Monday, November 25, 2013

Japan


Japan is an island nation that is east of the big Asian continent.
It is made up of four large islands, and over 6,000 small ones!

japan
(from: wikipedia - japan)

For dinner in Japan, you might have some sushi!
sushi
(from: wikipedia - sushi)

Mount Fuji is Japan's highest mountain, and it is also a volcano!
mount fuji
(from: wikipedia - mount fuji)

Ninjas and Samurais were ancient warriors from Japan.
ninja
(from: wikipedia - ninja)
samurai
(from: wikipedia - samurai)

Tokyo is the largest city in Japan, and the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 64 million people!
tokyo
(from: wikipedia - tokyo)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Equator

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Jesus' Apostles - Philip and Bartholomew


After Jesus had called Andrew, Simon Peter, James and John Zebedee he called two more apostles, Philip and Bartholomew.

They were also from the town of Bethsaida, same as Andrew and Peter.

calling the 12 apostles
(from: wikipedia - commissioning of the twelve apostles)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ninth Commandment

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Moon - Maria


Let's keep learning about the Moon.

Last time we learned that the bright markings are called lunar highlands.

The dark markings are called the lunar maria.

The maria are darker because the ground there is made up of cooled lava from a long time ago.

moon
(from: wikipedia - geology of the moon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hubble Space Telescope

Friday, November 22, 2013

Spanish - dog, cat


To say dog in Spanish, you say perro and it sounds like ped-er-oh /?/

To say cat in Spanish, you say gato and it sounds like gah-toe /?/

association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
chien, chat

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Igneous Rocks


We just learned about Volcanic Ash that comes out of volcanoes.

When hot lava cools down and turns into rock,
that type of rock is called igneous rock.

igneous rock
(from: wikipedia - igneous rock)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Batteries - Positive & Negative

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hyena


We just learned about the Aardvark.

Hyenas are known for living in the desert, and their laughing bark sound.

Many people think hyenas only eat dead animals and never hunt themselves,
but most hyenas really do go out and hunt their own prey!

(from: wikipedia - hyena)

When we see hyenas, we mostly think they act like dogs,
but in many ways they are actually more like cats.

They clean themselves with their tongues like cats do,
and they have a rough tongue like a cat does.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Polar Bear Skin

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Dorsal Foot Muscles


We just learned about the Palmar Interossei Hand Muscles.

There are a lot of muscles in the foot, just to help you walk and keep your balance!

The first group of foot muscles we'll talk about are the dorsal foot muscles.

They have really fancy names extensor digitorum brevis and extensor hallucis brevis,
but you can just call them dorsal muscles.

They are used to help you straighten your toes, or lift them up toward your face.
extensor digitorum brevis
(from: wikipedia - extensor digitorum brevis muscle)

extensor hallucis brevis
(from: wikipedia - extensor hallucis brevis muscle)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Radius & Ulna

Monday, November 18, 2013

India


India is a very large country in Asia southwest of China.

(from: wikipedia - india)

For dinner in India, you might have tandoori chicken
tandoori chicken
(from: wikipedia - indian cuisine)

A great leader in India named Gandhi helped people by showing them how to fight back
against others without hurting anyone, called non-violence.
mahatma gandhi
(from: wikipedia - mohandas karamchand gandhi)

One of the most famous buildings in the world is the Taj Mahal.
It was built by an emperor as a tomb for his wife after she died.
taj mahal
(from: wikipedia - tourism in india)

The third highest mountain in the world is in India, called the Kangchenjunga.
kangchenjunga
(from: wikipedia - tourism in india)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: South America

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Jesus' Apostles - James and John Zebedee


After Jesus called Andrew and Simon Peter, he called two more apostles, James and John, sons of Zebedee.

They were also fishermen, and when Jesus called them they left their fishing boats and followed him.
jesus calls james john zebedee
(from: wikipedia - matthew 4:21)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eighth Commandment

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Moon - Highlands


We just learned about the Cat's Eye Nebula.

