Monday, May 31, 2021

Brunei


We just learned about the country of Bhutan

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

Brunei is a small country in eastern Asia, on the island of Borneo.
It is surrounded by a state called Sarawak, which is part of the country of Malaysia.

There are about 430,000 people in Brunei, and it is about 2,200 square miles.
People in Brunei speak either Malay, Chinese, Arabic or English.


(from: wikipedia - brunei)

The flag of Brunei is yellow with diagonal stripes of white and black through the middle.
In the center of the flag is the symbol of Brunei that stands for justice, success, peace.
The yellow stands for royalty and the black and white are for the rulers of Brunei.


(from: wikipedia - brunei)

To eat in Brunei you might have ambuyat, which is made from the trunk of the sago palm tree.

(from: wikipedia - ambuyat)

Visiting Brunei you might go to Jerudong Park, which is an amusement park with roller coasters.

(from: wikipedia - jerudong park)

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is a place of worship in Brunei, built in 1958.

(from: wikipedia - omar ali saifuddien mosque)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pole of Inaccessibility Research Station

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty


We just learned about the Great Is Thy Faithfulness.

Another famous hymn is Praise to the Lord, the Almighty by Joachim Neander.

Neander was a teacher and pastor, born in Germany in 1650 AD.
He wrote many hymns, but this one that he wrote in 1680 was by far his most famous.

Its title in German is "Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren", and in 1863 Catherine Winkworth translated it to the English words we know today.

The hymn was so popular, that in 1725 Johann Sebastian Bach made another song for the church based on the same words and notes.


(from: wikipedia - praise to the lord, the almighty)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Knights Templar

Saturday, May 29, 2021

43 Roaring Forty - Carl Andre


We just learned about the Roden Crater - James Turrell.

Another famous land art sculpture is 43 Roaring Forty by Carl Andre made in the Netherlands in 1988.

Andre was born in 1935 in Massachusetts.
He was famous for making abstract art in a minimalist style, usually with straight grids and lines.

In 1988 he made a sculpture called 43 Roaring Forty, which is like a long sidewalk made of 43 square blocks of steel.


(from: wikipedia - carl andre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Civil War Memorial - Martin Milmore

Friday, May 28, 2021

Swahili - March, April


Let's keep learning about the months of the year in Russian!

We already learned that January, February is Januari, Februari

Let's keep going!

March - Machi - sounds like mah-chee 文A

April - Aprili - sounds like ah-pree-lee 文A


swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Март (Mart), Апрель (Aprel') Norwegian: Mars, April

Greek: Μάρτιος (Mártios), Απρίλιος (Aprílios)

ASL: March, April

Italian: Marzo, Aprile

German: März, April

Spanish: Marzo, Abril

French: Mars, Avril


Thursday, May 27, 2021

Alternator


We just learned about the Fuel Injector.

Another part of a car is the Alternator.

We've learned about how a car burns gasoline for fuel to make it move.
There are some parts of the car that need electricity, not just moving parts.

When the car engine runs, it is hooked up to some belts that are hooked up to the alternator.
The car makes the belts spin around, and the alternator uses that spinning motion and charges up electric power.
It then uses that electric power to charge up the car battery and to run all of the electrical things in a car like headlights, windshield wipers and radios.


(from: wikipedia - alternator (automotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sun and Planet Gear

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Mantled Guereza


We just learned about the Mandrill.

Another type of Old World Monkey is the Mantled Guereza, also called the eastern black and white colobus, or the colobus guereza.

This type of monkey has black fur, with long white hair going on its sides and back, and white around its face.
They live in forests of Africa, and eats seeds fruits and bugs.


(from: wikipedia - mantled guereza)



October PRIMATE of the MONTH: Mantled Guereza - Apes Like Us


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Oncilla

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Metastasis


We've now learned about five of the six common signs of cancer.:
- Cell Growth where the cells grow too big too fast.
- Anti-Growth Signals where the cells don't listen to the body telling them to stop growing.
- Avoiding Apoptosis where the cells don't listen to the body telling them it's time to go away.
- Limitless Replication where the cells keep dividing forever.

