Wednesday, March 31, 2021

De Brazza's Monkey


We just learned about the Green Monkey.

Another type of Old World Monkey is the De Brazza's Monkey also called the cercopithecus neglectus.

These are a type of monkey in a group called "geunon" monkeys, with has over 20 different types of monkeys.
The De Brazza's monkey is the biggest of all of the type of guenon monkeys, and it was named after the scientist who discovered it, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza.

This kind of monkey is very shy and hides from humans most of the time, which is why its scientific name is "cercopithecus neglectus" meaning it neglects or ignores people most of the time.

They are pretty easy to spot in the wild, because they have an orange crescent shaped mark of fur on their forehead, a white beard, which doesn't match the rest of their grey body.



(from: wikipedia - de brazza's monkey)



Baby De Brazza's Monkey - Oregon Zoo


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bobcat

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Neoplasm


We just learned about Lymphoma.

Another part of the cancer disease is a Neoplasm, also sometimes called a tumor.

Sometimes on a person's skin they get a lump that grows bigger than the skin around it.
Other times a lump grows inside a person's body on one of their organs like their intestines or lungs.

These growing lumps are not a part of the way the body normally grows, so doctors will take a look at them and see if they could turn into something like cancer.
If the lump is bad, a lot of times they will do surgery to remove them.

The word neoplasm comes from the word "neo" which means new, and "plasm" which means the liquid or gooey fat in the body.
So it basically means a new growth of something.


(from: wikipedia - neoplasm)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lacrimal Sac

Monday, March 29, 2021

Montenegro


We just learned about the country of Monaco

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

This is a small country in Europe, bordering Bosnita and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania.
It is only about 5,000 square miles, adn about 600,000 people live there.

People in Montenegro speak either Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, or Croatian.


(from: wikipedia - montenegro)

The flag of Montenegro is red with gold around the edge, and the coat of arms on the middle.


(from: wikipedia - flag of montenegro)

To eat in Montenegro you might have pasulj, which is a soup with beans, bacon, sausage and ham.

(from: wikipedia - pasulj)

Visiting Montenegro you might go to the Bay of Kotor, which is a bay of water on the Adriatic Sea.


(from: wikipedia - bay of kotor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Methodism


We just learned about the First Great Awakening.

Another part of early Christianity is Methodism.

In the 1700s a man named John Wesley was a priest in England and had some different ideas about how to worship God.
He believed that people had to go through a "new birth" in baptism, and that people should work very hard to help out people the world like sick or poor people.

He also felt that the church leaders should have church wherever they could to get people to come to church, even outside of a building or outside in a park.

The people that followed him started a church called the Methodist church, sometimes also called Wesleyan churches.


(from: wikipedia - methodism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Leif Erikson - Christianity in Greenland

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Caterpillar - Norman Carlberg


We just learned about the famous American sculpture Stegosaurus by Jim Gary.

Another famous American work of art is Caterpillar by Norman Carlberg, made in Baltimore Maryland in 1976.

Carlberg was born in 1928 in Minnesota, and went to art school in Minnesota and at Yale.

He was famous for a kind of art called Modular Constructivism, which meant he used the same shape over in different patterns to make a sculpture.


(from: wikipedia - norman carlberg)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider - Alexander Phimister Proctor

Friday, March 26, 2021

Swahili - Your food is hot


We just learned that in Swahili:
This house is big: Nyumba hii ni kubwa
This chair is small: Mwenyekiti ni mdogo
My drink is cold: Kinywaji changu ni baridi

Let's learn about more things we see every day.

To say your food is hot you would say Chakula chako ni cha moto.

Food - Chakula - sounds like chah-koo-lah - 文A


your - chako - sounds like chah-koh - 文A


is - ni - sounds like nee - 文A


of - cha - sounds like chah - 文A


hot - moto - sounds like vah-shah - 文A



So all together Chakula chako ni cha moto sounds like chah-koo-lah chah-koh nee chah vah-shah.

swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)


Russian: Ваша еда горячая (Vasha yeda goryachaya)

Norwegian: Maten er varm

Greek: Το φαγητό είναι ζεστό (To fagitó eínai zestó)

ASL: Your food is hot

Italian: Il vostro cibo è caldo

German: Ihr Essen ist heiß

Spanish: Tu comida está caliente

French: Votre nourriture est chaud

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Valvetrain


We just learned about the Tappet.

Another part of a car is the Valvetrain.

We've learned about the camshaft that spins around with cams on it, that pushes on the intake and exhaust valves for the pistons.

