Thursday, March 31, 2022

Linux and Unix


We just learned about the Mac OS.

Another two Operating Systems are called Unix and Linux.

Unix was created in 1970, and Linux was created in 1991 to be a lot like Unix but free.

Unix and Linux are very powerful systems, and unlike Windows and Mac OS you can use a whole bunch of different programs that act like windows for the things you want to do.
Things like Gnome, KDE or X11 are all programs that are separate from Unix and Linux, and you can pick which one you like best based on how they look.



(from: wikipedia - linux)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valvetrain

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Wolverine


We just learned about the Tayra.

Another type of animal in the weasel family is the Wolverine, also called gulo, glutton, carcajou or quickhatch.

The wolverine is the largest type of weasel, weighing around 50 pounds and growing over 3 feet long.
They have mostly brown fur, and sometimes have a white stripe that goes from their shoulders, along their sides and then to their tail.
In the winter these animals don't get icy frost on their fur because it is oily so snow and water don't stick to it.

Wolverines might be only the size of a dog, but they aren't afraid of a fight!
They have been seen even trying to fight off a bear over a meal of theirs, and they have been known to attack humans if they get too close.

The state of Michigan is called the "Wolverine State" because the people there like the idea of being tough and ready to fight if they have to.
In comic books, one of the super heroes is named Wolverine because is also super tough and always ready for a fight.


(from: wikipedia - wolverine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: De Brazza's Monkey

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Nasal Meatus


We just learned about the Nasal Concha.

Another part of the nose is the Nasal Meatus.

Remember that the concha are like shelves inside the nose that help split up the air to go into different paths.
The meatus is the paths that the concha sends the air into.


(from: wikipedia - nasal meatus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Neoplasm

Monday, March 28, 2022

United States Virgin Islands


We just learned about the country of Curaçao.

Let's learn a little about the country of US Virgin Islands!

This country is in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico.
It is about 350 square kilometers, and about 87,000 people people live there.
The people in this country speak English or Creole.


(from: wikipedia - united states virgin islands)

The flag of US Virgin Islands is an eagle holding a laurel for freedom and three arrows for the three main islands, with the letters V and I around the eagle for Virgin Islands.


(from: wikipedia - flag of the united states virgin islands)

To eat in this country you might have Johnnycake, which is a type of corn bread.


(from: wikipedia - johnnycake)

Visiting this country you might go see TrunK Bay, which is named after the Leatherback Turtles that are nicknamed Trunks.

(from: wikipedia - trunk bay)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Montenegro

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Jesus Loves Me


We just learned about the Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

There are some other good songs about God and Jesus for kids that maybe aren't Christmas songs, but they are pretty well known.

One of the most popular ones is Jesus Loves Me, written in New York in 1862.

This song was first written down as a poem by Susan Warner, and then the music was added by William Batchelder Bradbury.

In a lot of music books the song is actually just called "China", because it was said to be the most favorite Christian song in China.
Long ago in China the people in charge there did not like Christianity, and people weren't even allowed to write letters to others saying anything about God or Jesus.
So one time someone wrote a letter and said "The this I know people are well".
They used part of the words from the song "Jesus loves me this I know" so that they could talk about being Christian but they wouldn't get in trouble.

Lyrics:
Jesus loves me—this I know, For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong — They are weak, but He is strong.
[CHORUS] Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me — The Bible tells me so!

Jesus loves me—He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. Refrain
[CHORUS]

Jesus loves me—loves me still, Though I’m very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high, Comes to watch me where I lie. Refrain
[CHORUS]

Jesus loves me—He will stay Close beside me all the way;
If I love Him, when I die He will take me home on high. Refrain
[CHORUS]

(from: wikipedia - jesus loves me)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Methodism

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Aminadab - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo


We just learned about Michelangelo's painting of Judith and Holfernes.

Another part of the Sistine Chapel are 14 half circles around the outside, showing the ancestors of Jesus.
One of those paintings is of Aminadab, which is sometimes spelled like "Amminadab".

