Turkmenistan

We just learned about the country of United Arab Emirates

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

This is a country in the middle east, bordring Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Caspian Sea.
It is about 190,000 square miles, and about 6 million people live there.
People in this country speak the Turkmen language.


(from: wikipedia - turkmenistan)

The flag of Turkemnistan is green with a red stripe on the left with carpet designs on the red above olive branches.
On the right is a white crescent moon and five stars.
The moon is for hope, the stars are for the provinces in the country, the carpet is for the tribes of people who founded the country.


(from: wikipedia - flag of turkmenistan)

To eat in Turkmenistan, you might have melons!
This country was once famous for growing all kinds of melons, and they grow over 400 different kinds of melon.

(from: wikipedia - )

Visiting Turkmenistan you might go see the Darvasa gas crater.
This is a hole in the ground that is abotu 200 feet across and about 60 feet deep.
A long time ago people were drilling for oil in the area, and found a place where gas was leaking out from the ground.
They lit the ground on fire to help get rid of the gas leak, but it never stopped burning and the crater has now been burning for over 50 years.


(from: wikipedia - darvaza gas crater)

There is a national holiday in Turkmenistan called Melon Day, because there are so many melon farms in the country.
Every year the second Sunday in August the people get together in the city of Ashgabat and have music, dancing and lots of melons.


(from: wikipedia - melon day)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Piedmont Glacier

Away in a Manger

We just learned about the Christmas song We Three Kings.

Another famous Christmas song is Away in a Manger.

For a very long time, people thought that the words for this song were written in 1883 by Martin Luther, and it was even sometimes called Luther's Cradle Song.
But after going back and looking at the writing, people now think that the words were first written in English somewhere earlier in America, and then later translated to German.

There are two popular tunes that people sing this song to. The one that is most popular in America was wrriten by James R. Murray in 1887. The other one that is more popular in Britan was written by William J. Kirkpatrick.


(from: wikipedia - away in a manger)


#4 Away in a Manger - James Ramsey Murray - Ukulele - Amazing Uku


Away in a Manger (Kirkpatrick and Murray versions) - Easy Piano Video Sheet - HaoStaff Official

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wycliffe's Bible

Leonardo's Robot

We just learned about Leonardo da Vinci's Paris Manuscripts.

Another one of his famous inventions was called Leonardo's Robot.

Some time around 1495, Leonardo da Vinci came up with the idea to make a mechanical knight, that could move around.
He made some sketches on how to make it using pulleys and cables that were inside metal armor.

He showed it off to some people in Milan, and by pulling on cables he could make it stand, sit, and move its arms and head.

His robot has been lost, but some people have followed his designs and made copies of what they think his looked like long ago.


(from: wikipedia - leonardo's robot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Detroit Zoo Rackham Fountain - Parducci

Swahili - Nine Hundred

We counted to 100 in Swahili, let's keep going!

200 mia mbili - sounds like mee-ah m-bee-lee 文A

300 mia tatu - sounds like mee-ah tah-too 文A

400 mia nne - sounds like mee-ah n-nay 文A

500 mia tano - sounds like mee-ah tah-no 文A

600 mia sita - sounds like mee-ah see-tah 文A

700 mia saba - sounds like mee-ah sah-bah 文A

800 mia nane - sounds like mee-ah nah-nay 文A

900 mia tisa - sounds like mee-ah tee-sah 文A


And here are some of the even bigger numbers!

one thousand elfu moja - sounds like eh-l-foo moh-jah

one million milioni moja - sounds like mee-lee-oh-nee moh-jah

one billion bilioni moja - sounds like bee-lee-oh-nee moh-jah

one trillion trilioni moja - sounds like t-ree-lee-oh-nee moh-jah

one google google moja - sounds like goo-gah-l moh-jah




(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: двести (dvesti), триста (trista), четыреста (chetyresta), пятьсот (pyat'sot), Сшестьсотто (shest'sot), семьсот (sem'sot), восемьсот (vosem'sot), девятьсот (devyat'sot), тысяча (tysyacha), один миллион (odin million), один миллиард (odin milliard), один триллион (odin trillion), один гугл (odin gugl)

Norwegian: to hundre, tre hundre, fire hundre, fam hundre, seks hundre, syv hundre, åtte hundre, ni hundre

Greek: διακόσια (diakósia), τριακόσια (triakósia), τετρακόσια (tetrakósia), πεντακόσια (pentakósia), εξακόσια (exakósia), επτακόσια (eptakósia), οκτακόσια (oktakósia), εννιακόσια (enniakósia)

