Thursday, September 7, 2017

Dip-slip Fault


We just learned about the Strike-slip fault.

Another type of earthquake fault is the Dip-slip fault.

This happens when the tectonic plates hit each other, and one of them slips down and the other slips up.


(from: wikipedia - fault (geology))



(from: wikipedia - fault (geology))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fuller

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Wyoming Toad


We just learned about the Vietnamese Mossy Frog.

Another type of frog is the Wyoming Toad.

These are true toads, and they are on the Endangered Species list.
At one time, people thought they were all gone, but then they found 25 of them in the wild, so they collected them and brought them to zoos and other places so they could save them and try to bring the numbers of toads back up.

There are still almost none of these toads in the wild, so the zoos are working hard to bring them back.
These toads have problems with certain types of fungus that grows in the wild, as well as some types of pesticides used to kill mosquitos.


(from: wikipedia - wyoming toad)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bushmaster

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Dense Connective Tissue


We just learned about Sharpey's Fibres.

The tendons and ligaments we've learned about are examples of what is called Dense Connective Tissue.

This tissue is usually made up of the collagen we learned about, and dense connective tissue is also found in the dermis part of the skin that we learned about.



(from: wikipedia - dense irregular connective tissue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dorsal Root

Monday, September 4, 2017

State of Mexico


Let's keep learning about Mexico States.

The most populated state in Mexico is actually called the State of Mexico, or "Estado de México" in Spanish.

So you could live in Mexico State and Mexico Country.

This state has the most people in it, and it is also the most densely populated, which means it is the most crowded, with 16 million people living there.
If this was a state in the US, it would be the 5th most populated state.
It surrounds Mexico City, which is it's own state.


(from: wikipedia - state of mexico)

The flag is just the seal with a white background.
The seal has the words "Patria, Libertad, Trabajo y Cultura" which means (Homeland, Liberty, Work and Culture).
Each word has pictures to show it's meaning.
Homeland: The Nevado de Toluca volcano, Pyramid of the sun in Teotihuacan, and a person dressed like an Aztec.
Liberty: A cannon with two crosses on it, for the Battle of Monte de las Cruces.
Work and culture: An open book for knowledge, with farms, a gear, sickle, shovel and flask to show the hard working people.


(from: wikipedia - state of mexico)

The Aztec people lived in the Valley of Mexico, where the State of Mexico is now, and there are many ancient pyramids and buildings from their time, in cities like Teotihuacan.


(from: wikipedia - teotihuacan)

One famous church from when the Spanish people came in and took over the land is the Cathedral of Tepotzotlan.


(from: wikipedia - tepotzotlan)

The highest point in the state is the Popocatépetl volcano, which is still active and still sometimes erupts!


(from: wikipedia - popocatépetl)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pamir Mountains

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Macarius of Egypt


We just learned about the famous hermit Anthony the Great.

Another monk from history was Macarius of Egypt.

He grew up and was married in Egypt, but then his wife passed away, and later his parents also died so he was alone.
He gave all of his money to the poor, and went to live in the desert alone.
One day he met Anthony the Great, who helped him learn to live out in the desert and how to be a monk or a hermit.

(from: wikipedia - macarius of egypt)


Macarius went on to help other people who wanted to give everything they had to the poor and live alone, and he created one of the first Christian monasteries, that is still around today in the country of Egypt.


(from: wikipedia - monastary of saint macarius the great)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anchor

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Annunciation of the Virgin by the Angel - Mochi


We just learned about the Neptune by Charles Antoine Coysevox.

Another famous Baroque sculpture is the Annunciation of the Virgin by the Angel by Francesco Mochi in Orvieto Italy in 1605.

This is actually a pair of statues, showing the story of when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her she was going to give birth to the baby Jesus.

The statues can be seen from all sides, and are set apart from each other, with the statue of Mary showing her jumping out of her chair in shock from the sight of the angel.


(from: wikipedia - francesco mochi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Arch of Constantine

Friday, September 1, 2017

ASL - Counting to Eighty Nine


We counted to 79 in ASL, let's keep going!

To do the sign for 80, make the hand sign for 8, with your index, ring and pinky fingers pointed up, holding your middle finger down with your thumb, and your palm facing away from you.
Then close your fingers together all pointed forward away from you, for zero.