Amminadab is in the Old Testament of the Bible a few times, throughout the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Chronicles, usually just being listed as part of the old family of God's people.
In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, there is a list of relatives of Jesus, going all the way back through some of the well known people like King David, and ending up all the way back at Abraham.
Amminadab is the Great great great great great grandson of Abraham, and the Great great great great grandfather of David.
So he was kind of in the middle of some more famous people in the Bible.

Michelangelo painted two people sitting beside a side that says "Aminadab".
There weren't really any paintings of Amminadab, since he was alive many years before Michelangelo did this painting, so he just imagined some people to put next to the sign to be part of Jesus' family.


(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Caterpillar - Norman Carlberg

Friday, March 25, 2022

Hindi - Your food is hot


We just learned that in Hindi:
This house is big: यह घर बड़ा है (yah ghar bada hai)
This chair is small: कुर्सी छोटी है (kursee chhotee hai)
My drink is cold: मेरा पेय ठंडा है (mera pey thanda hai)

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

To say your food is hot you would say आपका खाना गर्म है (aapaka khaana garm hai).
It really means something like Your food hot is.

Your - आपका (aapaka) - sounds like ah-p-kah - 文A


food - खाना (khaana) - sounds like kah-nah - 文A


hot - गर्म (garm) - sounds like gh-er-m - 文A


is - है (hai) - sounds like hay - 文A



So all together आपका खाना गर्म है (aapaka khaana garm hai) sounds like ah-p-kah kah-nah gh-er-m hay.

hindi devanagari
(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: Chakula chako ni cha moto

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 24, 2022

Mac OS


We just learned about the Microsoft Windows.

Another type of operating system is called Mac OS, which stands for Macintosh Operating System.

This is a program made by a company called Apple, that has their headquarters in Cupertino, California.

If you have an Apple computer like a Macbook, when you turn it on it will start up Mac OS, and let you do things like go to the internet on your web browser, watch videos, work with pictures or listen to music.
Mac OS and Microsoft Windows are very similar, and both let you do a bunch of different things at the same time, with different spaces for each program that you can open, close, move or resize.

Apple first came out with Mac OS in 1984, called "Macintosh System Software" or just "System 1". Years later they would come out with a newer Mac OS and give it a higher number like System 2 or System 3. Later on they just started calling it Mac OS 7, 8 or 9.
When they were making Mac OS 10, they used "X" for the Roman numeral 10, and then had a bunch of different names for Mac OS X named after wild cats, like Mac OS Tiger or Mac OS Lion.
Now they have changed to using the name of a place, like macOS Yosemite, or macOS Monterey.

Every time they come up with a new name or number for MacOS they add new things the operating system can do.




(from: wikipedia - macintosh operating systems)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tappet

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Tayra


We just learned about the Chinese Ferret Badger.

Another type of animal in the same family is the Tayra, also called the tolomuco, perico ligero, motete, irara, san hol, viejo de monte, high-woods dog, or eira barbara.

These animals grow to be about 65 centimeters long, and weigh about 5 kilograms.
They have dark brown or black fur, a yellow orange spot on their chest, and their head is usually a lighter color.
On their feet they have very long toes and sharp claws that they use to climb into the trees where they make their homes.

Some people keep these animals as pets, because they like to eat bugs and other small animals that might be pests.

In the wild the Tayra has been seen taking plantains which are like bananas, and putting them out in the sun to ripen so they can eat them.


(from: wikipedia - tayra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Green Monkey

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Nasal Concha


We just learned about the Choana.

Another part of the nose is the Concha.

Inside the nose, the concha are long bony shelves that help split up the air coming in so the air comes in nice and steady.

Part of this nose has some nerves and blood vessels coming in that some people think are the cause of brain freeze.


(from: wikipedia - nasal concha)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lymphoma

Monday, March 21, 2022

Curaçao


We just learned about the country of Turks and Caicos Islands

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

This country is in the Caribbean Sea, just north of South America.
It is about 444 square kilometers, and about 155,000 people live there.
The people in this country speak either Dutch, Papiamentu, or English.
Papiamentu is a language made up of a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch.
The country is a land owned by the Netherlands, and it is made up of one main island and then a smaller one called Klein Curaçao.