ASL: two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred

Italian: duecento, trecento, quattrocento, cinquecento, seicento, settecento, ottocento, novecento

German: zweihundert, dreihundert, vierhundert, fünfhundert, sechshundert, siebenhundert, achthundert, neunhundert

Spanish: doscientos, trescientos, cuatrocientos, quinientos, seiscientos, sietecientos, ochocientos, novecientos

French: deux cent, trois cent, quatre cent, cinq cent, six cent, sept cent, huit cent, neuf cent

Computers

We just learned about the Tire Code.

We've learned a whole lot about car engines work!

Let's learn a little about Computers.

When we think of computers, some people think of the laptop they use at home, or the bigger computer they use at work.
Other people might think of the really big computers sitting alone in rooms at buildings doing gigantic amounts of work for hundreds, thousands or even millions of people.

There are other things that are computers that people don't really call computers, like tablets or iPads, cell phones, or video game systems.
All of these things have computers inside them that make them work.
These days even things like cars, airplanes, TVs, and even things like Washers and Dryers have tiny computers in them!

The first computers made were made over 50 years ago and filled up entire rooms with all of their parts.
Things have gotten so small now that a computer the size of your fingernail could do more than that whole room of computers did.


(from: wikipedia - computer)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Smokebox

Grey-Bellied Night Monkey

We just learned about the Black Capped Squirrel Monkey.

Another type of new world monkey is the Grey-Bellied Night Monkey.

Just like you would guess from their name, these monkeys stay up at night like an owl.
And just like an owl, they have really big eyes so they can try to see as much as they can in the dark.

These monkeys live only in some small parts of South America.
They only grow to be about 3 pounds, and they live in the trees eating fruit, vegetables, and small bugs.


(from: wikipedia - gray-bellied night monkey)


Night Monkeys of Yasuni National Park - Bigfoot Journeys
Kid Facts - Blast from the past: European Wildcat

Semicircular Canals

We just learned about the Eardrum.

Another part of the ear is the Semicircular Canals.

On the outside of the inner ear are three tubes that go out like circles and then come back to the ear.
These are part of the bony labryinth, and they are what help the body tell which direction the head is moving.

Inside these tubes is some liquid, and at the opening of the tubes are some very tiny hairs.
When you move your head around, the liquid bumps into the hairs, which send signals to the brain telling it that you are moving.

The three semicircular canal tubes go in three different directions so that they can tell whether you are tilting your head, moving up or down, or side to side.


(from: wikipedia - semicircular canals)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: White Blood Cell

United Arab Emirates

We just learned about the country of East Timor

Let's learn a little about the country of United Arab Emirates, also called Emirates or UAE!

This is a small country in the middle east, bordering Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the Persian Gulf.
It is about 32,000 square miles, and has about 10 million people living there.
People in UAE speak Arabic.


(from: wikipedia - united arab emirates)

The flag for the United Arab Emirates is has a red stripe on the left, and then sideways stripes of green, white and red.
The red is for courage, bravery, hardiness, strength, and unity.
The white is for cleanliness, honesty, peace, and purity.
The green is for prosperity, hope, joy, love, and optimism.
The black is for winning battles and strength of mind.


(from: wikipedia - flag of the united arab emirates)

To eat in UAE you might have maqluba, which is cooked meat, rice and vegetables, cooked in a pot and then flipped upside down when served.
The name maquluba means "upside down".


(from: wikipedia - maqluba)

Visiting UAE you might go to Dubai to see the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world at about half a mile high.

(from: wikipedia - burj khalifa)

In Abu Dhabi there is some man made land in the shape of a palm tree, called the Palm Jumeirah.
Also in Abu Dhabi is the fastest roller coaster in the world at 149 miles per hour, at the Formula Rossa at the Ferrari World park.

(from: wikipedia - palm jumeirah)

(from: wikipedia - formula rossa)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fjord

We Three Kings

We just learned about the Silent Night.

Another famous Christmas song is We Three Kings, also called Three Kings of Orient, or The Quest of the Magi.
It was written in 1857 in New York by John Henry Hopkins Jr.

Hopkins was working as a church leader in Pennsylvania, and wrote the song for a Christmas pageant, based on the story in the book of Matthew chapter 2.
In the pageant he had each wise man sing one verse, and then all three would sing the final verse.
The Bible doesn't actually say there were three kings, it just says there were three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It also doesn't say who the kings were, but later on in church history people think the wise men were named Gaspard, Melchior and Balthazar.

