Lava

We just learned a little about LEDs

Let's learn about Lava!

Lava is molten (or melted) rock!

To melt rock, the temperature has to be over 1,200 degrees.

(from: wikipedia - lava)

The word lava is also used for the cooled down lava that turns into rock.


(from: wikipedia - lava)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: ENIAC

Ostrich

We just learned about the little bird called the Kiwi.

The biggest bird in the world is the Ostrich.

It can't fly, but it can run faster than any other bird,
and about twice as fast as a human, at 43 miles per hour!


(from: wikipedia - ostrich)

The ostrich egg is the largest egg of any living bird,
about 10 times bigger than a chicken's egg.

(from: wikipedia - egg (food))

Sometimes if an ostrich is frightened, it will put it's head low to the ground,
so that from far away it just looks like a large pile bush instead of a big bird!

Forearm Extensors

Let's keep learning about the muscles in the human body!

Last time we learned about how the Forearm flexors are used to help flex your elbow together.

Even though the forearm muscles are smaller than biceps, there are a few other important muscles there too.

The extensor muscles are the ones you use when you move the back of your hand up toward your forearm,
or when you open up your hand and spread out your fingers.


(from: wikipedia - extrinsic extensor muscles of the hand)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cervical Vertebrae

Iceland

Let's keep learning about the countries in Europe!

Last time we learned about Belgium.

Next up is Iceland.

Iceland is an Island out in the Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and North America.

(from: wikipedia - iceland)

For dinner in Iceland, you might have liver sausage called Lifrarpylsa.

(from: wikipedia - Þorramatur)

A geyser is a hole in the ground that shoots water up in the air.
One of the oldest geysers in the world is in Iceland, called Geysir.

(from: wikipedia - geysir)

There are over 200 volcanos in Iceland!

(from: wikipedia - Eyjafjallajökull)

Huldufólk is an Icelandic word that means "hidden people".
Long ago people believed that there were little elves living in Iceland, and people would even build tiny houses for them!

(from: wikipedia - huldufólk)

Luke

Let's keep learning about the four Gospels in the New Testament.

We've already learned about Matthew and Mark, next up is Luke.

The book of Luke has 20 miracles, 16 of which also appear in some of the other 3 gospels.

It also tells of the angel Gabriel bringing the good news to Mary that she was going to have baby Jesus.

History tells us that Luke was a doctor, an artist and a historian.


(from: wikipedia - luke the evangelist)

Interstellar cloud

We just learned about what a Black Dwarf is.

An interstellar cloud is a big bunch of gas, plasma and dust floating together in space.


(from: wikipedia - interstellar cloud)

French - counting to ninety nine

We just learned how to count to 89 in French, let's keep going!

Just like seventy was really sixty-ten and eighty was four-twenties, ninety is also a little different.
The word for ninety is quatre-vingt dix which means four-twenties ten because 20 times 4 is 80, plus 10 is 90!

90 quatre-vingts dix - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n dee /?/
91 quatre-vingt onze - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah owns /?/
92 quatre-vingt douze - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah dooz /?/
93 quatre-vingt treize - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah tuh-ay-z /?/
94 quatre-vingt quatorze - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah cay-tow-z /?/
95 quatre-vingt quinze - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah cay-unz /?/
96 quatre-vingt seize - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah sez /?/
97 quatre-vingt dix sept - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah dee set /?/
98 quatre-vingt dix huit - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah dee oo-ee /?/
99 quatre-vingt dix neuf - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah dee nef /?/


(from: wikipedia - OIF)

LEDs

We've now learned about diodes, photons and electroluminescence.

Wow!

Now let's learn about something called LEDs.

LED stands for light emitting diode.
Remember that a diode is a special thing you run electricity through.

When you put electricity through an LED, it shoots off photons,
which are tiny little light particles.

And the photons make the diode light up, using electroluminescence,
which means it gives off light when electricity goes through it.

LEDs can be made in just about every color, and unlike a light bulb they won't burn out!


(from: wikipedia - light-emitting diode)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Electrical Box

Kiwi

We just learned about the Hedgehog.

The kiwi bird is a small bird that lives in a country called New Zealand.
It can't fly, just like the ostrich or penguin.