(from: wikipedia - curaçao)

The flag of Curaçao is blue with a yellow stripe and two white stars.
The blue is for the sea nand the sky, the yellow is for the sun, and the stars are for the two islands that make up this country.


(from: wikipedia - flag of curaçao)

To eat in this country you might have oliebol, which are like donuts!


(from: wikipedia - oliebol)

Visiting this country you might go to one of the country's many beaches, like Kliene Knip

(from: wikipedia - kliene knip)

One of the bridges in this country is called Queen Emma Bridge. It is a movable bridge called a swing bridge.
The bridge is on floating pontoons, and it will split in the middle and swing out to make room for boats that need to go through.

(from: wikipedia - queen emma bridge)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Monaco

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town


We just learned about the Up on the Housetop.

Another famous Christmas song is Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.

This song was wrirten by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, in 1934.
Many different people have performed this song, but the first recording of it was 1934 by Harry Reser.
Over 200 different musicians have recorded this song, like Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, The Temptations, and Michael Buble.

There are a few lines only in the original song where the singer says he went to visit Santa's workshop and saw his plans.


(from: wikipedia - santa claus is comin' to town)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: First Great Awakening

Saturday, March 19, 2022

Judith and Holofernes - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo


We've learned about three of the corner stories from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings: David Slaying Goliath, The Brazen Serpent, and The Punishment of Haman.

The painting in the fourth corner is Judith and Holofernes.

In the book of Judith, the story is that Israel was in trouble with a powerful army.
So a woman named Judith went to see one of the generals that liked her.
She tricked him into thinking she liked him too, and then when he was asleep she killed him and saved Israel from being attacked.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stegosaurus - Jim Gary

Friday, March 18, 2022

Hindi - My drink is cold


We just learned that in Hindi:
This house is big: यह घर बड़ा है (yah ghar bada hai)
This chair is small: कुर्सी छोटी है (kursee chhotee hai)

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

To say My drink is cold, we say मेरा पेय ठंडा है (mera pey thanda hai).

Here's how to say it:

My - मेर (mera) - sounds like mee-drah - 文A

Drink - पेय (pey) - sounds like pay - 文A

cold - ठंड (thanda) - sounds like tah-n-dah - 文A

is - है (hai) - sounds like hay - 文A


So all together मेरा पेय ठंडा है (mera pey thanda hai) sounds like mee-drah pay tah-n-dah hay.

hindi devanagari
(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: Kinywaji changu ni baridi

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 17, 2022

Microsoft Windows


We just learned about the Operating System.

One type of Operating System is called Microsoft Windows.

This is a program made by a company called Microsoft, that has their headquarters building in Redmond Seattle.
If you have a windows computer, when you turn it on it will start up Windows and let you do things like go to the internet on your web browser, work on spreadsheets, watch videos or listen to music.
The idea of "Windows" is that each of those different programs is in it's own little window space, and you can open or close as many windows as you want.

Windows first came out in 1985 with Windows 1.0.
Every year or two they make changes to Windows to try and make it faster or better, and come out with another Windows with a new name.
Sometimes they call it Windows and then a number that keeps going up, like Windows 1, Windows 2, Windows 3.11.
Other times they name it after the year it comes out, like Windows 95 because it came out in the year 1995.
And then some other times they give it a special name like Windows NT, Windows XP, or Windows Vista.

Whatever the name is, every time they came out with a new Windows they would give it a new name and add some new things it could do.





(from: wikipedia - microsoft windows)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tappet

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Chinese Ferret-Badger


We just learned about the European Badger.

Another type of animal in the same family is the Chinese Ferret-Badger, also called the small-toothed ferret-badger or Melogale moschata.

This animal lives mostly in India and China, and grows to be about 40 centimeters long and weigh around 2 kilograms. Just like other badgers they have a face mask, and strong sharp claws, but they have a fuzzy tail.

These badgers are usually calm and quiet around humans and will sometimes live in wood or rock piles near houses, but if they get scared or feel threatened they will let out a very bad smell, almost like a skunk!