After the pageant it was just a song that his family and friends would sing together at Christmas time, but they all liked it so much he later decided to have it printed in a book of carols in 1916.
It then became famous all over the world, and was one of the first famous Christmas songs that was created in America.

Lyrics:
[Sung by All] We Three Kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, Moor and mountain, Following yonder Star.
CHORUS: O Star of Wonder, Star of Night, Star with Royal Beauty bright, Westward leading, Still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect Light.
[Sung by Gaspard] Born a King on Bethlehem plain, Gold I bring to crown Him again, King for ever, Ceasing never Over us all to reign.
[CHORUS]
[Sung by Melchior] Frankincense to offer have I, Incense owns a Deity nigh: Prayer and praising All men raising, Worship Him God on High.
[CHORUS]
[Sung by Balthazar] Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom; Sorrowing, sighing, Bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
[CHORUS]
[Sung by All] Glorious now behold Him arise, King, and God, and Sacrifice; Heav’n sings Hallelujah: Hallelujah the earth replies.
[CHORUS]


(from: wikipedia - we three kings)



We Three Kings - Claymation Christmas HQ - PigsAndSquigs
Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Divine Comedy - Paradiso

Paris Manuscripts - Leonardo da Vinci

We just learned about Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Arundel.

Another famous book of inventions that Leonardo wrote was called the Paris Manuscripts.

These were writings of his thoughts on science and inventions he dreamed up between the years of 1488 and 1505.
They are called the Paris Manuscripts because after Leonardo died these writings were all collected and stored in a museum in Paris.

The Paris Manuscripts have over 2,500 pages of Leonardo's writings.
He wrote about helicopters, submarines, geometry, botany, engineering, physics, painting, water, flight, and astronomy.

One of the most famous of his drawings was of a design for a helicopter he called the Aerial Screw.



(from: wikipedia - leonardo's aerial screw)


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Swahili - Counting to One Hundred

We counted to 99 in Swahili, let's keep going!

100 mia moja - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah 文A

101 mia moja na moja - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah moh-jah 文A

102 mia moja na mbili - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah m-bee-lee 文A

103 mia moja na tatu - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah tah-too 文A

104 mia moja na nne - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah n-nay 文A

105 mia moja na tano - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah tah-noh 文A

106 mia moja na sita - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah see-tah 文A

107 mia moja na saba - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah sah-bah 文A

108 mia moja na nane - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah nah-nay 文A

109 mia moja na tisa - sounds like mee-ah moh-jah nah tee-sah 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Сто (Sto), Сто один (Sto odin), Сто два (Sto dva), Сто три (Sto tri), Сто четыре (Sto chetyre), Сто пять (Sto pyat'), Сто шесть (Sto shest'), Сто семь (Sto sem'), Сто восемь (Sto vosem'), Сто девять (Sto devyat')

Norwegian: ett hundre, ett hundre og en, ett hundre og to, ett hundre og tre, ett hundre og fire, ett hundre og fam, ett hundre og seks, ett hundre og syv, ett hundre og åtte, ett hundre og ni

Greek: εκατό (ekató), εκατόν ένα (ekatón éna), εκατόν δύο (ekatón dýo), εκατόν τρεις (ekatón treis), εκατόν τέσσερις (ekatón tésseris), εκατόν πέντε (ekatón pénte), εκατόν έξι (ekatón éxi), εκατόν επτά (ekatón eptá), εκατόν οκτώ (ekatón októ), εκατόν εννέα (ekatón ennéa)

ASL: One hundred, one hundred one, one hundred two, one hundred three, one hundred four, one hundred five, one hundred six, one hundred seven, one hundred eight, one hundred nine

Italian: cento, centodue, centotre, centoquattro, centocinque, centosei, centosette, sentotto, sentonove

German: einhundert, einhunderteins, einhundertzwei, einhundertdrei, einhundertvier, einhundertfünf, einhundertsechs, einhundertsieben, einhundertacht, einhundertneun

Spanish: ciento, ciento uno, ciento dos, ciento tres, ciento cuatro, ciento cinco, ciento seis, ciento siete, ciento ocho, ciento nueve

French: cent, cent, cent deux, cent trois, cent quatre, cent cinq, cent six, cent sept, cent huit