A kiwi bird is about the size of a chicken, but the kiwi egg
is about six times the size of a chicken's egg!


(from: wikipedia - kiwi)


One different thing about the kiwi is that it has nostrils at the very end of its beak.
It can use it's beak to smell the dirt and find small bugs or seeds to eat below the dirt.

Forearm flexors

We just learned about the Calf Muscle

In your forearm there are a few different muscles.

One of them is used to help flex the elbow together,
it is called the brachioradialis.


(from: wikipedia - brachioradialis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Thoracic Cage

Belgium

Let's keep learning about the countries in Europe!

Last time we learned about Austria.

Next up is Belgium.

Belgium is a country just North of France, and West of Germany.

(from: wikipedia - belgium)

For breakfast in Belgium, you might have a Belgian waffle!

(from: wikipedia - belgium)

You can visit a giant 335 ft tall building of an iron atom, called the Atomium

(from: wikipedia - atomium)

The saxophone was invented by Belgian musician Adolphe Sax.

(from: wikipedia - saxophone)

Hundreds of years ago, people would visit the town of Spa in Belgium, to relax in cool water springs.

(from: wikipedia - spa)

Mark

Let's keep learning about the four Gospels in the New Testament.

Last time we learned about Matthew, next up is Mark.

Mark was another follower of Jesus who also told of the miracles he performed.
22 miracles are listed in the Gospel of Mark, and 19 of them are the same ones listed in Matthew.


(from: wikipedia - mark the evangelist)

Black Dwarf

We've now learned that our Sun is a Yellow Dwarf,
after it burns for 10 billion years it will turn into a Red Giant,
and after it burns for another 1 billion years it will turn into a White Dwarf.

That white dwarf will burn slowly for a very very long time,
over 10 Undecillion years (One undecillion is a 1 with 36 zeroes after it!),
then it will cool down and turn into a Black Dwarf.

That's such a long time, that no actual black dwarfs exist!
Scientists are just pretty sure that's what is going to happen some day.


(from: wikipedia - outer space)

French - counting to eighty nine

We just learned how to count to 79 in French, let's keep going!

Just like seventy was really sixty-ten, eighty is also a little different.
The word for eighty is quatre-vingts which means four-twenties because 20 times 4 is 80!

80 quatre-vingts - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n /?/
81 quatre-vingts-un - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-nt un /?/
82 quatre vingt deux - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n doo /?/
83 quatre vingt trois - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n twa /?/
84 quatre vingt quatre - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n cat-uh /?/
85 quatre vingt cinq - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n sahn /?/
86 quatre vingt six - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n see /?/
87 quatre vingt sept - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n set /?/
88 quatre vingt huit - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n oo-ee /?/
89 quatre vingt neuf - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n nef /?/


(from: wikipedia - OIF)

Electroluminescence

Electroluminescence is a pretty fancy sounding word,
but all it really means is a way that some things give off light
when you run electricity through them.

Electro - for electricity
luminescence - a fancy way to say light

Some of the best chemicals for making this kind of light are doped semiconductors,
which we learned before are just two kinds of chemicals mixed together.

When the electricity flows through them, the photons (which are tiny particles of light)
go shooting off of the chemicals and make it glow.

(from: wikipedia - electroluminescence)

Hedgehog

Hedgehogs look kind of like tiny little porcupines.

And just like porcupines, they have poky hairs on their back (called spines) made of keratin.

Their spines don't come out like a porcupine's quills, they are just sharp.


(from: wikipedia - hedgehog)

Hedgehogs also do a funny thing called anointing.
When they find something with a new smell in the wild,
they will lick and bite that thing, and then spit on their spines.

Scientists aren't totally sure why they do this,
but some think it is so they can hide their smell from other animals that want to eat them!

Calf Muscle

We just learned about the Quadriceps muscle.

The muscle on your leg below your knee is called your Triceps Surae muscle,
but most people just call it your Calf Muscle.

You are using your calf muscle when you move your ankle.

(from: wikipedia - triceps surae muscle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Thoracic Cage

Austria

Let's keep learning about the countries in Europe!

Last time we learned about Romania.

Next up is Austria.

Austria is a country just East of Italy, and South of Germany.