(from: wikipedia - chinese ferret-badger)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Patas Monkey

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Choana


We just learned about the Vomeronasal Cartilage.

Another part of the nose is the Choana, also called the posterior nasal apertures or internal nostrils.

This is the part of the nose that is behind the nostrils, where the nose meets the throat.
You can breath through either your nose or your mouth, meaning that your throat or trachea is connected to both your nose and mouth.

The spot where the throat meets the nose area is the choana.


(from: wikipedia - choana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Monday, March 14, 2022

Turks and Caicos Islands


We just learned about the country of Martinique

Let's learn a little about the country of Turks and Caicos Islands!

This is a territory owned by Britain in the Caribbean Sea, and is southeast of Florida.
There are about 30 islands, with Caicos being the biggest ones and Turks the smaller ones.
They make up about 1,000 square kilometers, and about 57,000 people live there.
The people in this country speak either English, Creole or Spanish.


(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)

The flag of Turks and Caicos Islands has a blue background, with the British flag on the top left, and the coat of arms of Turks and Caicos on the right.
The coat of arms has a yellow shield with a conch shell, lobster and Melocactus.

The Melocactus that is found on the island has a red top that looks like a Turkish hat called a fez, which is where the island got the name Turks.


(from: wikipedia - flag of the turks and caicos islands)

To eat in this country you might have conch fritters.


(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)

Visiting this country you might go to one of the beautiful beaches on the island, like Columbus Landfall Beach, which was named this because some people think this is where Columbus first landed when he crossed the ocean.

(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)

There is a statue of the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the island, because after it went into outer space, it came down and splashed into the ocean right next to the Turks and Caicos islands and was brought to the island.

(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Moldova

Sunday, March 13, 2022

Up on the Housetop


We just learned about the Christmas Song Here Comes Santa Claus.

Another famous Christmas song is Up on the Housetop.

This song was writen in America by Benjamin Hanby in 1864.
It is the oldest Christmas song that is about Santa Claus.

This song was written right after the book "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" came out, which told the story about Santa landing up on someone's roof with the reindeer.
So people think that Hanby came up with the idea for his song from the story in the book.


(from: wikipedia - up on the housetop)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Amish

Saturday, March 12, 2022

The Punishment of Haman - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo


We've learned about two of the corner stories from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings: David Slaying Goliath, and The Brazen Serpent.

Another of the corner pictures is The Punishment of Haman.

In the Bible book of Esther chapter 3, a man named Haman is trying to get the king to have all of God's Hebrew people killed.
Esther is the king's wife and she tells the king about it, and Haman is put to the death.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Street Crossing - George Segal

Friday, March 11, 2022

The chair is small


We just learned that in Hindi this house is big is यह घर बड़ा है (yah ghar bada hai).

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

To say The chair is small, we say कुर्सी छोटी है (kursee chhotee hai).

chair - कुर्सी (kursee) - sounds like k-er-see - 文A

small - छोटी (chhotee) - sounds like ch-hoh-tee - 文A

is - है (hai) - sounds like hay - 文A

So all together कुर्सी छोटी है (kursee chhotee hai) sounds like k-er-see ch-hoh-tee hay.

hindi devanagari
(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: Mwenyekiti ni mdogo

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 10, 2022

Operating System


We just learned about the Image Scanner.

Another part of a computer is the Operating System.

A while ago we talked about the difference between computer Hardware and Software.
Hardware is the parts of the computer you can see and touch, and software is what makes the computer work and shows pictures on the monitor.

An Operating System is the main part of a computer software that makes the computer work.
For a laptop this might be Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Unix or Chrome OS.
Phones and tablets also have an operating system, like an iPhone runs on iOS, a Samsung or Google phone might runs on Android.

Whatever the operating system is called, it's the one that puts the pictures on the screen, takes in anything you click, tap or swipe, plays any sounds, and listens to any recordings you make.

The Operating System is what makes the computer Operate.


(from: wikipedia - operating system)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Exhaust Valve

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

European Badger


We just learned about the Greater Hog Badger.

Another type of badger is the European Badger.