The Valvetrain is the name for all of the valves hooked together on the camshaft, pushing the valves in and out.


(from: wikipedia - valvetrain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pneumatics

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Green Monkey


We just learned about the Patas Monkey.

Another type of Old World Monkey is a Green Monkey.

The Green Monkey is part of a group of monkeys called the "Chlorocebus" which comes from the words "chloro" meaning green, and "cebus" meaning long tailed monkey.

There are 6 kinds of cholorocebus monkeys: Green Monkey, Grivet, Bale Mountains Vervet, Tantalus Monkey, Vervet Monkey, and Malbrouck.

These Green Monkeys aren't green, they just have some yellow fur on them, and they can grow to be about 17 pounds and 2 feet long.
They live together with groups of up to 80 monkeys like one big family.

When there is danger nearby these monkeys will yell to warn their family, and sometimes they use a specific yell for one kind of animal they are scared of, almost like they have a word for that animal.



(from: wikipedia - green monkey)



Newborn Green Monkey Part 1 - TheGregkoch


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jaguarundi

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Lymphoma


We just learned about the Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

Another type of cancer that happens in blood cells is called Lymphoma.

This type of cancer usually is when there is a problem with the lymph nodes that are all over the body.
Lymph nodes are normally small, but with this type of cancer they will swell up and don't work right anymore.

The two most common types of lymphoma are called Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Sometimes to get better a person will have to go through chemotherapy, which is a type of treatment where they use radiation to try and help.

(from: wikipedia - lymphoma)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lacrimal Ducts

Monday, March 22, 2021

Monaco


We just learned about the country of Moldova

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

This is the second smallest country in the world, just after Vatican City, and it is less than 1 square mile.
Only about 38,000 people live there, making it the 6th least populated country.
Even though it is small, with that many people there it is the most crowded country in the world.

People in Monaco speak either French, Italian, English or Monégasque.


(from: wikipedia - monaco)

The flag of Monaco is a red stripe above a white stripe.
These are the colors of the royal house of Grimaldi, the old royalty of Monaco.

(from: wikipedia - flag of monaco)

To eat in Monaco, you might have Anchoiade, which is a paste made from anchovies, olive oil and salt, usually spread on bread or other food.

(from: wikipedia - )

Visiting Monaco you might go to the Monte Carlo casino, which has been a world famous casino for over 150 years.

(from: wikipedia - monte carlo)

The Monaco Grand Prix is a famous race that goes all the way from one end of the country to the other.
Because it is such a small country, it has some sharp turns and is a very hard race to win.

(from: wikipedia - monaco grand prix)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Orcadas Base

Sunday, March 21, 2021

First Great Awakening


We just learned about the Amish.

Another part of early Christianity is the First Great Awakening.

In the 1730s in America, there were a lot of different people with different beliefs, like Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians.
There were also a lot of people who didn't go to church, or even who didn't believe in God at all.

During this time many of the leaders of the church went out and worked extra hard to try and get people to join churches, live their lives by the rules of the Bible, and love their neighbors.
There were a lot of people that were slaves at the time that were not even allowed to learn about the Bible, and some people went and started teaching them about God and Jesus and they became Christian.

This was called the Great Awakening because many people who were not Christian or didn't go to church changed their lives and became very active in their churches.

It also was a time where all the types of protestant churches all were telling the same kind of message.
So as long as you were a Christian, it didn't matter as much if you were a Lutheran or a Methodist.
This helped bring people together in a larger group of Christians without being so divided.

One of the most famous writings of this time was called Sinners In the Hands of an Angry GOD", where a preacher wrote to warn people that if they did not become Christians they would not go to heaven.


(from: wikipedia - first great awakening)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity in Russia

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Stegosaurus - Jim Gary


We just learned about the sculpture Street Crossing by George Segal.

Another famous American sculpture is Stegosaurus - Jim Gary.

Jim Gary was born in Florida but moved to New Jersey when he was very little.
When he was growing up at age 11 he moved out of his parents home, and started making money doing jobs and selling decorations he made himself.

In high school he learned how to be a sculptor, and when he was in the Navy he learned welding.
He used his sculpting and welding to make a lot of works of art, and later decided to make a bunch of dinosaur sculptures out of junk metal and old car parts.

Some of his sculptures were over 60 feet long and 20 feet high.
He painted them in bright colors so that they would look fun, and he was very famous in the art community and with kids who loved to see his bright colored metal dinosaurs.