(from: wikipedia - austria)

For dinner in Austria, you might have a Wiener Schnitzel,
which is a flat piece of meat covered in breading.

(from: wikipedia - austria)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Austria was one of the
most famous musical composers to ever live.

(from: wikipedia - wolfgang amadeus mozart)

A family of singers called the von Trapps were very famous through Austria,
and a movie called The Sound of Music was based on their life.


(from: wikipedia - maria von trapp)

Sigmund Freud from Austria is a very famous scientists who studied the way people think,
which is called psychology.


(from: wikipedia - austria)

Matthew

The first books of the New Testament are the four Gospels.
The word gospel means good news, and these books in the bible
all tell about Jesus and the miracles he performed.

The first gospel is the book of Matthew.

In the book of Matthew, he tells of 23 different miracles that Jesus performed.

He healed blind and sick people, walked on water, calmed a wild storm,
and fed thousands of people from just a basket of bread and fish.

He tells of the story of Jesus birth, tells of the wise men visiting baby Jesus.
He also tells of Jesus dying on the cross, and being resurrected three days later.

Matthew started off as a tax collector, but became one of Jesus followers.


(from: wikipedia - saint matthew)

White Dwarf

We've now learned that our Sun is a Yellow Dwarf,
and that after it burns for 10 billion years it will turn into a Red Giant.

After that Red Giant burns for 1 billion years, it will turn into a white dwarf

A White Dwarf is much smaller than a Red Giant or Yellow Dwarf, but very thick.

The big star Sirius A has a very small neighbor Sirius B that is a white dwarf.

It's measurements are:
stellar classification: A1 (white)
luminosity class: V (main sequence, or dwarf)

So we can call it an A1V star, or a white dwarf.

If you look in the picture of Sirius A, you can see a very small white dot
that is the small white dwarf Sirius B.

(from: wikipedia - white dwarf)

French - counting to seventy nine

We just learned how to count to 69 in French, let's keep going!

Seventy is a little different, because instead of a different word for seventy,
you just use the word for sixty (soixante) add ten (dix) and you get soixante-dix!
Seventy one is sixty-eleven, and so on.

70 soixante-dix - sounds like so-ay-sawnt dee /?/
71 soixante et onze - sounds like so-ay-sawnt ay ownz /?/
72 soixante-douze - sounds like so-ay-sawnt dooze /?/
73 soixante-treize - sounds like so-ay-sawnt tuh-ay-z /?/
74 soixante-quatorze - sounds like so-ay-sawnt kay tow-z /?/
75 soixante-quinze - sounds like so-ay-sawnt kay uh-nz/?/
76 soixante-seize - sounds like so-ay-sawnt sez /?/
77 soixante dix sept - sounds like so-ay-sawnt dee set /?/
78 soixante dix huit - sounds like so-ay-sawnt dee oo-ee /?/
79 soixante dix neuf - sounds like so-ay-sawnt dee nef /?/


(from: wikipedia - OIF)

Photons

We just learned about the Diode.

When you turn on a light bulb or use your flashlight, it makes things brighter.

But does light actually have parts?
Is it made up of little bits, or is it just light?

It turns out light is actually made up of something called photons.

Photons have no mass meaning they don't weigh anything like an atom does,
but they do move around and they are tiny little particles!

(from: wikipedia - photon)

Porcupine

We just learned about the Duck Billed Platypus.

Another fun animal is a Porcupine.

When you see a porcupine, it might look like a cute little animal,
but don't try to pet it unless you want to get poked!

Porcupines have quills, which look like long sharp needles that stick out from their backs.
The needles are actually made of keratin, the same as the spikes on a cat's tongue,
a turtle's shell, and rhino's horn.

The quills have little barbs on them, that are like small needles pointing the opposite way.
So when you get a porcupine quill stuck in you, it's really hard to get it out.
This helps the porcupine protect itself.


(from: wikipedia - porcupine)

What happens when a porcupine pokes itself?

The porcupines have antibiotic medicine built right into it's skin,
so even if it falls out of a tree and pokes itself with a quill, it will heal up fast!

(from: wikipedia - porcupine)

Quadriceps

Let's keep learning about the muscles in the human body!

