Cyprus Cat

We just learned about the Chantilly-Tiffany cat.

Another type of cat is the Cyprus Cat.

In the country of Cyprus there is a grave from almost 10,000 years ago with a person buried next to their pet cat.
It is the oldest grave anyone has found showing that humans kept cats as pets.

Some people say that this type of cat came from that line of original pets.

Other people think they came from in 328 AD when Saint Helen the mother of Emperor Constantine sent hundreds of cats to a monastery in Cyprus to help control the snake problem they were having.

There is even still an old monastery in the Cyprus town of Akrotiri called the Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats.

Wherever they came from, the Cyprus cats have thick hair and have lots of energy and are very good at jumping and running.
They can have different types of white or brown fur, but no spots, and their ears stick out in a V shape instead of straight up.


(from: wikipedia - cyprus cat)


(from: wikipedia - akrotiri (village))

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jellyfish Statocyst

Phagocytosis

We just learned about the Spleen.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Phagocytosis.

Some of the white blood cells we learned about get rid of bad things in our body in different ways.
One of the ways they do this is by using phagocytosis, which is wrapping their whole body around the bad bacteria, almost like they are eating it.
Then once the bad thing is surrounded, they break it down into pieces and get rid of it.


(from: wikipedia - phagocytosis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Photoreceptor Cells

Bulgaria

We just learned about the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Let's learn a little about the country of Bulgaria.

It is a small country in the eastern part of Europe, bordered by Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, and the Black Sea.
There are about 7 million people living there, and it is about 42,000 square miles.

(from: wikipedia - bulgaria)

The flag of Bulgaria is horizontal stripes of white, green, red.
The white is for peace, the green is for farming, and the red is for courage.

(from: wikipedia - flag of bulgaria)

To eat in Bulgaria you might have Tarator, which is a cold yogurt soup with other vegetables mixed in like cucumber or dill.

(from: wikipedia - bulgarian cuisine)

Visiting Bulgaria you might go to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is one of the biggest churches in the world, made back in 1912.

(from: wikipedia - alexander nevsky cathedral, sofia)

During some holiday parades in Bulgaria, people dress up in furry costumes with masks and bells on and dance around to scare away evil spirits in the town.


(from: wikipedia - kukeri)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctic Peninsula

Bonfire of the Vanities

We just learned about Christianity in the New World.

Another part of early Christianity is the Bonfire of the Vanities.

In 1497 one of the church leaders named Friar Girolamo Savonarola said that there were a lot of things out there that might make people sin, and he wanted to get rid of them.

Some of these things were like mirrors, makeup or pretty dresses that might make someone be vain, or think about wanting to be pretty instead of thinking about God.

Other things were like paintings, games, musical instruments or books.

He thought they were bad because if someone played a game, sang a song or read a book and it wasn't about God then it must be bad and should be destroyed.

So he made a big fire and had thousands of these things burned up.
Some things were just owned by people who lived in the town, but other things were famous paintings and sculptures that were destroyed by this fire.


(from: wikipedia - bonfire of the vanities)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity in Britain

Bearing Witness - Martin Puryear

We just learned about the sculpture of Students Aspire by Elizabeth Catlett.

Another famous American sculpture is Bearing Witness by Martin Puryear made in 1998 in Washington D.C.

This sulpture is 40 feet tall and weighs 20,000 pounds.
It is made out of sheets of bronze metal, wrapped on a steel sculpture underneath to hold it up.

Puryear was famous for sculpting abstract art.
He liked to use big shapes and simple things like metal to make sculptures taht could really stand out.

He grew up in Washington D.C, went to college for art, and then went into the peace Corps and traveled to Sierra Leone and Sweden where he learned some other kinds of art.


(from: wikipedia - martin puryear)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford

Swahili - One, two, three, four, five

We just learned that dog and cat in Swahili is mbwa and paka

Let's count to five in Swahili!

1 moja - sounds like moh-jah 文A
2 mbili - sounds like m-bee-lee 文A
3 tatu - sounds like tah-too 文A
4 nne - sounds like n-nay 文A
5 tano - sounds like tah-no 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)


Russian: раз (raz), два (dva), три (tri), четыре (chetyre), пять (pyat')

Norwegian: en, to, tre, fire, fem

Greek: ένα (éna), δύο (dýo), τρία (tría), τέσσερα (téssera), πέντε (pénte)

ASL: One, two, three, four, five

Italian: uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque

German: Ein, zwei, drei, veir, fünf

Spanish: Uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco

French: Un, deaux, trois, quatre, cinq

Brake Hose

We just learned about the locomotive Headlight.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Brake Hose.

Remember we learned before that when the engineer wants to stop the train he pulls a lever that uses the high pressure air brakes to push the brake shoe and stop the train.

When a train has a lot of passenger or supply cars behind the main engine, they can have brake shoes to help slow them down too.

The high pressure air brakes have tubes that go from car to car to bring the air pressure that closes the brake shoes to slow down the train.


(from: wikipedia - gladhand connector)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valve Disc

Chantilly-Tiffany

We just learned about the Bengal Cat.

Another type of cat is the Chantilly-Tiffany.

This type of cat has a long full coat with soft and silky fur.
They have golden eyes that get brighter as they get older.

These cats usually are in a chocolate brown color, but they can also be blue, light brown or even tabby.


(from: wikipedia - chantilly-tiffany)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ocelli

Spleen

We just learned about the Basophil.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Spleen.

This is a small organ about 3 inches long in the upper left part of the body, behind the stomach.

The spleen has a few jobs: - Remove old red blood cells that aren't good anymore
- Keep some extra blood in case of bleeding
- Recycles iron from old blood back into the body
- Fights bacteria and viruses using lymphocytes


(from: wikipedia - spleen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cone Cells

Bosnia and Herzegovina

We just learned about the country of Belarus

Let's learn a little about the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also called BiH, B&H, Bosnia–Herzegovina, or sometimes just Bosnia.

This country is bordered by Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea.
It is about 20,000 square miles, and about 3 million people live there.

(from: wikipedia - bosnia and herzegovina)

The flag for Bosnia and Herzegovina is blue, with a yellow triangle and white stars.
The colors are for neutrality, peace and for Bosnian culture and history.

The triangle is for the three different types of people living there, Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.


(from: wikipedia - flag of bosnia and herzegovina)

To eat in BiH you might have ćevapi, which is grilled meat with fruit and spices in it, and usually some bread.

(from: wikipedia - ćevapi)

Stari Most is a very old bridge in the town of Mostar, that was built in the 1500s.

(from: wikipedia - stari most)

Sarajevo is the biggest city in BiH, and has many famous old buildings and neighborhoods.
One of the most famous moments in history was in this city when someone assassinated the Archduke Ferdinand, which many people say was what started World War I.


(from: wikipedia - sarajevo)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: West Antarctica

Christianity in the New World

We just learned about the Spanish Inquisition.

Another part of early Christianity is Christianity in the New World.

After Christopher Columbus had gone across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered new lands, he came back to Europe to Spain.
The Pope Alexander VI told him to go back to the new world, and to bring priests with him to try and tell people in the new world about God and Jesus and see if they would be Christians.

On this trip Columbus brought 17 ships, and visited Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.


(from: wikipedia - christopher columbus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pope Gregory I