Greek - Our table is short

We just learned in Greek:
this chair is small is Η καρέκλα είναι μικρή (I karékla eínai mikrí),
my drink is cold is Το ποτό μου είναι κρύο (To potó mou eínai krýo),
your food is hot is Το φαγητό είναι ζεστό (To fagitó eínai zestó),
and their car is tall is Το αυτοκίνητό τους είναι ψηλό (To aftokínitó tous eínai psiló).

To say our table is short you would say Το τραπέζι μας είναι σύντομο (To trapézi mas eínai sýntomo).

This is really saying the table ours is short.

We can break it up like this:

The - Το (To) - sounds like toh
table - τραπέζι (trapézi) - sounds like t-dah-PAY-zee
ours - μας (mas) - Sounds like mah-ss
is - είναι (eínai) - Sounds like EE-nay
short - σύντομο (sýntomo) - Sounds like SEE-n-toh-moh

So all together To say our table is short you would say Το τραπέζι μας είναι σύντομο (To trapézi mas eínai sýntomo) sounds like toh t-dah-PAY-zee mah-ss EE-nay SEE-n-toh-moh.


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: Our table is short

Italian: Il nostro tavolo è breve

German: Unser Tisch ist kurz

Spanish: Nuestra mesa es bajo

French: Notre table est courte

Liquid Rocket Propellants

We just learned about the Solid Rocket Propellants.

Another type of propellant is Liquid Rocket Propellants.

These can be made up of liquids like gasoline, kerosene or alcohol that are liquids at regular temperatures.
They can also be things that are liquids at really cold temperatures like liquid oxygen, or liquid hydrogen.

The good thing about liquid propellants is that they are lighter than solid ones, so a rocket doesn't have to try as hard to push itself along.
The bad thing is that sometimes they have to be stored very cold in a very high pressure container, and sometimes the liquids can cause problems and eat away at the metals and rubbers that they are stored in.

The first person to make a liquid fueled rocket was Robert H. Goddard, who used gasoline and liquid oxygen to launch a rocket in 1926 in Massachusetts.


(from: wikipedia - robert h. goddard)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Threading

Flamboyant Cuttlefish

We just learned about the Orthoceras.

Another type of cephalopod is the Flamboyant Cuttlefish, also known as Metasepia pfefferi.

These cuttlefish are very small, only about 3 inches long.
They are very brightly colored, and also just as poisonous as the blue ringed octopus!
Like other cuttlefish it has a cuttlebone inside its body that it uses to help it swim, but its cuttlebone is very small, so it mostly just walks around on the bottom of the sea.

It is usually a dark brown color, but when it is attacked it changes its colors to patterns of black, dark brown, white, red and yellow.
When it is walking along the sea floor it waves around its red tipped upper arms to try and tell predators that it is poisonous.


(from: wikipedia - metasepia pfefferi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Common Suriname Toad

Transverse Tarsal Ligaments

We just learned about the Talocalcaneal Ligaments.

Another bunch of ligaments are the Transverse Tarsal Ligaments.

These are the ligaments that tie a bunch of foot bones together:
- Calcaneus: heel bone
- Talus: ankle bone
- Navicularis: top of foot bone
- Cuboid: outside of foot bone

Remember the location words, like dorsal means on top, plantar means on bottom, bifurcated means split into two.

There are 7 ligaments that tie all these together.
- dorsal talonavicular: Connects the talus to the navicularis on the top.
- plantar calcaneonavicular: Connects the calcaneus to the navicularis on the bottom.
- bifurcated (calcaneonavicular): Splits into two and connects the calcaneus to the navicularis in the middle.
- dorsal calcaneocuboid: Connects the calcaneus to the cuboid on the top.
- long plantar: Connects the calcaneus to the cuboid on the bottom. It is the longest of the foot ligaments.
- plantar calcaneocuboid: Connects the calcaneus to the cuboid on the bottom. It is shorter than the long plantar and connects at a different spot.
- bifurcated (calcaneocuboid): Splits into two and connects the calcaneus to the cuboid bone in the middle.


(from: wikipedia - plantar calacneonavicular ligament)


(from: wikipedia - navicular bone)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dermis

Baja California Sur

We just learned about the Mexico state of Colima.

Another Mexico state is Baja California Sur.

This state is a peninsula, just south of the Mexico state of Baja California.
It has the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Gulf of California to the east.


(from: wikipedia - baja california sur)

The coat of arms of Baja California has four fish on the outside, and a seashell in the middle for the sea around the state.