For 81 through 89, just do the sign for 8, and then the sign for the number 1-9.

Here is a helpful video to show how these signs are done.


ASL Numbers 30-100 in Sign Language - My Smart Hands


ASL
(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: ottanta, unottanta, ottantadue, ottantatre, ottantaquattro, ottantacinque, ottantasei, ottantasette, ottantotto, ottantanove

German: achtzig, einundachtzig, zweiundachtzig, dreiundachtzig, vierundachtzig, fünfundachtzig, sechsundachtzig, siebenundachtzig, achtundachtzig, neunundachtzig

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

French: quatre-vingts, quatre-vingts-un, quatre vingt deux, quatre vingt trois, quatre vingt quatre, quatre vingt cinq, quatre vingt six, quatre vingt sept, quatre vingt huit, quatre vingt neuf

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Strike-Slip Fault


We just learned that a fault is when two tectonic plates crash into each other.

There are different types of faults, and different ways that the earth's crust moves during faults.
One type of fault is a Strike-slip fault, also known as a wrench fault, tear fault or transcurrent fault.

When an earthquake happens at one of these faults, the ground shifts side to side.
To show this, put your two hands in front of you on a table, with your palms flat on the table.
Have your hands touching at the sides of your thumbs and pointer fingers.
Slide your right hand forward away from you, and slide your left hand toward your body.
That is the same way the earth moves, slipping the two pieces of the earth's crust next to each other, but keeping them touching.

(from: wikipedia - fault (geology))


(from: wikipedia - fault (geology))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tongs

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Vietnamese Mossy Frog


We just learned about the Banded Bullfrog.

Another type of frog is the Vietnamese Mossy Frog, or theloderma corticale.

These frogs are found in rainforests in Northern Vietnam, China and Laos.

They get their name because they have bumpy green and brown skin that looks like moss growing on a rock.
This helps them hide from animals that would want to eat them!

If these frogs get scared, they will curl up into a ball and play dead.


(from: wikipedia - theloderma corticale)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Sharpey's Fibres


We just learned about the ligament.

We know that tendons connect muscles to bones.
The part where the tendon is actually connected to the bone is tied to the bones with something called Sharpey's Fibres.

These are made of collagen, and they are tied into the outer parts of the bone so that the muscle stays connected.


(from: wikipedia - sharpey's fibres)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anterior Roots

Monday, August 28, 2017

Mexico States


We just learned a lot about the Canadian Provinces and territories.

Let's move on and talk a little about the States in the country of Mexico.

Mexico has 31 states, and one of them is the big city of Mexico City.

The states are: Baja California Sur, Colima, Campeche, Nayarit, Tlaxcala, Aguascalientes, Quintana Roo, Zacatecas, Durango, Morelos, Querétaro, Yucatán, Tabasco, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Hidalgo, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Baja California, Tamaulipas, Guerrero, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Puebla, Jalisco, Veracruz


(from: wikipedia - states of mexico)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hindu Kush

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Anthony the Great


We just learned about the first monk, Paul of Thebes.

Another famous hermit also known as a monk was Anthony the Great.

Just like Paul of Thebes, he lost his parents at a young age.

He decided to give everything he had away, so he sold his land to his neighbors, gave the money to the poor, and then went off into the desert to live alone.

Legends spread that he was a wise person, so people would come to him and bring him food and ask for advice.
After a while, some other people decided that they wanted to live away from other people just like him, so he helped them learn how to live in the wilderness, pray and be wise.
These people are thought of as some of the first groups of monks living near each other.


(from: wikipedia - anthony the great)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pelican

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Neptune - Coysevox


We just learned about the St. Cecilia - Maderno.

Another famous Baroque sculpture is Neptune by French sculptor Charles Antoine Coysevox in 1702.

Coysevox was a great sculptor even at the young age of 17, and sculpted many things throughout his life.

He was known for creating very detailed sculptures, like Neptune.

(from: wikipedia - antoine coysevox)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ara Pacis

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Fault


We just learned about the Tectonic Plates.

Another part of earthquake science is a fault.

When the tectonic plates smash into each other, the place where the earth's crust touches from two different plates is called a fault.
When the plates move, not every part of the crust will run into other parts.
There are a bunch of different types of faults, depending on how the two pieces of crust run into each other.