Let's learn a little more about the Moon!

We've already learned that the moon orbits the earth every 27 days or so.

And we learned about the first moon spacecrafts Luna 2 and Ranger 4 as well as the first people to walk on the moon in the Apollo 11 mission.

But what about the moon itself?

If you look at the moon you'll see that it has bright and dark markings on it.
The bright areas are called the lunar highlands, or terrae.
moon
(from: wikipedia - geology of the moon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Big & Little Dipper

Friday, November 15, 2013

Spanish - Do you speak Spanish?


To ask if someone speaks Spanish, you say hablas español?.

It sounds like ah-blah-ss ess-pan-yole /?/
.

association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
parlez-vous français

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Volcanic Ash


We just learned about the rocks that are thrown from volcanoes called Tephra

Volcanic Ash is the smoky cloud that comes up from a volcano when it erupts.
Even though it just looks like smoke or steam,
the ash is actually made up of tiny bits of rock that are floating through the air.

mount redoubt volcanic ash
(from: wikipedia - volcanic ash)

Volcanic Ash isn't like lava where it will melt everything in it's path,
but it can shoot out and cover areas for almost a thousand miles.
It can make animals or people sick, and just make a big mess covering everything up in a black mush.

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: USB

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Aardvark


We just learned a little about the Flamingo.

Aardvarks kind of look like a cross between an anteater and a pig.
They have the pig nose, but it's a long nose with a tongue in it used to eat ants and termites.

They are so good at finding ants and termites that they can dig 2 feet deep in 15 seconds,
and they can eat as many as 50,000 of them in one night!
aardvark
(from: wikipedia - aardvark)

Anteaters only eat one type of fruit, and because of that it's nicknamed the aardvark cucumber!

The cucumber needs the aardvark to eat it so that it's seeds will come out in the aardvark poop and grow somewhere else.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Corgis

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Palmar interossei hand muscles


We just learned abou the Dorsal Interossei hand muscles.

The palmar interossei muscles in your hand are the muscles in between the metacarpal finger bones that are part of your hand.

They are used to squeeze your fingers together.
dorsal interossei
(from: wikipedia - palmar interossei)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Humerus

Monday, November 11, 2013

China


We've learned about a lot of countries in Europe, so let's move on to the continent of Asia!

We've already learned about Russia and Turkey that are both considered part of Europe and Asia.

The country with the most people in the entire world is China, they have over a billion people!
For every 1 person in the US, there are 3 people in China, wow!

China is a big country South of Russia.
It is the second largest country in the world.
china
(from: wikipedia - china)

For dinner in China, you might have a bowl of fried rice.
chinese fried rice
(from: wikipedia - chinese cuisine)

Shanghai is the largest city in the whole world, with over 23 million people.
shanghai
(from: wikipedia - shanghai)

Over 2,000 years ago, an emperor in China decided to build a big wall to protect the land.
It's called the Great Wall of China, and it's over 5,000 miles long.
great wall of china
(from: wikipedia - great wall of china)

The tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest, and it is located partly in China. Mt. Everest
(from: wikipedia - mount everest)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctica

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Jesus' Apostles - Andrew and Simon Peter


When Jesus began visiting towns and teaching, he met two brothers.
They were fishermen named Andrew and Simon Peter.

Jesus told them that he would teach them to fish for men,
so that they could help spread the word of God and help people understand Jesus' teachings!

andrew and simon peter
(from: wikipedia - andrew the apostle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Seventh Commandment

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Cat's Eye Nebula


We've learned about the planetary nebula, and the clownface nebula.

There are even more cool things in space like this!

The Cat's Eye Nebula is actually a planetary nebula with a star inside of it!

cat's eye nebula
(from: wikipedia - cat's eye nebula)

It's over 3,000 light years away, and is part of the constellation of Draco.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: North Star

Friday, November 8, 2013

Spanish - Please, You're welcome


Remember that to say thank you in Spanish, you say gracias.