(from: wikipedia - baja california sur)

The town of Cabo San Lucas is a very popular place to visit, and has a beautiful rock formation called the Arc at Land's End.


(from: wikipedia - cabo san lucas)

The most famous beach at Cabo San Lucas is Medano, where lots of tourists come to visit.


(from: wikipedia - cabo san lucas)

In the town of La Paz, there is a rock that looks like a tall mushroom now, because the water has washed away the bottom of it.
It is a popular place to take pictures, and some people climbed up on the rock for a picture and it broke and fell down.
Because it was such a famous rock, the town put it back up and fixed it with some cement.


(from: wikipedia - la paz, baja california sur)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sierra Madre Oriental

Prochorus

We just learned about Philip the Evangelist, one of the Seventy Disciples.

Another of the seventy was Prochorus.

In Jerusalem the Apostles chose seven people to help watch over the poor people of Jerusalem.
Prochorus was one of the seven chosen, along with Saint Stephen that we already learned about.


(from: wikipedia - prochorus (deacon))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Josiah

Leshan Giant Buddha

We just learned about the Tang Dynasty Tomb Figures of Liu Tingxun.

Another work of ancient Chinese art is the Leshan Giant Buddha.

This is a statue of Buddha over 230 feet tall, built around 713 AD.
It was carved out of a cliff face made of red sandtones.
This is the largest stone statue of Buddha in the world, and when it was built it was the largest statue in the world.

The statue has pipes on the inside of the body, to help drain water when it rains so that the water doesn't damage the statue over the hundreds of years.


(from: wikipedia - leshan giant buddha)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Scaliger Tombs

Greek - Their car is tall

We just learned in Greek:
this chair is small is Η καρέκλα είναι μικρή (I karékla eínai mikrí),
my drink is cold is Το ποτό μου είναι κρύο (To potó mou eínai krýo), and your food is hot is Το φαγητό είναι ζεστό (To fagitó eínai zestó).

To say their car is tall you would say Το αυτοκίνητό τους είναι ψηλό (To aftokínitó tous eínai psiló).
You're really saying "the car their is tall" because Greek works a little differently than English.

We can break it up like this:

The - Το (To) - sounds like toh
car - αυτοκίνητό (aftokínitó) - sounds like ah-f-toh-KEE-nee-TOH
their - τους (tous)- sounds like too-ss
is - είναι (eínai) - Sounds like EE-nay
tall - ψηλό (psiló) - Sounds like ps-ee-LOH

So all together Το αυτοκίνητό τους είναι ψηλό (To aftokínitó tous eínai psiló) sounds like toh ah-f-toh-KEE-nee-TOH too-ss EE-nay ps-ee-LOH.



(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: Their car is tall

Italian: La loro auto è alto

German: Ihr Auto ist groß

Spanish: Su coche es alto

French: Leur voiture est haut

Solid Rocket Propellants

We just learned that Rocket Propellant is the fuel that pushes a rocket along, and they can be solid, liquid or gas.

Solid Rocket Propellants are made up of a few different types of chemicals all mixed together.
Some parts of the mixture are to make a big explosion that will push the rocket along.
Other parts are soft and sticky almost like dough that help hold all the explosive stuff together.
Different chemicals will make bigger explosions or burn longer or hotter, so the rocket scientists have to pick the right kind of propellant for the right job.

Solid propellants are easier to store than liquid or gas, because they don't leak out much.
Also some liquid or gas propellants can eat away at the rocket tanks or rubber seals holding it in.

Solid propellants are heavier than liquid or gas, and a rocket with the same amount of liquid or gas would get more power and weigh less.
Sometimes the solid propellants can even get cracks or bubbles in the mix.
If you think about it like a big ball of playdough, any of the parts that aren't smooth, or any folds in the middle that have air pockets would cause problems.

The NASA space shuttle used two rockets with solid propellant, called the "Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs)"
At the time they were the most powerful solid rocket motors ever flown, and the two of them together weighed 2.6 million pounds.


(from: wikipedia - space shuttle solid rocket booster)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Skivving Machine

Orthoceras Nautilus

We just learned about the Firefly Squid that can light itself up.

Another cephalopod is the Orthoceras.

This is a type of nautilus that is extinct, which means they aren't around anymore.
We only know they existed because people have found fossils from a long time ago.

They are a type of nautilus, but very different because their body is shaped like a long cone.


(from: wikipedia - orthoceras)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Red Eyed Tree Frog

Talocalcaneal Ligaments

We just learned about the Talocrural and Ankle Ligaments.

