Thursday, April 23, 2015

Hail


We just learned that rain happens when enough water vapor collects in a cloud and it falls to the ground as water.

If there is a thunderstorm cloud and the air in the sky is cold enough, this can cause hail.

The water in the clouds freezes and turns to very small bits of ice.
In a cumulonimbus cloud with a lot of strong wind blowing up, the small bits of ice will keep getting blown back up into the sky and then falling down, getting more and more ice on them until they are too big and heavy to get blown back up and they fall down to the ground.

Hail can be as small as tiny pebble or larger than a golf ball!


(from: wikipedia - hail)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Minerals

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Basenji


We just learned about the type of dog called Chow Chow.

Another type of dog is called the Basenji.
Basenji's are from Africa, and they are a very old type of dog going all the way back to the ancient pharoahs. There are paintings of these dogs sitting at the feet of pharoahs from over a thousand years ago.

The basenji's bark is different, and sounds more like a yodel or is sometimes called a barroo.

(from: wikipedia - basenji)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dolphin

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Femoral Artery


After the oxygenated blood comes through the abdominal aorta it splits into 10 smaller arteries.

One of those is called the iliac artery which then continues to the femoral artery.
This is a big artery that runs right down the inside of your thigh.


(from: wikipedia - femoral artery)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pharynx

Monday, April 20, 2015

Nevada


We just learned about the US state of Nebraska.

Nevada is a state on the west side of the US, right next to California.
It's state nicknames are Silver State because of the silver discovered there, Sagebrush State because of the sage brush that grows there, and the Battle Born State because it became a state during the civil war.
It's state motto is All for Our Country
The state name comes from the Spanish word for snow covered, because of the snow on the mountains in the winter.

(from: wikipedia - nevada)

The Nevada flag has a blue background with a silver star, a yellow scroll with the words Battle Born, and some green sage brush plants. These are for the three state nicknames.

(from: wikipedia - flag of nevada)

The seal of Nevada has a silver miner, a quartz mill, a train, telegraph poles, a sheaf of wheat, a sickle, a plow, the sin rising over snowy mountains, the state motto "All for Our Country" and 36 stars because it was the 36th state added to the US.

(from: wikipedia - seal of nevada)

In the 1950s there was a place in Nevada called the Nevada Test Site where people would test nuclear bombs out in the desert.

(from: wikipedia - nevada test site)

In the 1920s there was a large dam on the border of Nevada and Arizona called the Hoover Dam.
It gets power from the water called hydroelectric power and gives the electricity to the cities.

(from: wikipedia - hoover dam)

In the city of Las Vegas, there are many casinos where people can go gambling. Many of the casinos are very fancy like pirate ships, huge fountains, pyramids or even made to look like the cities of New York, Paris or Venice.

One of the streets called Fremont Street has a giant TV screen above it for four city blocks.

(from: wikipedia - fremont street)

There is a colorful water spouting geyser in Nevada called the Fly Geyser

(from: wikipedia - fly geyser)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Egypt

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Jesus Empty Tomb


After Jesus was buried, the two women named Mary went to Jesus' tomb to put some nice smelling spices on his body in the tomb.

When they got to where his tomb was, the guards that were supposed to be keeping people away from the tomb were gone, and so was the stone blocking the tomb!

The women ran off to tell the disciples what they saw, but the disciples did not believe them.


(from: wikipedia - Empty Tomb)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Calming the storm

Saturday, April 18, 2015

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère - Manet


We just learned about The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio.

Another famous work of art is a painting called A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by French painter Édouard Manet in 1882.

The painting is of a woman who is serving people at a bar, and she is standing in front of a mirror.
Many people talked about the reflection of people in the mirror, and that the reflection of the serving barmaid is off to the right instead of right behind her where it should be if the person is standing right in front of her.

There are green feet hanging down from the top left part of the painting, because in the restaurant there was someone on a trapeze above the restaurant as a performer.

Manet was a part of what was called the Realism movement, which meant his paintings looked like normal real people in real situations, and nothing was made up.


(from: wikipedia - a bar at the folies-bergère)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Last Quarter Moon

Friday, April 17, 2015

German - Our table is short


We just learned in German their car is tall is Ihr Auto ist groß.

To say our table is short you would say Unser Tisch ist kurz.
We can break it up into four words:
Our - Unser - sounds like oo-n-zah /?/
table - Tisch - sounds like tish /?/
is - ist - Sounds like isst /?/
short - kurz - Sounds like koo-ats /?/


So all together Unser Tisch ist kurz sounds like mine oo-n-zah tish isst koo-ats.