- Sustained Angiogenesis where the body keeps making new fresh blood vessels for the cancer to use.

The sixth of the signs of cancer is Metastasis.

This is when cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
(from: wikipedia - metastasis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eyelash

Monday, May 24, 2021

Bhutan


We just learned about the country of Bahrain

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

This is a small country in Asia, bordering China and India.
Only about 750,000 people live there, and it is only about 15,000 square miles.

The country is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and people in this country speak a language called Dzongkha.


(from: wikipedia - )

The flag of Bhutan is yellow and orange, with a white dragon in the middle.


(from: wikipedia - flag of bhutan)

To eat in Bhutan you might have Ema datshi, which is made from hot peppers, cheese and rice.


(from: wikipedia - ema datshi)

The highest unclimbed mountain peak in the world is in Bhutan called the Gankhar Puensum, or also White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers.
It is part of the Himalayan mountain range, and the Bhutan people believe it is a special place so they do not allow anyone to climb it.

(from: wikipedia - gangkhar puensum)

The takin (Budorcas taxicolor; /ˈtɑːkɪn/), also called cattle chamois or gnu goat,[2] is a large species of ungulate of the subfamily Caprinae found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies: the Mishmi takin (B. t. taxicolor), the golden takin (B. t. bedfordi), the Tibetan (or Sichuan) takin (B. t. tibetana), and the Bhutan takin (B. t. whitei). Whilst the takin has in the past been placed together with the muskox in the tribe Ovibovini, more recent mitochondrial research shows a closer relationship to Ovis (sheep).[3] Its physical similarity to the muskox is therefore an example of convergent evolution.[4] The takin is the national animal of Bhutan.[5] The national animal of Bhutan is the Takin, which is sort of like a goat-antelope.

(from: wikipedia - takin)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Carlini Base

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Great Is Thy Faithfulness


We just learned about the hymn It Is Well With My Soul.

Another famous hymn is Great Is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas Chisholm and William Runyan written in 1923 in Kansas.

Chisholm was born in Kentucky, and became a Christian at age 27.
He went on to become a minister and write many Christian poems.
When he was 57 he wrote the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness about God's faitfulness during his life.

William Runyan worked for a company that printed hymns, and he came up with music to go with the words.

The title of the song comes from the Bible chapter Lamentations 3:23, where the prophet Jeremiah is sad that Israel is going to have some troubles but he has faith that God will take care of his people.


(from: wikipedia - great is thy faithfulness)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Knights Hospitaller

Saturday, May 22, 2021

Roden Crater - James Turrell


We just learned about the Circles of Time by Alan Sonfist.

Another famous work of land art is Roden Crater - James Turrell.

This crater is from the inside of an old volcano that doesn't work anymore.
In 1979 James Turrell bought the land where the volcano is in Arizona.

After he bought the land, he built tunnels under the ground to walk through, with rooms that open up to see the sun, moon or stars in special ways without a telescope.


(from: wikipedia - roden crater)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Joan of Ark - Anna Hyatt Huntington

Friday, May 21, 2021

Swahili - January, February


We just learned about the days of the week.

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

January - Januari - sounds like jah-noo-ah-ree 文A

February - Februari - sounds like feh-b-roo-ah-ree 文A


swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Январь (Yanvar'), Февраль (Fevral')

Norwegian: Januar, Februar

Greek: Ιανουάριος (Ianouários), Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários)

ASL: January, February

Italian: Gennaio, Febbraio

German: Januar, Februar

Spanish: Enero, Febrero

French: Janvier, Février

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Fuel Injector


We just learned about the Carburetor that helps bring the right mix of gas and air to the engine.

Another part of a car is a Fuel Injector.

