Category 2 Hurricane

We just learned about the Category 1 Hurricane.

The next level of damage on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is the Category 2 Hurricane - Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage.

These hurricanes have winds between 96 and 110 mph.

These will cause damage to roofing, uproot or snap trees, destroy mobile homes and cause power outages.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane juan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hail

Emerald Tree Boa

We just learned about the Green Tree Python.

Another type of snake is the Emerald Tree Boa.
This snake looks and acts a lot like the Green Tree Python, but they are from totally different parts of the world, and they are not the same snake.

The Emerald Tree Boa is from South America, and the Green Tree Python is from Indonesia and Australia.

They both live in trees, grow to about the same size, attack their prey by wrapping their bodies around them, and they even coil themselves up in trees the same way.

If you found one of these snakes in the wild, it would be really tough to tell which type it was!

A few differences are that the Emerald Tree Boa has large fangs and eats birds, and the boa has live snake babies, while the python lays eggs.


(from: wikipedia - emerald tree boa)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Basenji

Parietal Lobe

We just learned about the frontal lobe in the cerebrum part of the brain.

Another lobe in the cerebrum is called the parietal lobe.

This part of the brain is used for your skin and feelings, so when you touch something you can tell if it is soft or hard, smooth or sharp.

The parietal lobe is also used to help understand and speak languages.

And it is used to figure out where you are when you are moving around, which is called spatial awareness. An example of this is when you are in a house you can tell if you are in a smaller room versus a larger room, or if you go upstairs you can figure out which room you are above.


(from: wikipedia - parietal lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Femoral Artery

Lake Issyk-Kul

We just learned about Reindeer Lake in Canada.

The next largest lake is Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

This lake is in a mountain range, and even though through the winter the mountains are covered in snow, the water never freezes because there are hot springs feeding the water into the lake.
Hot springs doesn't mean the water is hot though, it just means the temperature is above freezing.
At the warmest part of the year when people go to the beach for swimming, the water is usually from 64 to 73 degrees F.
That's really cold for most people!


(from: wikipedia - issyk-kul)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nevada

Good Friday

We just learned about Maundy Thursday.

The next special day of Holy Week is Good Friday.

This is the day for remembering when Christ died on the cross.

Some churches will have prayers to remember each part of Jesus' walk to the cross.
Other countries have parades with large crosses and floats to remember what happened.


(from: wikipedia - good friday)

In some places they make hot cross buns, which have frosting of a cross on the top to remember the cross, and spices inside to remember the spices used when Jesus was buried.


(from: wikipedia - hot cross buns)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Empty Tomb

Younger Memnon

We just learned about Nefertiti Bust sculpture.

Another ancient sculpture is the Younger Memnon statue.
This is the sculpture of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh named Ramesses II or Ramesses the Great, and it is over 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
The statue used to have a lower body and legs, but they were broken.

This statue used to stand outside a large temple called the Ramesseum, a temple built for the pharaoh.
Rameses II was pharaoh for a long time and had many temples, statues and sculptures built through the time he was a ruler.


(from: wikipedia - younger memnon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: A Bar at the Folies-Bergère - Manet

Italian - Our table is short

We just learned in Italian their car is tall is La loro auto è alto.

To say our table is short you would say Il nostro tavolo è breve.
We can break it up like this:
Our - Il nostro - sounds like eel noh-st-doh /?/
table - tavolo - sounds like tah-voh-loh /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay /?/
short - breve - Sounds like b-day-vay /?/


So all together Il nostro tavolo è breve sounds like eel noh-st-doh tah-voh-loh ay b-day-vay.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Unser Tisch ist kurz

In Spanish:
Nuestra mesa es bajo

In French:
Notre table est courte

Category 1 Hurricane

We just learned about the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale used to measure hurricanes.

The first level on that scale is a Category 1 Hurricane - Very dangerous winds that will produce some damage.

These hurricanes have winds between 74 and 95 mph.

They usually are not strong enough to damage large houses or buildings, but could blow over mobile homes, uproot trees or blow off roof shingles.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane barbara (2013))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rain

Green Tree Python

We just learned about Corn Snake.

Another type of snake is the Green Tree Python.
These snakes live in areas like New Guinea, Indonesia or Australia.

They live in trees, and will loop their coils over the tree like a saddle, and then lay their head in the middle.
When they hunt for the rodents that they eat, they will hang down from the tree and surprise their prey.
They do not have venom, and they are constrictors.
That means they wrap their body around their prey and squish it.

Sometimes they will bite humans if they get scared, but since they do not have venom they are not very dangerous.


(from: wikipedia - green tree python)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chow Chow

Frontal Lobe

We just learned about the Cerebrum.