Last time we learned about the gluteus maximus

Next up is the quadriceps.
These are the muscles on your thigh, sometimes just called quads.

You use your quads when you move your upper leg around, or when you bend your knee.

(from: wikipedia - quadriceps femoris muscles)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sternum

Romania

Let's keep learning about the countries in Europe!

Romania is located just south of the Ukraine.

(from: wikipedia - romania)

For dinner in Romania you might have a plate of sărmăluţe cu mămăligă, which is stuffed cabbage rolls, with sauerkraut and porridge.

(from: wikipedia - romanian cuisine)

If you've ever heard the story of Dracula the Vampire it's a made up story about vampires,
but there was a real person person named Dracula (he just wasn't really a vampire).
He was a prince in a part of Romania called Transylvania.

(from: wikipedia - vlad dracula)

There is even a castle there that he used to live in, called Bran Castle.

(from: wikipedia - bran castle)

There is a wild and crazy winding road in the mountains called the Transfăgărășan.

(from: wikipedia - romania)

New Testament

We just finished learning about the last books of the Old Testament.

Let's move on to the New Testament. That is the time of Jesus.

The New Testament has 27 different chapters (called Books),
and you can divide those up into five groups:
- The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
- Books of History (Acts)
- Pauline Epistles (14 letters written by Paul)
- General Epistles (7 letters written by other people)
- Books of Prophecy (Revelation)

We'll go through each of these and what they all mean.

(from: wikipedia - new testament)

Red Giant

We learned last time that our sun is a Yellow Dwarf
and that it will burn for 10 billion years!

But what happens after that 10 billion years?
Well that's a long long way in the future, but once a Yellow Dwarf star burns up
it grows larger and becomes a Red Giant.

The closest Red Giant star to us is Gamma Crucis, it is 88 light years away.
Let's look at it's star measurements:
stellar classification: M3.5 (red)
luminosity class: III (giant)

So we can call it M3.5 III, or a red giant.

(from: wikipedia - red giant)

Red giants can be 4,000 degrees and 100 times larger than our Sun!
They usually last about 1 billion years.

French - counting to sixty nine

We just learned how to count to 59 in French, let's keep going!

60 soixante - sounds like so-ay-sawnt /?/
61 soixante et un - sounds like so-ay-sawnt ay un /?/
62 soixante-deux - sounds like so-ay-sawn-doo /?/
63 soixante-trois - sounds like so-ay-sawn-twah /?/
64 soixante-quatre - sounds like so-ay-sawn-cat-uh-ah /?/
65 soixante-cinq - sounds like so-ay-sawn-sahnk /?/
66 soixante-six - sounds like so-ay-sawn-see /?/
67 soixante-sept - sounds like so-ay-sawn-set /?/
68 soixante-huix - sounds like so-ay-sawn-soo-ee /?/
69 soixante-neuf - sounds like so-ay-sawnt-nef /?/

Diode

We've now learned about Doping Semiconductors, and how mixing some chemicals into
a semiconductor can turn it into a conductor.

Doped semiconductors can be used to make something called a diode.

A diode is something that you can put electricity through, but it only goes in one direction.
Kind of like pouring water down hill, it can't flow back up.

If you look on a circuit board you will see all sorts of diodes.
They are a very important part of how things like computers work!

(from: wikipedia - diode)

Duck Billed Platypus

We just learned a little about Squirrels.

When scientists first discovered the platypus and tried to tell
other people about it, everyone thought they were joking!

No one thought there could really be an animal with fur and a tail like a beaver's tail,
and also a bill, webbed feet and lays eggs like a duck!


(from: wikipedia - platypus)

Another interesting thing about the platypus is that they have a small claw (also called a spur)
on their back foot that is poisonous!

Gluteus maximus

Let's keep learning about the muscles in the human body!

Last time we learned about the rectus abdominis

Next up is the gluteal muscles.
The muscles on your back side (or your butt) are called your gluteal muscles.
There are three muscles there, the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus.

Sometimes people call those muscles glutes or just talk about the gluteus maximus
since it's the biggest of the three muscles.

You use those muscles when you lift your leg up and down,
or bend your body backwards.

(from: wikipedia - gluteal muscles)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Back Bone