Another group of ligaments are the Subtalar and Talocalcaneal Ligaments.

The talus and calcaneus are two of the seven ankle and foot bones.
The talus is the middle foot bone, and the calcaneus is the heel.

Posterior is for back, anterior is for front, lateral is for outside, medial is for inside, and interossus is for in between.
There five talocalcaneal ligaments: anterior, posterior, lateral, medial and interosseous


(from: wikipedia - anterior talocalcaneal ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Epidermis

Colima

We just learned about the Mexico state of Campeche.

Another Mexico state is Colima.

This is one of the smallest states, and has the least number of people living in it of any Mexico state.
It is on the south west part of Mexico, right on the Pacific ocean, and it has four islands off its coast.


(from: wikipedia - colima)

The coat of arms of Colima is an arm for the strength of the elders who ruled the Mayan people.
There are jaguars, palm trees and volcanoes for the things in the area.
The words on the bottom are "El temple del brazo es vigor en la tierra" which means "The arm's steadiness is strength on the land".


(from: wikipedia - colima)

There are four islands off the coast of Colima, called the Revillagigedo Islands.
These are volcanic islands, with lots of marine life and natural beauty.
No one lives there, but sometimes people come to go scuba diving or learn about nature.


(from: wikipedia - revillagigedo islands)

One of the busiest cities in Colima is Manzanillo, where a lot of people go for fishing.
They call themselves the sailfish capital of the world.


(from: wikipedia - manzanillo, colima)

Tecomán is the capital city of Colima, and has many nice buildings like the Cathedral of Santiago Apostol.


(from: wikipedia - tecomán)

There are active volcanoes in Colima, like the Volcán de Colima which is one of the most active volcanoes in North America.
It has erupted more than 40 times since 1576.


(from: wikipedia - volcán de colima)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rocky Mountains

Philip the Evangelist

We just learned about Saint Stephen, one of the Seventy Disciples.

Another of the seventy is Philip the Evangelist.

An evangelist is someone who goes out and tells other people about Jesus.

Philip traveled to many lands like Samaria and helped tell people about God's word and Jesus, and baptized people.
The Bible says that in Samaria people followed a man named Simon who some people believed was a sorcerer.
When Philip came to Samaria and told them all about Jesus, even Simon believed him and many people in the town became believers.

Later Philip was on the road to another town and met someone from Ethiopia who was trying to understand God's word but was having troubles.
Philip helped explain things to him, and then that Ethiopian went back to his country and helped spread God's word.

Because Philip helped spread God's word like this, he was known as Philip the Evangelist.


(from: wikipedia - philip the evangelist)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Elisha

Tang Dynasty Tomb Figures of Liu Tingxun

We just learned about the Terracotta Army.

Another famous ancient Chinese work of art is Tang Dynasty Tomb Figures of Liu Tingxun made in 728 AD.

These are sculptures from the tomb of a Chinese general named Liu Ting, who died in 782 AD.
There are 13 figures, made using the sancai type of art, which means "three colors".
This kind of art used copper, iron and other metals to make different colors when cooked in ovens.

The sculptures are a pair of human like creatures with wings and hooves to scare off intruders.
After that are some guards and servants, and at the back are horses and camels.



(from: wikipedia - tang dynasty tomb figures of liu tingxun)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulpit of San Andrea

Greek - Your food is hot

We just learned in Greek:
this chair is small is Η καρέκλα είναι μικρή (I karékla eínai mikrí),
and my drink is cold is Το ποτό μου είναι κρύο (To potó mou eínai krýo).

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

To say your food is hot you would say Το φαγητό είναι ζεστό (To fagitó eínai zestó).

We can break it up into four words:

Your - Το (To) - sounds like TOH

food - φαγητό (fagitó) - sounds like fah-gee-TOH

is - είναι (eínai) - Sounds like EE-nay

hot - ζεστό (zestó) - Sounds like zay-STOH



So all together Το φαγητό είναι ζεστό (To fagitó eínai zestó) sounds like TOH fah-gee-TOH EE-nay zay-STOH.


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)


ASL: Your food is hot

Italian: Il vostro cibo è caldo

German: Ihr Essen ist heiß

Spanish: Tu comida está caliente

French: Votre nourriture est chaud

Rocket Propellant

Let's learn a little more about Rockets!

One thing that all rockets need is something called propellant.

This is the fuel used to push a rocket through the air.
Propellants can be solid like gunpowder, liquid like water, gasoline or liquid oxygen, or they can be a gas, like compressed nitrogen, or just pressurized air.