(from: wikipedia - jim gary)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Bronco Buster - Frederic Remington

Friday, March 19, 2021

Swahili - My drink is cold


We just learned that in Swahili:
This house is big: Nyumba hii ni kubwa
This chair is small: Mwenyekiti ni mdogo

Let's learn about more things we see every day.

To say My drink is cold, we say Kinywaji changu ni baridi.

Here's how to say it:

Drink - Kinywaji - sounds like kee-n-y-wah-jee
- 文A


My - changu - sounds like chah-n-goo - 文A


is - ni - sounds like nee
- 文A


cold - baridi - sounds like bah-ree-dee
- 文A


So all together Kinywaji changu ni baridi sounds like kee-n-y-wah-jee chah-n-goo nee bah-ree-dee.

swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Мой напиток холодный (Moy napitok kholodnyy)

Norwegian: Min drikke er kald

Greek: Το ποτό μου είναι κρύο (To potó mou eínai krýo)

ASL: My drink is cold

Italian: La mia bevanda è freddo

German: Mein Getränk ist kalt

Spanish: Mi bebida es fría

French: Ma boisson est froid

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Tappet


We just learned about the Exhaust Valve.

Another part of a car is the Tappet.

The tappet is the part of the car that pushes on the intake or exhaust valves to open or close them.

Remember that the camshaft is above the valves, and is a rod with cams on it spinning around.
The bump on the cam pushes on the tappet, which pushes on the pushrod, which opens or closes the valves.


(from: wikipedia - tappet)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulse Coder

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Patas Monkey


We just learned about the Allen's Swamp Monkey.

Another kind of Old World Monkey is the Patas Monkey, also called the wadi monkey, hussar monkey or erythrocebus patas.

This monkey lives on the ground in the areas of Africa called the Savannah, which is grasslands with some trees.
They grow to be about 2 feet long, and weigh about 27 pounds.
These monkeys can very fast, at 34 miles per hour they are the fastest of all the primates!
On their faces, these monkeys have what looks like a mustache.

When these monkeys live together, they are usually in big groups of all female monkeys, up to 60 females together, and sometimes no male monkeys.
Male monkeys will sometimes live in groups together, but usually they just live by themselves.

Some people believe that these monkeys with mustaches were the animals that gave Dr. Seuss the idea for the Lorax.
They live mostly by special whistling thorn acacia trees, that might have given him the idea for the truffala trees.



(from: wikipedia - patas monkey)



Segera Retreat - rare Patas Monkeys - Wilderness Safaris


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cougar

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia


We just learned about the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Another type of leukemia is Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

We've learned about ALL, AML, and CLL.

The fourth type of leukemia is CML, meaning it is chronic and myelogenous.

Remember that the chronic means that it is slow moving, and the myelogenous means that the kind of white blood calls that are having problems are neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils.

When the body makes these myeloid cells, they don't go through the normal life cycle and go away, and the body ends up having too many of those cells.


(from: wikipedia - chronic myelogenous leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lacrimal Punctum

Monday, March 15, 2021

Moldova


We just learned about the country of Malta

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

This is a small country in the south east part of Europe, bordering Romania and Ukraine.
It is about 13,000 square miles, and about 2.6 million people live there.
The people there speak Moldovan, which is the same as the Romanian language, they just call it Moldovan in this country.


(from: wikipedia - moldova)

The flag of Moldova is blue, red, yellow just like the flag of Romania, and the coat of arms of Moldova is in the middle yellow stripe.


(from: wikipedia - flag of moldova)

To eat in Moldova you might have sarmale, which is stuffed cabbage rolls, usually served with sauerkraut and a porridge called mămăligă.


(from: wikipedia - moldova cuisine)

Visiting Moldova you might go see Soroca Fort which is a castle made around the year 1530.

(from: wikipedia - soroca fort)

One of the things Moldova is famous for is making wine.
They have a famous wine cellar in mileștii mici, which is over 150 miles long and has over 2 million bottles of wine, and is the largest wine collection in the world.

(from: wikipedia - mileștii mici)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctic Territories

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Amish


We just learned about the Salem Witch Trials.

Another part of early Christianity is the Amish.

In the late 1600s in Switzerland, a man named Jakob Amman thought that people were not living the right way to do what God wanted.

He felt that people were doing bad things, and thought people should live simpler lives where they did not get drunk, lie or cheat.

Amman also thought that if someone was a good hearted person it did not mean that they would go to heaven.
They would have to be re-baptized and accept Jesus or they would not be saved.

When he died, there were other people that wanted to follow the way he lived, and so the other churches called them "Amish" meaning they were living like Jakob Amman.