To say please in Spanish is por favor.
It sounds like poh-d fah voh-d /?/.

And to say you're welcome, you say de nada and it sounds like day nah-dah /?/.

association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
S'il vous plait, de rien

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Tephra


We just learned about volcano Lava Domes.

When volcanoes erupt, sometimes they shoot out pieces of rock in the air.

These rocks are called tephra.

tephra
(from: wikipedia - tephra)

Sometimes volcanoes can shoot rocks almost a mile away from the eruption!



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Text Messages

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Flamingo


We just learned about the birds called the Albatross.

Flamingos are pretty pink birds who like to stand on one leg.

Why do they stand on one leg?

Scientists think it's because their feet get cold!
Flamingos spend a lot of time standing in the water eating shrimp,
and if they just stand on one foot then the other foot can warm up.

flamingo
(from: wikipedia - flamingo)

But why are grownup flamingos pink, when babies are white?
Scientists discovered that it's because flamingos eat lots of shrimp.
The shrimp have something called beta carotine in their bodies,
and that is what turns the flamingos pink.

baby flamingo
(from: wikipedia - flamingo)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Deer

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Dorsal interossei hand muscles


We just learned a little about the Lumbrical Hand Muscles.

The dorsal interossei muscles in your hand are the muscles in between the metacarpal finger bones that are part of your hand.

They are used to spread your fingers apart.
dorsal interossei
(from: wikipedia - dorsal interossei)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: False Ribs

Monday, November 4, 2013

Europe - Many nations


We just learned about the country of Switzerland.

Even though we've covered 23 different countries in Europe,
we're not even half way through all of them!

There are some very small countries that are just the size of a city!

Here is a list of 50 countries in Europe! Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (Scotland, England), Vatican City.

Wow! So many countries for an area of land that is smaller than most other continents!
europe
(from: wikipedia - europe)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Australia

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Jesus tested


We just learned about Jesus as a young boy.

Let's learn more about when Jesus was tested.

Some time after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, he was led out into the wilderness.

When he was out there, the devil tried to trick him into disobeying God.

Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days without eating or drinking, so he was very hungry!
The devil knew he was hungry, so he told him to use his power as the Son of God to turn stones into bread.
Jesus told him that he did not live just by eating bread, but on the word of God.

Then the devil said if he really was Jesus, that he should be able to jump off a cliff and have angels rescue him.
Jesus told him that you should not put God to the test like that.

Next the devil offered him all of the kingdoms in the whole world!
Jesus told him that he would only worship the Lord God.

After that the devil left him and Jesus left the wilderness.

temptation of christ
(from: wikipedia - temptation of christ)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sixth Commandment

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Clownface Nebula


We just learned that a planetary nebula is a bunch of burning gas in space that was shot out from a red giant star.

There are some really amazing looking planetary nebulas in outer space,
like the clown face nebula.
clownface nebula
(from: wikipedia - eskimo nebula)

It's over 2,000 light years away, and is part of the constellation of Gemini.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Milky Way

Friday, November 1, 2013

Spanish - Very good thanks


In Spanish, if someone asks How are you? by saying ¿Cómo estás?
you can answer Very good, thanks. by saying Muy bien, gracias.

The way you say it, sounds like Moo-ee bee-en guh-dah-see-ahs /?/.

It's also polite to ask how they are, so you can add y tú? /?/ to the end of that sentence.
That sounds like ee too?

So using all the words we've learned:
Hola, Adiós, Señor, Señora, Señorita, ¿Cómo estás? and Muy bien, gracias, y tú


We can have a conversation in Spanish like this:
Girl: Hola Señor.
Boy: Hola Señorita, cómo estás?
Girl: Muy bien gracias, y tú?
Boy: Muy bien, gracias.
Girl: Adiós!
Boy: Adiós!

association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Très bien merci, et vous?

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Lava Domes


We just learned about Pāhoehoe lava.

Let's learn about Lava domes!

Lava domes are kind of like big round bumps that show up in volcanoes, when lava is slowly erupting.