A fuel injection does the same job as a carburetor, but it works a little differently.
The carburetor mixes up the gas and air and then sends the mixture over to the engine.

A fuel injection system instead sends the air and gas right into the engine, and it has something like a small computer that controls how much fuel and air goes in at just the right time and amount to make the engine work.


(from: wikipedia - fuel injection)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rotative Beam Engine

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Mandrill


We just learned about the Collared Mangabey.

Another type of old world monkey is the Mandrill.

This type of monkey has grey or green fur, a very colorful red and blue face, and big sharp teeth.
Growing to around 82 pounds and 3 feet long, these are the biggest monkeys in the world.

These monkeys live in parts of Africa, and are omnivores meaning they eat anything from plants to animals.
Mandrills live in big groups of hundreds, sometimes 600 to 800 in one group called a "horde".
The male monkeys help protect the horde, and are so big and strong that they will even fight off leopards who come to try and attack the horde.




(from: wikipedia - mandrill)



Mandrills! | Disney Animals | Disney Junior - Disney Junior


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Geoffrey's Cat

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Sustained Angiogenesis


We've now learned about four of the six common signs of cancer.:
- Cell Growth where the cells grow too big too fast.
- Anti-Growth Signals where the cells don't listen to the body telling them to stop growing.
- Avoiding Apoptosis where the cells don't listen to the body telling them it's time to go away.
- Limitless Replication where the cells keep dividing forever.

Another of the signs of cancer is Sustained Angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is how the body makes new blood vessels that carry blood through the body.
Sustained means it keeps happening over and over.

When the body gets hurt and starts to heal up, it makes new blood vessels to help bring more blood to heal.
Usually this is only something that happens when the body is hurt or when the body is growing as a young baby.


(from: wikipedia - angiogenesis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bulbar Conjunctiva

Monday, May 17, 2021

Bahrain


We just learned about the country of Wales

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

This is a small island country in the Persian Gulf in Asia which is a small area of water just surrounded by Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran.

Bahrain is made up of one big island and about 100 other small islands.
It is only about 290 square miles in size, and about 1.5 million people live there.


(from: wikipedia - bahrain)

The flag of Bahrain is white and red, with the middle of the flag shaped like a triangle line.
The five white triangles are for Islam.


(from: wikipedia - flag of bahrain)

To eat in Bahrain you might have Kabsa which is rice mixed with meat, vegetables and spices.


(from: wikipedia - kabsa)

Visiting Bahrain you might go see the fort Qal'at al-Bahrain, which is a very old castle that was built on top of ruins from older castles.
Archeologists have dug up old ruins going back 3,000 years.
Over thousands of years, different people have taken over this fort area, and built their new castles on top of it.


(from: wikipedia - qal'at al-bahrain)

If you are visiting Bahrain you might see flamingos that live there.

(from: wikipedia - bahrain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brown Station

Sunday, May 16, 2021

It Is Well with My Soul


We just learned about the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty by Reginald Heber.

Another famous hymn is It Is Well with My Soul, written in 1873 by Horatio Spafford.

Horatio was living in Chicago and doing very well as a lawyer for a while, then some very sad things happened to him.
In a big fire in Chicago he lost most of his money, so he decided to move back to England for work.
His family went on a boat ahead of him, but the boat sank and his four daughters died. Only his wife lived.
He got on a boat to go meet his wife in England, and while he was on the ocean he wrote this hymn, to say that even though he was filled with sadness, he could find peace in his soul knowing that God was always there to comfort him.


(from: wikipedia - it is well with my soul)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Third Crusade

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Circles of Time - Alan Sonfist


We just learned about the famous American sculpture called The Gates by Christo and Jean-Claude.

Another famous land art sculpture is Circles of Time by Alan Sonfist in 1987.