Later on some of the Amish people moved to the America and lived in small towns where they would just be simple farmers and not want to have a lot of money or anything exciting.


(from: wikipedia - amish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianization of Poland

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Street Crossing - George Segal


We just learned about the sculpture of Contour by Richard Serra.

Another famous American sculpture is the Street Crossing by George Segal, made in 1992 in New Jersey.

Segal was born in New York in 1924, and went to college to be a teacher.

He was most famous for making life sized sculptures of people that were made out of plaster bandages.
These were like white cloth that was dipped in glue, then stuck to a person who was standing or sitting however Segal wanted them to.

After the glue dried it was hardened and the person could move away and there would be a hollow mold of them.

He made lots of these types of sculptures, and they looked like people made of white cloth standing around.
His sculpture called Street Crossing was of a bunch of people standing around like they were getting ready to cross the street.


(from: wikipedia - george segal (artist))


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

Friday, March 12, 2021

Swahili - The chair is small


We just learned that in Swahili this house is big is Nyumba hii ni kubwa.

Let's learn about more things we see every day.

To say The chair is small, we say Mwenyekiti ni mdogo.

chair - Mwenyekiti - sounds like m-way-n-yay-kee-tee
- 文A


is - ni - sounds like nee
- 文A


small - mdogo - sounds like m-doh-goh
- 文A


So all together Mwenyekiti ni mdogo sounds like m-way-n-yay-kee-tee nee m-doh-goh.

swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Стул маленький (Stul malen'kiy)

Norwegian: Stolen er liten

Greek: Η καρέκλα είναι μικρή

ASL: This chair is small

Italian: La sedia è piccolo

German: Der Stuhl ist klein

Spanish: La silla es pequeña

French: La chaise est petit

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Exhaust Valve


We just learned about the Intake Valve.

Another part of a car's engine is the Exhaust Valve.

Just like we learned that the intake valves bring fuel into the piston, after the fuel is used up it needs to be pushed out of the piston.
The exit, or exhaust valve opens up and lets all the burned up fuel out so the piston can start over again.


(from: wikipedia - valvetrain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hydraulic Brake

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Allen's Swamp Monkey


We just learned about the Talapoin Monkey.

Another type of primate is the Allen's Swamp Monkey.

Just like the Talapoin monkey, this is one of the "Old World Monkeys".

This monkey got it's name because it was discovered by zoologist Joel Asaph Allen, and it lives in swampy watery areas.

These primates are about 2 feet long, and weigh up to 13 pounds.
They are strong monkeys, with greyish green fur, and a redish face.
Their fingers and toes have some webbing on them that help them swim in the water.



(from: wikipedia - allen's swamp monkey)



#NatZooZen: Allen's Swamp Monkey Zawadi Eats Bamboo Shoots - Smithsonian's National Zoo


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cheetah

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia


We just learned about the type of leukemia called Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Another type of leukemia is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Remember we learned that Chronic means the leukemia spreads slower, and the problem is with the lymphocytes.

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 CLL, the problem is with the body making too many B cells that are not healthy.

This can cause people to have large lymph nodes, or lower amounts of red blood cells, neutrophils, or platelets.
A person will sometimes get fevers, night sweats, lose weight or feel tired all the time.


(from: wikipedia - chronic lymphocytic leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lacrimal Gland

Monday, March 8, 2021

Malta


We just learned about the country of North Macedonia

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

Malta is a small country made up of a group of islands, which is called an archipelago.
There are three main islands that people live on, Malta, Gozo and Comino.

There are about 500,000 people living in Malta, and the land area is about 122 square miles.
People in Malta speak either Maltese, Italian, English or Sicilian.


(from: wikipedia - malta)

The flag in Malta is red and white, with a cross on the white part known as the George Cross, from King George IV.


(from: wikipedia - flag of malta)

To eat in Malta you might have kwareżimal, which is a type of baked treat made with flour, sugar, orange rinds and almonds.
This was a type of bread made during Lent because it did not need any eggs or milk.


(from: wikipedia - kwareżimal)

Visiting Malta, you might go see Ġgantija, which is an ancient temple made of stone that was built over 5,500 years ago.
It is called a megalithic temple, which means it uses giant rocks.
This was before the wheel was even made in this area, so when they moved these giant rocks they put small round stones on the ground and rolled the stones over them to get them together.


(from: wikipedia - ggantija)

In the town of Comino, there is a bay with white sand and deep blue waters, called the Blue Lagoon.
There are a lot of ocean fish living there, so a lot of divers and swimmers go to visit and see the Lagoon and the nature living there.


