makes up the border of Switzerland and Lichtenstein

(from: wikipedia - )

Visiting Liechtenstein you might go to the capital city of Vaduz and see Vaduz Castle, built before 1200 AD

(from: wikipedia - vaduz castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Marie Byrd Land

Sunday, February 7, 2021

King James Version


We just learned about Heliocentrism.

Another part of early Christianity is the King James Version of the Bible.

Through the years, the Bible was translated into English a few different times.

Some people thought that some of these translations were not very good, so King James of England hired some people to make a new one.
He had 47 Bible experts that worked in different groups to translate the Bible into English.
Then they took all of the translations people did and compared them to make sure they got it right.
Almost like having 47 people do the same homework problems, and then comparing to make sure everyone got the right answers!

With the King's support, they printed many of these Bibles and sent them all over Great Britain and any place where people spoke English.
Today the King James Version of the Bible is still being printed, and there have been over one billion copies of the book printed since it first came out.


(from: wikipedia - king james version)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saint Ansgar

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Untitled - Larry Bell


We just learned about the sculpture of Throwback by Tony Smith.

Another famous American sculpture is Untitled by Larry Bell, made in 1964 in Washington DC.

Bell was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Los Angeles, California where he grew up studying art and wanted to work for Disney some day making animations.

He was famous for making abstract art that was very simple and made people stop and think about his art.
The Untitled sculpture that he made in 1964 was made of metal like gold, and was made in a cube shape on top of a clear stand.

He made a lot of his sculptures with mirrors and glass, so that people would walk around them and look under, over and around all sides.
Part of the idea of his art was watching how people looked at it in different ways and came up with different ideas for what it meant.


(from: wikipedia - larry bell (artist))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Angel of the Waters - Emma Stebbins

Friday, February 5, 2021

Swahili - You are sad


We just learned that in Swahili I am happy is Nina furaha.

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

Una huzuni

You - Una - sounds like oo-nah - 文A

sad - huzuni - Sounds like hoo-zoo-nee - 文A


So all together Una huzuni sounds like oo-nah-hoo-zoo-nee.


swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Ты грустный (Ty grustnyy)

Norwegian: du er lei deg

Greek: Είσαι λυπημενος (Eísai lypimenos)

ASL: You are sad

Italian: Sei triste

German: Sie sind traurig

Spanish: Estas triste

French: Vous êtes triste

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Head Gasket


We just learned about the Cylinder Head.

Another part of a car's engine is the Head Gasket.

We learned already that there is a cylinder block which holds all of the pistons that go up and down, and a cylinder head that goes up above the piston to give it fuel and take away the exhaust.

The Head Gasket is in between the cylinder block and cylinder head.
It helps make sure that there is no gas or liquid leaking out when the block and head are connected together.


(from: wikipedia - head gasket)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Servo

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Hoolock Gibbon


We just learned about the Orangutan.

Another type of primate is the Hoolock Gibbon.

Just like chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, there are a few different types of gibbons.
Gibbons are the fastest and best tree climbers of any mammal.
They can climb as fast as 34 miles per hour, faster than a person running, and they can jump from tree to tree up over 20 feet away!

Hoolock gibbons live mostly in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and China.
They can grow to be about 3 feet tall about weigh 20 pounds.

When they are born they are either white or yellow colored, and when they grow older the males fur turns black, and females fur turns brown and grey.
They always look like they are wearing a mask because they have a white ring around their eyes and mouth.

These gibbons live together in pairs, and they eat mostly fruit, bugs and leaves.

There are four types of gibbons: Western, Eastern and Skywalker.
Each species is a little different in size, fur or something else like their teeth or eyes.
The Skywalker species was found not long ago, and was named after Luke Skywalker from Star Wars.


(from: wikipedia - )



The Western Hoolock Gibbon Sings and Swings Along the Forest Canopies - RoundGlass Sustain


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jaguar

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Leukemia


We just learned a little about Blood Cancer.

One of the three types of blood cancer is called Leukemia.

The word leukemia comes from the words for white and blood, because this is a cancer of the white blood cells.

This disease usually starts in the bone marrow where all of the blood cells are being made.
A type of blood cells called blasts that are not totally made right start getting made in the bone marrow and sent around the body.

These blasts take the place of normal healthy blood cells and then the body gets sick because it doesn't have the right kinds of blood cells doing the right jobs.

There are 4 main kinds of leukemia:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)

The different types of leukemia depend on which types of blood cells are having problems, and how fast the cancer is spreading.


(from: wikipedia - leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peripheral Vision

Monday, February 1, 2021

Latvia


We just learned about the country of Kazakhstan

Let's learn a little about the country of Latvia!

This is a small country that borders Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic Sea.
It is only about 25,000 square miles, and has about 2 million people living there.


(from: wikipedia - latvia)

The flag of Latvia is red with a white stripe in the middle.
There is an old story from Latvia of a soldier who wrapped himself in a white blanket before he died, and the blood colored the rest of it white.
The other soldiers used that colored flag to help get everyone to fight and win their war.


(from: wikipedia - flag of latvia)

To eat in Latvia you might have sklandrausis, which is a sweet pie made of dough with potatoes and carrots.


(from: wikipedia - sklandrausis)

Visiting Latvia you might go to Turaida castle, an ancient castle built in 1214.


(from: wikipedia - turaida castle)

Another famous building in Latvia is the House of the Blackheads.
The Brotherhood of the Blackheads was a group of people who helped defend the city of Riga.


(from: wikipedia - house of the blackheads (riga))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ross Sea