(from: wikipedia - earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chisel

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Banded Bullfrog


We just learned about the Coqui Frog.

Another type of frog is the Banded Bullfrog, sometimes also called the chubby frog, asian painted frog, rice frog or bubble frog.

These are narrow mouth frogs, with round bodies, brown backs and cream colored bellies.
They have stripes down the sides of their body that can be tan or pink.

The chubby frogs are very slow but they eat a lot.
Sometimes they can be seen in the forest sitting by an ant trail, eating ants one by one, up to a hundred ants!

(from: wikipedia - banded bullfrog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Indochinese Spitting Cobra

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Ligament


We just learned about the Collagen.

Another type of connective tissue is the ligament.

We learned before that tendons connect muscle to bone.
Ligaments connect bones to other bones.


(from: wikipedia - ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grey Column

Monday, August 21, 2017

Yukon


We just learned about the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Another Canadian territory is Yukon.

This territory has the smallest number of people of any province or territory, with only about 36,000 people in the whole territory.

It is up in the north west part of Canada, and borders with Alaska.


(from: wikipedia - yukon)

The Yukon flag is green for the forests, white for snow and blue for the lakes and rivers.
In the middle is the coat of arms, above a wreath of fireweed which is the flower of Yukon.


(from: wikipedia - flag of yukon)

The coat of arms has red mountains with gold discs, for the mountains in the area and the rich gold minerals in the area.
Above that is the red and white cross for England, with a disc in the middle showing a "vair" which is squirrel fur.
Above the shield is an Alaskan Malamute dog standing on snow.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of yukon)

The most popular job in Yukon is mining.
In 1897 there was a big rush of people called the Klondike Gold Rush, where people went into northern Canada looking for gold or other precious materials like silver or copper.

(from: wikipedia - klondike gold rush)

The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, in Yukon.


(from: wikipedia - mount logan)

The lowest temperature ever in North America was at a town called Snag, where it got down to -81 F.

(from: wikipedia - yukon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Karakoram

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Paul of Thebes


We just learned a little about Monks.

Some famous people from the Bible like Elijah and John the Baptist were known to go live off in the wilderness by themselves, praying and living in nature.

The first person to be known as a hermit or a monk was Paul of Thebes.

A long time after Jesus died on the cross, there were people around who did not like followers of Jesus.
When Paul of Thebes was young, his parents died.
He was afraid that people who did not like Christians were going to come after him, so he ran away into the desert.
He found a cave in the desert with a water stream nearby and a fruit tree, and lived there alone praying and worshiping for almost a hundred years.


(from: wikipedia - paul of thebes)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peacock

Saturday, August 19, 2017

St. Cecilia - Stefano Maderno


We just learned about the statue Fontana della Barcaccia by Pietro Bernini.

Another famous baroque sculpture was St. Cecilia by Stefano Maderno in 1599 AD.

St. Cecilia was a martyr from the time of the Roman Empire, which means she was an innocent person who was killed, and people looked at her like a hero.

The story says that when she was killed, she had three fingers sticking out on her left hand, and 1 finger on her right hand.
This was to show her belief in the Holy Trinity belief of three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The sculptor Stefano Maderno was a famous Italian sculptor in the Baroque time, after Michelangelo and before Bernini.

(from: wikipedia - stefano maderno)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Capitoline Brutus

Friday, August 18, 2017

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Tectonic Plates


We just learned about the earthquake Hypocenter.

Another part of earthquakes is the Tectonic Plates.

The scientist who study earthquakes have mapped out 15 big areas on the earth, on every continent and around the oceans.
These areas are called tectonic plates, and they move around little by little every year.
When one tectonic plate area moves, it bumps into another tectonic plate, and it causes an earthquake!

These plates are millions of miles wide, and over 60 miles deep.
Because they are so huge, when they bump into each other the earth crashing together has a lot of force and makes a big problem.


(from: wikipedia - list of tectonic plates)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sledgehammer

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Coqui


We just learned about the Golden Mantella.

Another type of frog is the Coqui.

This frog mostly lives in Puerto Rico.
They get their name from the sound they make, a "CO" and a "KEY".

Because there were so many of these frogs in Puerto Rico, many people have written songs about the coqui frog.


(from: wikipedia - common coqui)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gaboon Viper

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Collagen


We just learned about Tendons.