In Tuscany Italy, Sonfist started with a bunch plants grouped together in one spot that were from the Tuscany area.
Around that he made a circle of branches from a forest that he coated in bronze, mixed in with thyme herbs growing there.
He made a second circle around that made of laurel.
A third circle around that is galestro stone.
The fourth circle is olive trees, and the last circle is made of wheat.

Each circle has a meaning to the people of Italy and the art is living so people can actually gather the wheat and other plants.


(from: wikipedia - alan sonfist)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Penguins - Albert Laessle

Friday, May 14, 2021

Swahili - Saturday, Sunday


We just learned that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Swahili is Jumatutu, Jumanne, Jumatano
and Thursday, Friday is Alhamisi, Ijumaa.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Saturday - Jumamosi - sounds like joo-mah-moh-see 文A

Sunday - Jumapili - sounds like joo-mah-pee-lee 文A


swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Суббота (Subbota), Воскресенье (Voskresen'ye)

Norwegian: Lørdag, Søndag

Greek: Σάββατο (Sávvato), Κυριακή (Kyriakí)

ASL: Saturday, Sunday

Italian: Sabato, Domenica

German: Samstag, Sonntag

Spanish: Sabado, Domingo

French: Samedi, Dimanche

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Carburetor


We just learned about the Oil Filter.

Another part of a car is the Carburetor.

In order for the car's engine to burn up the gas it uses for fuel, it needs to have the right mixture of air and gas.
With a campfire you need wood as fuel mixed with air to make it burn. The same goes for car engines, but you use gas mixed with air, and it has to be the right amount of each for the car to burn the fuel and make the engine run.

The carburetor helps the engine control how much fuel and air are brought to the engine to get the right mix so the engine will run.


(from: wikipedia - carburetor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Newcomen Engine

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Collared Mangabey


We just learned about the Gelada.

Another type of Old World Monkey is the Collared Mangabey, also called the red capped mangabey, white collared mangabey and cercocebus torquatus.

This monkey has grey fur with a brown red top of its head and white fur around its neck like a collar.
It also has white eyelids, so sometimes people think it looks like it has four eyes.

These monkeys grow to be about 22 pounds and two feet long.


(from: wikipedia - collared mangabey)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kodkod

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Limitless Replication


We've now learned about six of the common signs of cancer.:
- Cell Growth where the cells grow too big too fast.
- Anti-Growth Signals where the cells don't listen to the body telling them to stop growing.
- Avoiding Apoptosis where the cells don't listen to the body telling them it's time to go away.

Another of the six signs of cancer is Limitless Replication.

This means cells can keep dividing forever.

Normally in the human body our cells will divide a few times, and then eventually they will get to a point where they've divided too many times and they will die off and go away.

Cancer cells don't do that, so they can just keep dividing over and over forever.


(from: wikipedia - hayflick limit)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lacrimal Lake

Monday, May 10, 2021

Wales


We just learned about the country of Slovenia

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

Just like Ireland, England and Scotland, this is a country that is a part of the United Kingdom.

Wales is part of the same island as England and Scotland, just west of where England is.
It is only about 8,000 square miles, but has over 3 million people living there.


(from: wikipedia - wales)

The flag of Wales is white and green, with a red dragon on it.
There are ancient stories about a dragon that lived in Wales, and is buried under one of the big hills in the country.


(from: wikipedia - flag of wales)

To eat in Wales you might have Welsh Cakes, which are small cakes a few inches wide, and usually flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg.


(from: wikipedia - welsh cake)

Visiting Wales you might go see Caernarfon Castle built in 1283.

(from: wikipedia - caernarfon castle)

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a type of dog that came from Wales.

(from: wikipedia - cardigan welsh corgi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Vernadsky Research Base

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty - Reginald Heber


We just learned about the How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg.

Another famous hymn is Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty by Reginald Heber.

When Heber was working for the churches back in the early 1800s, most churches thought people should only sing from the book of Psalms, and without a lot of changes in music notes from high to low.