(from: wikipedia - comino)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Robert Falcon Scott

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Salem Witch Trials


We just learned about the Pilgrims.

Another part of early Christianity is the Salem Witch Trials.

During the years before 1700, people all over the world became very afraid of witchcraft.
They believed that there were women who were working with the devil and doing evil things.

Because people were so afraid, they would say that innocent people were witches, and they would have a witch trial.
The witch trials were very unfair, people would lie about what happened, and the innocent person would be called a witch and killed.

One of the most famous places for witch trials was in Salem Massachusetts where there were some girls who pretended that they were being attacked by another woman who used witchcraft.

The people believed the girls, and they killed many innocent people who were not witches.

At the time people thought they were being good Christians and fighting against the devil, but later on people realised that people were lying and that innocent people were being killed in the name of God.


(from: wikipedia - salem witch trials)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Neume

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Contour - Richard Serra


We just learned about the sculpture of Untitled by Donald Judd.

Another famous American sculpture is Contour by Richard Serra, made in Maryland in 2004.

Richard Serra was born in California, and went to art school in California and Connecticut, and spent some time in Italy learning art.
When he was growing up his father worked in steel mills, and he said that gave him lots of memories that he used to think about what kind of art to make.

Serra was famous for a type of art called "Process Art".
In this type of art, the final work of art is not as important as the process of making the art.
So finding all the pieces for it, making all the plans and then how it is all put together is part of the process of the work of art.


(from: wikipedia - richard serra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nathan Hale - Frederick William MacMonnies

Friday, March 5, 2021

Swahili - This house is big


We just learned that in Swahili we are surprised is Tunashangaa.

Let's learn about some of the things we see every day.

To say this house is big in Swahili you say Nyumba hii ni kubwa.

In Swahili you are really saying "House this is big".

House - Nyumba - sounds like nee-yoo-m-bah - 文A

this - hii - sounds like hee - 文A

is - ni - sounds like nee - 文A

big - kubwa - sounds like koo-b-wah - 文A



swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Этот дом большой (Etot dom bol'shoy)
Norwegian: Dette huset er stort

Greek: Αυτό το σπίτι είναι μεγάλο (Aftó to spíti eínai megálo)

ASL: This house is big

Italian: Questa casa è grande

German: Das Haus ist groß

Spanish: Esta casa es grande

French: Cette maison est grande

Intake Valve


We just learned about the Camshaft.

Another part of a car's engine is the Intake Valve.

There are valves right above the cylinders where the pistons go up and down, and they either let in fuel for the piston or let out the bad stuff called exhaust.

Remember we learned that pistons take in gasoline fuel, then push up so it is pressurized, it explodes with a spark, pushes the piston back down and also makes exhaust which is like smoke from a fire.

So one valve opens to let the fuel in, and the other valve opens to let the exhaust out.
The one that lets fuel in is called the intake valve.


(from: wikipedia - valvetrain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hydraulic Cylinder

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Talapoin Monkey


We just learned about the Nomascus Gibbon.

Just like chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons there are a few different types of monkeys.
Monkeys are grouped into Old World monkeys and New World monkeys.
There are 138 different types of Old World Monkeys.

The smallest type of Old World Monkey is the Talapoin.

Talapoin monkeys are only about 16 inches tall, and weigh about 3 pounds.
Their fur is yellow, black, grey and white.
These monkeys only live in one part of western Africa, around the country of Angola.

Most of the time these monkeys live in trees, but they are also good swimmers and will sometimes jump from the tree to water so they can run away from a predator.

For food they usually eat fruit, leaves or sometimes bugs.


(from: wikipedia - gabon talapoin)

(from: wikipedia - angolan talapoin)



Talapoin severní - Daniel Merhout


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jaguar

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Acute Myeloid Leukemia


We just learned about the type of leukemia called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

If the Leukemia is Acute and Myeloid, it is called Acute Myeloid Leukemia or AML for short.


We know white blood cells are made in the bone marrow.
The myeloid white blood cells are the ones that turn into neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, or monocytes that we've learned about.

They start as stem cells, then turn into something called myeloid blasts, then later turn into these other types of cells.

The human body is only supposed to have so many of each type of cell, and only so many myeloid blasts.

With AML, the body makes too many myeloid blasts over and over, they don't turn into any of the other types of cells, and the myeloid blasts cause problems in the human body like getting infections, having fevers, getting lots of bruises, and tiredness.

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 myeloid leukemia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Depth Perception