Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Masked Tree Frog


We just learned about the Yellow Spotted Climbing Toad, the only toad that lives in the trees.

Another type of frog is the Masked Tree Frog, also called the New Granada cross-banded tree frog, or Smilisca phaeota.
They live mostly in Middle and South America, in tropical forests.

They get the nickname of masked tree frog because they look like they have a black mask on.
The black mask covers their eyes, which helps them hide from predators.


(from: wikipedia - new granada cross-banded tree frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snake Molting

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Scapula & Clavicle Ligaments


We just learned about the Sternoclavicular Ligaments that connect your clavicle to your ribs and sternum.

We learned long ago that the clavicle (collarbone) and scapula (shoulder blade or wing bone) work together to hold the ribs and shoulders.

Another group of ligaments are the ones connecting the Scapula & Clavicle.

They are connected with a few different ligaments, at different parts of the bones.

The coracoid process and acromion are two parts of the scapula that stick out and hang on to ligaments that are tied to the clavicle.

The ligaments are:
Acromioclavicular - connects the clavicle to the acromion
Coracoclavicular - connects the clavicle to the coracoid process
Coracoacromial - connects the acromion to the coracoid process
Superior/inferior transverse scapular - covers part of the scapula to help hold nerves and blood vessels

(from: wikipedia - coracoacromial ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brachial Plexus

Monday, December 11, 2017

Sinaloa


We just learned about the Mexico state Baja California on the northwest part of Mexico.

Another Mexico State is Sinaloa.
This state borders the Gulf of California, which is a gulf on the west part of Mexico, and it also borders the Pacific Ocean.


(from: wikipedia - sinaloa)

The coat of arms of Sinaloa has four parts, for the four main cities in the state.
The top left is an Aztec picture for the city of Culiacán, the capital of the state, showing the bended mountain Colhuacan.
The top right is a fortress for the city of El Fuerte.
The bottom right is an anchor and deer's head for the city of Mazatlán, which is the place of the deer.
The bottom left is a torn rosary with a broken chain, for the city of El Rosario.


(from: wikipedia - sinaloa)

The oldest sport in the world to use a rubber ball is the Mesoamerican ballgame, where people would play on a court and hit a rubber ball around.
In Sinaloa they still play a type of game like that one, called ulama, where people have to hit the ball with their hips to keep it moving on the court.


(from: wikipedia - ulama (game))

There are many large rivers that go through the state.
The three largest are the Culiacán, Fuerte, and Sinaloa.


(from: wikipedia - culiacán river)

On the coast of Mazatlan are many beautiful rock formations to see from the ocean.

(from: wikipedia - mazatlán)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Coast Mountains

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Nuns


We've learned a lot about monks now, from famous monks to how and where they lived for hudnreds of years.

Monks through history were only men, but when women lived the same kind of life, they were called Nuns.
Many people believe the name Nun came from the word for grandmother "Nonna".

Just like Monks, Nuns usually live away from other people, only living with other Nuns.


(from: wikipedia - nun)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jacob

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Columbus Doors - Rogers


We just learned about the Character Heads by Dutch artist Mathieu Kessels.

Another neoclassical art sculpture is the Columbus Doors by Randolph Rogers in 1855, in Washington D.C.

These bronze doors are on the east part of the US Capitol Building, and they show the life of Christopher Columbus.
There are 16 panels on the doors, with two archways above, telling everything from Columbus before he left for America, to him landing in the new world.

Rogers was an American sculptor born in New York, who later moved to Italy to work with other famous sculptors.
He made many famous American sculptures like these door and other statues across the country.


(from: wikipedia - columbus doors)


(from: wikipedia - columbus doors)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shrine of the Three Kings

Friday, December 8, 2017

Greek - One, two, three, four, five

Let's count to five in Greek!

1 ένα (éna) - sounds like ay-nah
2 δύο (dýo) - sounds like dee-yoh
3 τρία (tría) - sounds like t-dee-yah
4 τέσσερα (téssera) - sounds like tay-say-dah
5 πέντε (pénte) - sounds like pay-n-tay

The letters for these words are:

έ (epsilon) ν (nu) α (alpha)
δ (delta) ύ (upsilon) ο (omicron)
τ (tau) ρ (rho) ί (iota) α (alpha)
τ (tau) έ (epsilon) σ (sigma) σ (sigma) ε (epsilon) ρ (rho) α (alpha)
π (pi) έ (epsilon) ν (nu) τ (tau) ε (epsilon)

center for the greek language
(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)


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

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Remotely Triggered Earthquakes


We just learned about the Megathrust Earthquake, the earth's most powerful type of quake.