When the rocket is started, the propellant shoots out of the rocket at a super fast speed, pushing it along.
So this could be just a long skinny water balloon that shoots out it's water, or it could be a fireworks bottle rocket that burns up it's powder and shoots fire out the back.

The propellant is the stuff inside the rocket that makes the rocket go.


(from: wikipedia - ammonium perchlorate composite propellant)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hobbing

Firefly Squid

We just learned about the Cirroteuthis.

Another type of cephalopod is the Firefly Squid also known as watasenia scintillans.
They are usually about 3 inches long, and live in the Pacific Ocean.

This type of squid is bioluminescent.
That means parts of its body light up, kind of like a firefly.

There are tiny little dots all over the squid's body with organs called photophores.
The squid uses these photophores to light up, which makes small fish swim toward them, and they eat them up!

It also uses its body lights to make its top bright and bottom dark so it can hide from other predators.

When it is looking around for another firefly squid it will light up it's whole body as a signal.


(from: wikipedia - firefly squid)



Firefly squid / Shine blue beach in Toyama Bay - SuiTube5


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Goliath Frog

Talocrural and ankle ligaments

We just learned about the Inferior Tibiofibular Joint connecting the tibia to the fibula.

Another set of ligaments are the Talocrural and ankle ligaments.
These connect the tibia and fibula of the lower leg to the talus, navicular and calcaneus bones of the foot.

There are a bunch of ligaments in this area to make sure your ankle works right, and all the bones are tied together.

They all have big names, but they make sense based on the two bones they are connecting:

tibiotalar (anterior/posterior) - connects the tibia (shin bone) to the talus (middle foot bone)
tibiocalcaneal - connects the tibia to the calcaneus (heel bone)
tibionavicular - connects the tibia to the navicular (foot bone)
talofibular (anterior/posterior) - connects the fibula (inside lower leg bone) to the talus
calcaneofibular - connects the fibula to the calcaneus


(from: wikipedia - calcaneofibular ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Skin

Campeche

We just learned about the Mexico state of Nayarit.

Another Mexico state is Campeche.
This state is on the southeast part of Mexico, on the Gulf of Mexico.
It borders Belize and Guatemala to the south.


(from: wikipedia - campeche)

Campeche's coat of arms has pictures of castle towers for the strength of the Campecheans, and sailing ships for the people who were sailing on the ocean.


(from: wikipedia - campeche)

Just like many other states in Mexico, there are ancient pyramids in Campeche.


(from: wikipedia - calakmul)

There are many ancient places in this state where they have found sculptures from over a thousand years ago, like in a small island called Jaina Island.


(from: wikipedia - jaina island)

The Fort of San Miguel in San Francisco de Campeche was built hundreds of years ago to fight against pirates.


(from: wikipedia - campeche city)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brooks Range

Saint Stephen

We just learned about Ananias of Damascus, one of the Seventy Disciples.

Another of the seventy is Saint Stephen.

After Jesus died on the cross, Stephen was telling people about him and some of the leaders who did not like Jesus were getting angry.
They told some people to tell lies about Stephen, which made other people very angry.
Stephen was put on trial in front of everyone where he told the truth and talked about Jesus.
This made the leaders who did not like Jesus even more angry, and they threw stones at him and killed him.

Because he was killed for believing in Jesus, he is called the first martyr.
A martyr is someone who is killed because of something they believe in.


(from: wikipedia - saint stephen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Elijah

Terracotta Army

We just learned about the sculpture of The Buddha, flanked by Herakles and Tychee.

Another famous set of sculptures is the Terracotta Army made in China around 200 BC.

When the Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang died, he was put into a tomb with over 8,000 sculptures in it.
These were small sculptures of soldiers, chariots, horses, acrobats and musicians that were buried with him as they believed these soldiers would protect the Emperor in the afterlife.

These thousands of soldiers all had real weapons like spears, swords or arrows.
Many of these weapons have been stolen, but people believe there were over 40,000 weapons in the original sculpture.
The statues were all painted at first, but the paint has all worn off.

The place where these sculptures were buried with the emperor was part of a very large cemetery area that was about 38 square miles.
There were people that visited it long ago and wrote about it saying that there were miniature palaces, towers, 100 rivers of flowing mercury, and paintings on the ceiling of heaven.

Over the thousands of years, many things have been stolen or broken, but there are still thousands of sculptures there to see.


(from: wikipedia - terracotta army)



(from: wikipedia - terracotta army)



(from: wikipedia - terracotta army)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fontana Maggiore