There are four parts of the cerebrum, called lobes.

The lobe in the front at your forehead is called the Frontal Lobe.

The frontal lobe helps control voluntary movement.
Voluntary movement means things that you control, like walking or moving your arms.
Involuntary movement is things you can't control, like your heart pumping, or your stomach digesting your food.

It also helps make decisions on what is good or bad, and helps make decisions on if two things are alike.


(from: wikipedia - frontal lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Abdominal Aorta

Reindeer Lake

We just learned about Lake Turkana in Russia.

The next biggest lake is Reindeer Lake in Canada.

This lake has a very deep circular part called Deep Bay Crater that was made when a large meteorite crashed into the earth.
There is also a legend about a giant creature that lives deep in that crater.


(from: wikipedia - reindeer lake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nebraska

Maundy Thursday

We just learned about Palm Sunday.

The next day in the church calendar is Maundy Thursday.

This day is to remember the Last Supper, when Christ sat with his disciples for the last time, washed their feet and then ate together.

Some churches remember the day by having foot washing ceremonies where everyone washes each other's feet.


(from: wikipedia - maundy thursday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Burial

Nefertiti Bust

We just learned about Tutankhamun's Mask.

Another famous ancient sculpture is the Nefertiti Bust.

A bust is a sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person.

This sculpture was made of limestone on the inside, and then stucco on the outside.
Stucco is like paste, and the sculptor used a few layers to make the face the way he wanted.
Once the shape was done, he painted it.

The right eye is made of black quartz, black paint and beeswax.
The pupil of the left eye is missing.
Some people think maybe the real person lost her left eye and maybe they made the statue to match it.
Others think maybe the sculptor left it open to help students learn how to make eyes.

Because the sculpture was so beautiful, Nefertiti was known all over the place as the beautiful wife of the pharaoh.
She also was the mother of the wife of Tutankhamen.
The hat she is wearing is called the Nefertiti cap crown.


(from: wikipedia - nefertiti bust)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Calling of St. Matthew - Caravaggio

Italian - Their car is tall

We just learned in Italian:
this chair is small is La sedia è piccolo,
my drink is cold is La mia bevanda è freddo,
and your food is hot is Il vostro cibo è caldo.

To say their car is tall you would say La loro auto è alto.
We can break it up like this:
Their - La loro - sounds like lah loh-doh /?/
car - auto - sounds like ah-oo-toh /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay /?/
tall - alto - Sounds like ah-l-toh /?/


So all together La loro auto è alto sounds like la loh-doh ah-oo-toh ay ah-l-toh.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Ihr Auto ist groß

In Spanish:
Su coche es alto

In French:
Leur voiture est haut

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

We just learned about Tropical Storms.

Another type of tropical cyclone is a Hurricane.

For a tropical cyclone to be called a hurricane, it has to have winds over 74 miles per hour for over a minute.

Hurricanes are put into categories of 1 to 5 based on how strong they are.
There is a scale called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which scientists use to tell which category number the hurricane is, based on how strong the wind is.


(from: wikipedia - saffir-simpson hurricane wind scale)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anemometer

Corn Snake

We just learned about the Blue Krait snake.

Another type of snake is the Corn Snake.

Corn snakes do not have venom and do not attack humans.
They help people a lot because they eat rats and mice that eat corn and grains.
Sometimes they live by where grains are stored and eat the rodents that would come and destroy the farmer's harvest, or spread disease to humans.


(from: wikipedia - corn snake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Afghan Hound

Cerebrum

Let's keep learning about the brain.

The largest part of the brain is called the Cerebrum.

This is the big part of the human head, where all of your thinking and feeling happens.
The Cerebrum is what sends all the messages to your body and tells it what to do, and it's also the part that gets messages from the body about sights sounds and feelings.


(from: wikipedia - cerebrum)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Thoracic Aorta

Lake Turkana

We just learned about Lake Taymyr in Russia.

The next biggest lake is in Kenya, called Lake Turkana.

It is the world's largest salt lake and desert lake.


(from: wikipedia - lake turkana)

There is a small active volcanic island in the middle called Central Island.


(from: wikipedia - lake turkana)

There are lakes on this island where many animals live, like flamingos, crocodiles, hippos, snakes, zebra, topi, oryx, giraffe, kudu and gazelle.

(from: wikipedia - lake turkana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Montana

Palm Sunday

We just learned about Holy Week.

Another day in the church calendar is Palm Sunday.

On this day, churches celebrate the day that Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey and people waved palm branches and laid them at his feet.