This type of badger has the same kind of fur coloring as the hog badger, honey bader and american badger, but it is the calmest and nicest of all the badgers.
Some people keep this badger as a pet, and during the winter sometimes these badgers will share their homes with foxes or rabbits.

They grow to be about 10 kilograms, and they eat just about anything but prefer small things like bugs and worms.
With their long sharp claws, these badgers are great diggers, and usually make their homes next to a tree so they can scratch to keep them sharp.
Badgers make really big homes underground called setts, that can have 15 different rooms, shared with other members of the badger family.

In Europe there are old legends saying that some ancient families in Ireland were actually shape shifters and could become badgers.


(from: wikipedia - european badger)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Allen's Swamp Monkey

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Vomeronasal Cartilage


We've now learned about 4 different types of cartilage in the nose: Septal Nasal Cartilage in the middle, Lateral Nasal Cartilage on the outside upper part, Major Alar Cartilage the big flare out of the nostril, and the Minor Alar Cartilage the bottom of the nostril by the face.

The fifth and last of the nasal cartilages is the Vomeronasal Cartilage.

We leaned a while back that the vomer a bone that is part of your skull, behind your nose and above the roof of your mouth.

The vomeronasal cartilage is between the nose and the vomer, and helps support other parts of the nose that help you smell things.


(from: wikipedia - vomeronasal cartilage)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Monday, March 7, 2022

Martinique


We just learned about the country of Guadeloupe

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

This country is in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela.
It is about 1,000 square kilometers, and about 360,000 people live there.
The people in this country speak either French or Creole.


(from: wikipedia - martinique)

The island of Martinique is owned by France, so their country flag is the French flag.
There is a flag just for the island that is blue and white with snakes on it.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of martinique)

To eat in this country you might have Colombo, which is a type of curry or stew with meat, vegetables, spices, and coconut milk.


(from: wikipedia - ginataag manok)

Visiting this country you might go see Mount Pelée, which is an active volcano on the island. Mount Pelée means bald mountain.

(from: wikipedia - mont pelee)

Les Salines is a big sandy beach that is a haven for sea turtles to come lay their eggs in the sand.

(from: wikipedia - martinique)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Malta

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Here Comes Santa Claus


We just learned about the What Child Is This.

Another famous Christmas song is Here Comes Santa Claus.

This song was written in 1946 by Gene Autry, with the music written by Oakley Haldeman.
Gene Autry was a famous pop and country singer who also did songs about Rudolph and Frosty.

One day when Autry was riding his horse in a Christmas parade in Los Angeles, he heard the kids shouting "Here Comes Santa Claus" and that gave him the idea for the song.
A lot of popular Christmas songs just talk about the snow or gifts and don't talk about God or Jesus.
This song talks about how we are all God's children, so it is different from a lot of other songs because it mentions God.


(from: wikipedia - here comes santa claus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Salem Witch Trials

Saturday, March 5, 2022

The Brazen Serpent - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo


We've just learned that Michelangelo made paintings about four stories in the four corners of the Sistine chapel.
The first was a painting of David Slaying Goliath.

Another corner has a painting called The Brazen Serpent.

In the Bible book of Numbers chapter 21, it talks about God's people complaining and saying bad things about God, so he sent snakes to come out and bite them to teach them a lesson.
God told Moses to make a bronze snake and have people look at it if they believed in God and they would be saved.

This painting shows a group of people being attached by snakes, and then another group of people looking at the bronze snake and being saved.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Contour - Richard Serra

Friday, March 4, 2022

Hindi - This house is big


We just learned that in Hindi we are surprised is हम हैरान हैं (ham hairaan hain).

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

To say this house is big in Hindi you say यह घर बड़ा है (yah ghar bada hai).

In Hindi you are really saying "This house big is".

This - यह (yah) - sounds like yah - 文A

house - घर (ghar) - The "gh" in this sounds sort of like g-huh as one sound, gh-ah-r - 文A

big - बड़ा (bada) - sounds like bah-dah - 文A

is - है (hai) - sounds like hay - 文A


hindi devanagari
(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: Nyumba hii ni kubwa

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