You can almost think of it like a big rock bubble that is ready to pop!
lava dome
(from: wikipedia - lava dome)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Car Ignition

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Albatross


The albatross is a bird with the largest wing span of any bird in the world, reaching up to 12 feet!
That's taller than any person!

They are sometimes called Gooney Birds.

albatross
(from: wikipedia - albatross)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bald Eagle - nest & plumage

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Lumbrical hand muscles


The lumbrical muscles in your hand are the muscles in between the metacarpal finger bones that are part of your hand.

They help you stick your fingers straight out.

lumbrical
(from: wikipedia - lumbricals of the hand)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pectoral Girdle

Monday, October 28, 2013

Switzerland


We just learned about the country of Vatican City.

Switzerland is another country in Europe!

switzerland
(from: wikipedia - switzerland)

For breakfast in Switzerland you might have a bowl of meusli,
a cereal invented there with oats grains nuts and fruits.
meusli
(from: wikipedia - swiss cuisine)

There is a big invention called the large hadron collider that scientists built
in Switzerland to maybe help us understand how the universe works!
large hadron collider
(from: wikipedia - large hadron collider)

In the old days people in the Swiss mountains used to use a big long horn
called the alphorn to talk to each other across the mountains.
alphorn
(from: wikipedia - alphorn)

The mountain range running through Switzerland is called the Alps,
and in the alps is a famous mountain called the Matterhorn.
matterhorn
(from: wikipedia - matterhorn)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cardinal Directions

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Jesus as a young boy


We just learned a little about what happened After Jesus' Birth

The bible doesn't tell us about how Jesus grew up as a baby or a little kid,
but it does tell us about one time when he was twelve years old.

Jesus whole family and many friends traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem for a big festival.
After the festival was over, everyone went back home, but Jesus was not with them.
His parents thought maybe he was lost in their crowd of family and friends,
because there were so many people it would be easy to get mixed up.

But Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem and was staying in the temple (which was like a church)
talking to the teachers and asking them questions.

All of the teachers were amazed at how much Jesus knew and understood!
They did not know he was the son of God!

When Jesus' parents found him, they asked why he didn't come home with them,
and he told them he was in his father's house.

They didn't understand at the time, but he meant that since he was the son of God
and he was in God's house, that being in the temple was being in his father's house.
jesus in the temple
(from: wikipedia - finding jesus in the temple)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fifth Commandment

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Planetary nebula


A planetary nebula is a bunch of burning glowing gas that was shot out from a red giant star at one point.

helix nebula
(from: wikipedia - planetary nebula)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Earth's Seasons

Friday, October 25, 2013

Spanish - How are you?


In Spanish, if you want to say How are you?
you say ¿Cómo estás? - sounds like coh-moh-ess-tah-s /?/
association of spanish language academies
(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Comment allez-vous?

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Pāhoehoe lava


We just learned that ʻAʻā lava is a type of lava with big chunks of rock floating in it.

Another type of lava is called Pāhoehoe, pronounced like pah-ho-ee ho-ee.

Pāhoehoe lava is smooth and looks almost like rope or some sort of gooey thick stuff.
pahoehoe
(from: wikipedia - lava)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spark Plug

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Lobsters


We just learned about the type of animal the Echidna.

Let's learn about some more fun animals!

Lobsters are animals that live in the sea, that have something called an exoskeleton.

Our hard bones are on the inside of our body, but a lobster's hard bones
are like armor on the outside of it's body.

Lobsters live on the bottom of the ocean, usually hiding in cracks or holes in the ground.

lobster
(from: wikipedia - lobster)

Another funny thing about lobsters is that they have blue blood!

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Humpback Whale - Baleen Plates

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Hypothenar


We just learned about the thenar muscle in the hand by the thumb.

The other big muscle in your hand that you can feel is called the hypothenar.
It's over on the side of your hand by your pinky, and it controls all the movement of your pinky finger.

hypothenar
(from: wikipedia - hypothenar)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Clavicle and Scapula