The colors at the church are usually red for Palm Sunday.
Some churches hand out palm branches for people to hold while singing hymns.
These palms are then taken home to put above a cross or picture of Christ.
Some churches keep those palm branches until the next year's Ash Wednesday when they burn them and use the ashes.


(from: wikipedia - palm sunday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - It is finished

Tutankhamun's Mask

We just learned about the Statue of Gudea.

Another ancient sculpture is Tutankhamun's Mask.

The mask is made of gold and weighs 22 lbs.
The face of the mask is a sculpture of the pharaoh's face.
It has inlays of colored glass and gems made of lapis lazuli, quartz, obsidian, carnelian, feldspar, turquoise, amazonite, faience and others.

The beard is inlaid with lapis lazuli.

On the back and shoulders are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs that write out what was thought of as a protective spell in ancient Egypt.



(from: wikipedia - tutankhamun's mask)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Thinker - Auguste Rodin

Italian - Your food is hot

We just learned in Italian:
this chair is small is La sedia è piccolo,
and my drink is cold is La mia bevanda è freddo.

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

To say your food is hot you would say Il vostro cibo è caldo..
We can break it up into four words:
ear essen ist ha-ees Your - Il vostro - sounds like eel voh-st-doh /?/
food - cibo - sounds like chee-boh /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay /?/
hot - caldo - Sounds like kah-l-doh /?/


So all together Il vostro cibo è caldo sounds like mine eel voh-st-doh chee-boh ay kah-l-doh.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)
In German:
Ihr Essen ist heiß

In Spanish:
Tu comida está caliente

In French:
Votre nourriture est chaud

Tropical Storm

We just learned about the type of Tropical Cyclone called a Tropical Depression.

The next strongest type of Tropical Cyclone is called a Tropical Storm.

This is when there is a strong circular thunderstorm with winds over 39 miles per hour and under 73 miles per hour.
A tropical storm can blow off shingles, and the heavy rain can cause flooding.


(from: wikipedia - tropical storm allison)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Roll Clouds

Blue Krait

We just learned about Coral Snake.

Another type of snake is the Blue Krait also known as the Bungarus candidus, or Malayan krait.

This is a venomous snake that lives in southeast Asia.
It has blueish-black stripes on its head and all along its body, and a white belly.

It is the 3rd most venomous snake in the world, and a bite from this snake can kill a human so they are very dangerous.
This snake is shy and usually won't go out to bite a human unless someone tries to pick it up or steps on it.


(from: wikipedia - bungarus candidus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saluki

Brain

We just learned that the Nervous System is made up of the Central Nervous System which is your brain and spinal cord, and the Peripheral Nervous System which is all the nerves going through your body.

Let's learn more about the brain.

The brain is the part of the body that is in control of everything.
It tells the body when to breathe, when to walk or jump, and when to smile.

It also gets sent all the messages from body.
When you stub your toe it sends a message to your brain telling you that it hurts.
When you see, smell, hear, taste or touch things, all of those messages go to your brain.

The brain also is what helps you think and learn.
From learning how to talk, spell, do math or even how to sing.
It's also where your memories are, where your brain keeps track of the things you've seen and heard.


(from: wikipedia - human brain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Descending Aorta

Lake Taymyr

We just learned about Lake Athabasca in Canada.

The next biggest lake is Lake Taymyr in Russia.
It is very far north, and is frozen over for all but three summer months.
In those summer months the temperature is about 44 degrees fahrenheit.


(from: wikipedia - lake taymyr)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Missouri

Holy Week

We've learned that the Lent season begins with Fat Tuesday and then Ash Wednesday, and then goes on for several weeks.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, as it gets close to the Easter holiday.


(from: wikipedia - holy week)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Crucificion - Why have you forsaken me?

Statue of Gudea

We just learned about the Cylinder Seal sculptures.

Another set of sculptures are the many statues of Gudea.

Gudea was a king in the land of Mesopotamia thousands of years ago.
The people he ruled over made many statues of him, and many of them survived for thousands of years.

The statues were made of different types of stone called alabaster or diorite.


(from: wikipedia - statues of gudea)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Charles IV of Spain and His Family - Francisco Goya

Italian - My drink is cold

We just learned that in Italian to say this chair is small you say La sedia è piccolo.

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

To say My drink is cold, we say La mia bevanda è freddo.

Here's how to say it:
My - La mia - sounds like lah me-ah /?/
drink - bevanda - sounds like bay-van-dah /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay-ee /?/
cold - freddo - Sounds like fd-ay-doh /?/


So all together La mia bevanda è freddo sounds like lah me-ah bay-van-da ay-ee fd-ay-doh.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Mein Getränk ist kalt

In Spanish:
Mi bebida es fría

In French:
Ma boisson est froid