Heber really wanted people to sing more types of music, so he wrote this song that talks about the holy trinity.
It has been one of the most popular hymns in the world now for hundreds of years.


(from: wikipedia - holy, holy, holy! lord god almighty)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Second Crusade

Saturday, May 8, 2021

The Gates - Christo and Jean-Claude


We just learned about the Two Running Violet V Forms by Robert Irwin.

Another famous American land art is The Gates by Christo and Jean-Claude made in New York City in 2005.



(from: wikipedia - the gates)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: John Dill - Herbert Haseltine

Friday, May 7, 2021

Swahili - Thursday, Friday


We just learned that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Swahili is Jumatutu, Jumanne, Jumatano.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Thursday - Alhamisi - sounds like cheh-t-v-yeh-rg 文A

Friday - Ijumaa - sounds like P-yah-t-nih-t-sah 文A


swahili
(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Четверг (Chetverg), пятница (Pyatnitsa)

Norwegian: Torsdag, Fredag

Greek: Πέμπτη (Pémpti), Παρασκευή (Paraskeví)

ASL: Thursday, Friday

Italian: Giovedì, Venerdì

German: Donnerstag, Freitag

Spanish: Viernes, Jueves

French: Jeudi, Vendredi

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Oil Filter


We just learned about the Oil Pump.

Another part of a car is the Oil Filter.

We've learned that oil goes through the motor to keep things running smoothly, and that the oil pump is the thing that pushes the oil through the motor.

The oil gets dirty after going through the engine, and so it has to get cleaned up.
The oil filter is hooked up to the engine, and the oil gets pumped into that, cleaned up and then sent back out to the engine.

Because these oil filters get very dirty, they have to be changed out for new ones when they are used up.


(from: wikipedia - oil filter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Steam Pump

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Gelada


We just learned about the Olive Baboon.

Another type of old world monkey is the Gelada, also sometimes called the bleeding-heart monkey.

This type of monkey is lives only in the mountains in Ethiopia.
They grow to be about 40 pounds and a little over 2 feet tall.

These monkeys have mostly black or brown fur, but they have an hourglass shaped place on their chest with no hair where their skin is bright red.
They usually sleep on the cliffs in the mountains and then go to the grassland areas to eat.



(from: wikipedia - gelada)



These Ethiopian Geladas Produce a Very Human-like Sound (4K) - Smithsonian Channel


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Margay

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Avoiding Apoptosis


We just learned about the Anti-Growth Signals of cancer, where the cells won't listen to the body telling them to stop.

Another part of cancer is Avoiding Apoptosis.

All of the cells in our body are created, live for a while and then go away.
Apoptosis is the part at the end of a cell's life where it would die and go away.

In a cancer cell, it doesn't listen to the body telling it that it's time to go away, and so they avoid apoptosis.
These cells that are not working right do not go away, and then the body can be flooded with the wrong types of cells.


(from: wikipedia - apoptosis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Canthus

Monday, May 3, 2021

Slovenia


We just learned about the country of Slovakia

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

This is a small country in eastern Europe, bordering Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia.
It is about 8,000 square miles and about 2 million people live there.

People in Slovenia usually speak Slovene, Italian or Hungarian.


(from: wikipedia - slovenia)

The flag of Slovenia is stripes of white, blue and red with the coat of arms of Slovenia.
On the coat of arms is a white mountain for Mount Triglav, wavy lines for the sea, and three golden stars for the old rulers of the land.


(from: wikipedia - flag of slovenia)

To eat in Slovenia you might have Potica which is a type of rolled pastry with ground up walnuts.


(from: wikipedia - slovenian potica)

Visiting Slovenia you might go see the mountain Triglav, which is about 10,000 feet high.


(from: wikipedia - triglav)

In Slovenia there are famous old stories from 1858 of a fairy tale hero named Martin Krpan, who was so strong he would do things like carry around his own horse.

(from: wikipedia - martin krpan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Palmer Research Base