Another type of earthquake is the Remotely Triggered Earthquake.

Sometimes when one earthquake is large enough, it's mainshock or aftershock can cause other earthquakes.
But sometimes a bunch of earthquakes happen in one area within a few days or weeks of each other, but too far to be affected by the other earthquake's mainshock or aftershock.
This can be confusing, because if a bunch of earthquakes are happening in the same state, scientists want to know what is causing them all.

When a bunch of earthquakes happen close by but not close enough for aftershocks to cause it, these are the Remotely Triggered Earthquakes.
Many scientists think these are caused by things like magma or water flows underground, moving around and shifting the tectonic plates and causing the faults to become active and cause quakes.


(from: wikipedia - remotely triggered earthquakes)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blast Furnace

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Yellow Spotted Climbing Toad


We just learned about the Square Marked Toad that bounces around to confuse it's predators.

Another type of frog is the Yellow Spotted Climbing Toad, also called Pedostibes Hosii, or Boulenger's Asian tree toad.

These are true toads, part of the Bufonidae family.
They are the only known "arboreal" toads, which means they live in the trees.


(from: wikipedia - pedostibes hosii)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snake Scales

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Sternoclavicular Ligaments


We just learned about the Posterior Sacroiliac Ligament that connects your hip to your tailbone.

Another connective tissue way up by the shoulder is the Sternoclavicular Ligaments.

Remember the Sternum is the bone in the middle of your chest, and the Clavicle is the collar bone that connects the sternum to the shoulder.

There are 4 different Sternoclavicular ligaments, that connect to different parts of the body:

Anterior sternoclavicular (connects the clavicle to the front of the sternum)
Posterior sternoclavicular (connects the clavicle to the back of the sternum)
Interclavicular (connects the left and right clavicles)
Costoclavicular (connects the clavicle to the ribs)


(from: wikipedia - anterior sternoclavicular)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Coccygeal Plexus

Monday, December 4, 2017

Baja California


We just learned about the Mexico State of Tamaulipas and the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains.

Another Mexico State is Baja California.

This state is just below the US State of California, and has small borders with the US state of Arizona, the Mexico State of Sonora to the East, and the Mexico state below it called Baja California Sur.


(from: wikipedia - baja california)

The coat of arms of Baja California has a sun for the state's energy.
There is a man holding a book and a woman holding a test tube, and together they are holding lightning bolts. This means that together culture a science can be powerful.
Below that there is a person with their arms stretched out around farms, factories, gears and fish.
All of that is for the different business in Baja California.
The words at the top say "Trabajo y Justicia Social" which means "Work and Social Justice".


(from: wikipedia - seal of baja california)

The busy city of San Diego in California is less than an hour away from the Mexico border, so many of the Baja California cities are right up next to the border of the US.


(from: wikipedia - baja california)

Tijuana is one of the biggest cities in Baja California, where they have the Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) that has a large omnimax theater in a ball shaped building nicknamed "La Bola".

(from: wikipedia - tijuana cultural center)

The highest mountain peak on Baja California is the Picacho del Diablo, which means peak of the devil. It is also sometimes called Cerro de la Encantada, which means Hill of the Enchanted.


(from: wikipedia - picacho del diablo)

Guadalupe Island is an island in the Pacific on the west coast of Mexico. It is part of Baja California, and is the farthest west part of the whole country of Mexico.


(from: wikipedia - guadalupe island)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Yukon Ranges

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Mount Athos


We just learned about the Bruno of Cologne and the Chartreuse Monastery.

Another place where monks live is Mount Athos in Greece, known as the Holy Mountain.

For hundreds of years monks have lived in monasteries on this mountain, through all the wars and changes in the world, and today there are still 20 different monasteries there.


(from: wikipedia - stavronikita)



(from: wikipedia - osiou gregoriou monastery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Esau

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Character Heads - Messerschmidt


We just learned about the Tomb of the countess of Cellese by Dutch artist Mathieu Kessels in Rome 1828.

Another famous bunch of neoclassical sculptures are the Character Heads by German-Austrian Franz Xaver Messerschmidt in Austria, 1770 AD.








(from: wikipedia - franz xaver messerschmidt)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brunswich Lion

Friday, December 1, 2017

Greek - Dog, Cat


We just learned that to ask if someone speaks Greek you say Μιλατε ελληνικα? (Milate ellinika?).
.