Another part of connective tissue is Collagen.

This is mostly what tendons and other connective tissue are made up, along with skin and many other parts of the body.

Collagen is a protein, that under a microscope looks long and stringy and wraps around other collagen long strings.
These long strings all together work to make a bigger rope.

(from: wikipedia - collagen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spinal Nerve

Monday, August 14, 2017

Nunavut


We just learned about the Canadian Territory of the Northwest Territories.

Another Canadian Territory is Nunavut.

This is the newest territory in Canada, and was separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999.
It is the largest territory, and the northernmost.


(from: wikipedia - nunavut map)

The flag of Nunavut has gold on the left and white on the right, with a red inuksk in the middle, and a blue star in the upper right hand corner.
The blue and gold are for the riches of land, sea and sky, and the red is for Canada.
The inuksuk is a stone monument that was used by the First Nation Canadian people long ago to guide travelers.
The blue star is for the north star.


(from: wikipedia - flag of nunavut)

The coat of arms of Nunavut has a blue and gold round shield in the middle and pictures of the sun, the north star, a stone lamp, and an inuksuk.

Above that is an igloo for the old life of the native people.
There is a caribou on the left, and a narwhal on the right for the natural life and survival.
Below them are plants, arctic poppies, dwarf fireweed, arctic heather, and an iceberg.
The words at the bottom are say "Our Land, Our Strength" in the Nunavut Sannginivut language.

(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of nunavut)

The first English travelers to ever meet an Inuit person were in 1576 in Nunavut.

(from: wikipedia - nunavut)

The northernmost city in Canada is called Alert. It is about 500 miles from the North Pole.
There are only 62 people living there!

(from: wikipedia - alert, nunavut)

The place in Canada with the lowest average temperature is called Eureka.

(from: wikipedia - eureka, nunavut)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Himalayas

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Monks


We've learned a lot about the book of Proverbs.

Through the years, many Christians have become monks.

Monks are people who live all by themselves, study the Bible, try to live good lives, and usually help give back to the communities.

The word monk comes from the Greek word "monachos" or "monos" which means alone.

The first monks just were all by themselves, but later groups of monks started to live together in places called monasteries.


(from: wikipedia - christian monasticism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dove

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Fontana della Barcaccia - Bernini


We just learned about the sculpture of Saint Bibiana by Bernini.

Another famous Baroque art sculpture is the fountain Fontana della Barcaccia by Pietro Bernini in 1629 in Rome.

This fountain is in the shape of a sunken boat with water flowing all over the sides.

There was a legend of a river flooding 1598 and carrying a boat into this plaza and leaving it there when the flood waters went away.
This fountain was made based on that story.

Pietro Bernini is the father of the famous sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.


(from: wikipedia - fontana della barcaccia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Trajan's Column

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Hypocenter


We just learned about the earthquake Epicenter.

Another important thing in earthquake science is the Hypocenter.

This is the spot underground where the earthquake first started.
The epicenter is right above the hypocenter, but at the surface of the earth.


(from: wikipedia - hypocenter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Straight Peen Hammer

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Golden Mantella


We just learned about the Kihansi Spray Toad.

Another type of frog is the Golden Mantella.

This is an endangered type of frog from Madagascar.
They do not have a very large living area, and they are very colorful, so they are caught a lot for pets.

These frogs are are tiny, and are bright orange, bright yellow or bright red.
They are poisonous in their natural habitat because of what they eat, but in a cage they are not poisonous.
Their croak is just like a clicking sound, and they usually hide out when they are calling each other since they are small and have to hide from predators.


(from: wikipedia - golden mantella)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Savu Python

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Tendon


We just learned a little about the Connective Tissue.

One type of connective tissue is a Tendon which connects muscle to bone.

Tendons are like a bunch of long thin ropes all bundled together, wrapped in and around the parts or your muscle, and then tied into your bone.

When your muscles tighten, the tendons stretch out until they are tight, just like a rope gets tighter when you pull on it.
As it gets tight, it pulls on the bone it is attached to, which is what moves your bone around.
So your bicep has tendons connected to your forearm, and when you want to bend your elbow, your biceps pulls on your tendon which pulls on the bone and it bends!

(from: wikipedia - tendon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Foramen Magnum