To say dog in Greek, you say σκύλος (skýlos) and it sounds like skee-loh-ss  

To say cat in Greek, you say γάτα (gáta) and it sounds like gah-tah  

The letters for these new words are:

σ (sigma) κ (kappa) ύ (upsilon) λ (lambda) ο (omicron) ς (sigma)
γ (gamma) ά (alpha) τ (tau) α (alpha)

center for the greek language
(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: dog, cat

Italian: cane, gatto

German: Hunt, Katze

Spanish: perro, gato

French: chien, chat

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Megathrust Earthquake


We just learned about the Intraplate Earthquake that happens inside a tectonic plate.

Another type of earthquake is a Megathrust Earthquake.

This is when one of the tectonic plates slides under another plate, which we learned is a Dip-Slip Fault

These are the most powerful earthquakes on the planet, and can cause a lot of destruction.


(from: wikipedia - megathrust earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wrought Iron

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Square Marked Toad


We just learned about the Japenese Tree Frog that lives in rice paddies in Japan.

Another type of frog is the Square Marked Toad, also called the African common toad, African toad, Egyptian toad, African bouncing toad, or Reuss's toad.

This is a true toad in the Bufonidae family, that lives in Africa.
It can grow over 5 inches long, and is a green brown color with warts.

When these toads are feeling scared, they sometimes will bounce around to confuse their predators, and try to escape.


(from: wikipedia - amietophrynus regularis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snake - Internal Organs

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Posterior Sacroiliac Ligament


We just learned about the Costoxiphoid Ligaments that connects the ribs to the xiphoid process.

Another piece of connective tissue is the Posterior Sacroiliac Ligament.

This is a large bunch of tissue that connects the sacrum (tailbone) to the ilium (hip bone), on the posterior (back) part of the body.


(from: wikipedia - posterior sacroiliac ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sacral Plexus

Monday, November 27, 2017

Tamaulipas


We just learned about the Mexico State of Guerrero, home of Acapulco.

Another Mexico State is Tamaulipas.

It is on the Northeast part of Mexico, with the US to the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east.


(from: wikipedia - tamaulipas)

On the the coat of arms of Tamaulipas, the top left shows corn for farming, the top center is the shield of the Count of Sierra Gorda and the top right is cattle for the animal farms.

In the middle is the large hill the Cerro del Bernal.
The bottom left has boats for fishing, farming in the middle, and oil machines on the right side.


(from: wikipedia - tamaulipas)

The Sierra Madre Oriental mountains go through this Mexico State.


(from: wikipedia - sierra madre oriental)

The Rio Grande is a river that is on the north border of the state, with the US on the other side.


(from: wikipedia - tamaulipas)

There is a plaza called Plaza de Armas in Tampico, with many famous old buildings.


(from: wikipedia - tampico)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Talkeetna Mountains

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Bruno of Cologne


We just learned about Benedict of Nursia who wrote The Rule of Saint Benedict.

Another famous monk is Bruno of Cologne.

Bruno started off as a leader in the church, but then decided that he wanted to live like a hermit, or a heremitic monk.


(from: wikipedia - bruno of cologne)

He started a monastery in the Chartreuse mountains in France with a couple of other monks living separately in log cabins.


(from: wikipedia - grande chartreuse)

His monastery became very famous and lasted a long time, and the monks there started a group called the Carthusian Order, with rules for how everyone should live, and a motto "The Cross is steady while the world is turning"


(from: wikipedia - carthusians)

Hundreds of years later, the Chartreuse monastery made a special type of drink called Chartreuse, that is green and yellow.
This drink was so well known for its green-yellow color, that the word chartreuse is now the name for a green-yellow color.

(from: wikipedia - chartreuse (liqueur))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rebekah

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Tomb of the countess of Celles - Kessels


We just learned about the sculpture The Prinzessinengruppe by Johann Gottfried Schadow.

Another famous neoclassical sculpture is the Tomb of the countess of Celles by Dutch artist Mathieu Kessels, in Rome 1828.

Kessels was born in the Netherlands, and traveled to Paris France and St. Petersburg Russia to learn how to be a sculptor.

Later he moved to Rome Italy, and met the famous artist Bertel Thorwaldsen, who became his teacher and helped him become a very good and famous artist.

This sculpture was made for a tomb of a famous Countess, showing her lying down as an angel comes to take her to heaven.


(from: wikipedia - mathieu kessels)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Muiredach's High Cross