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Nuestra mesa es bajo

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Notre table est courte

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Rain


We just learned about the Anemometer that measures wind speed.

We know that clouds are tiny little drops of water and water vapor floating around in the sky.

When those tiny little drops of water get bigger and bigger from more air vapor and from bumping into each other, after a while they get so heavy they can't stay up in the sky anymore and they fall out of the clouds.

This is rain!

(from: wikipedia - rain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Petoskey Stone

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Chow Chow


We just learned about the Afghan Hound.

Another type of dog is the Chow Chow.

This type of dog has fluffy fur around it's face, almost like a lion's mane.
It is a kind of dog that has been around China for a very long time.

(from: wikipedia - chow chow)

The Chow Chow also has a blue/black tongue and mouth.

(from: wikipedia - chow chow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grasshoppers

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Abdominal Aorta


We just learned about the Thoracic Aorta.

Next stop for oxygenated blood in the arteries is the Abdominal Aorta.

The abdominal artery brings blood to your stomach, intestines and other parts of your digestive system.
It also brings blood to your stomach and back muscles.

(from: wikipedia - abdominal aorta)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Adam's Apple

Monday, April 13, 2015

Nebraska


We just learned about the state of Montana

Nebraska is a state in the midwest part of the US, right about in the very middle of the lower 48 states which doesn't include Alaska and Hawaii.

The state nickname is the Cornhusker State because they grow so much corn, and the motto is Equality before the law.
The name of the state comes from a Native American word meaning flat water.

(from: wikipedia - nebraska)

The flag of Nebraska is dark blue, with the state seal in the middle all colored in yellow.
The seal shows a train, mountains, a steamboat, the Missouri river, a cabin, wheat sheaves, a blacksmith at an anvil, and the state motto.

(from: wikipedia - flag of nebraska)

Kool-Aid was first invented in Hastings Nebraska. Edwin Perkins invented it after figuring out how to take liquid out of a fruit juice, and turning it into a powder.
In the town of Hastings, they have a party called Kool-Aid Days.


(from: wikipedia - kool-aid man)

The spade ranch is the oldest cattle ranch in Nebraska. They mark all of their cattle with a shape that looks like an ace of spades.

(from: wikipedia - spade ranch (nebraska))

There is a large rock that has a tall point sticking up on it like a chimney, and it is called Chimney Rock.

(from: wikipedia - chimney rock national historic site)

Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, was born in Nebraska

(from: wikipedia - gerald ford)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ethiopia

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Jesus Burial


We just learned about Jesus saying it is finished at his crucifixion.

After Jesus had died, one of Jesus' disciples named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pontius Pilate for the body.
Joseph took Jesus' body, wrapped it in a clean cloth, put it into a tomb, and rolled a big stone in front of it.

Jesus' mother Mary and Mary Magdalene who was a follower of Jesus were both outside the tomb.

Since Jesus had told everyone that he would rise again in three days, Pontius Pilate had a guard stay by the tomb to make sure it was closed up tight, and stand outside to make sure that nobody would steal Jesus' body and then pretend like he had risen from the dead.

Some of the women who were followers of Jesus went home to make some spices and perfumes which were used on people's bodies after they died, with plans to bring them back later for Jesus' body.

(from: wikipedia - burial of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Walking on water

Saturday, April 11, 2015

The Calling of St. Matthew - Caravaggio


We just learned about The Thinker by artist François-Auguste-René Rodin.

Another famous work of art is The Calling of Saint Matthew in 1600 by Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

This is a painting of when Jesus came to call Matthew the tax collector to be one of his followers.

Jesus is on the right hand side, pointing his finger to Matthew.
The light coming from the window is almost like light being shined on Matthew because Jesus is calling him.
Also the way Jesus is holding his hand is just like the painting of Adam on The Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

Matthew is the bearded man on the left, who has a look on his face like "Who, me?" as Jesus is calling him.
All of the tax collectors are dressed very fancy, with nice robes and shoes, and Jesus is wearing a robe and is barefoot.
This helps show the difference between earthly and heavenly treasures.

Caravaggio painted two other pictures of Saint Matthew.
One was called The Inspiration of Saint Matthew and was about Matthew writing the Gospel.
The other was called The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and was about when Matthew was killed for his beliefs in Jesus.
All three paintings are on the walls at the Contarelli Chapel in Rome.

(from: wikipedia - the calling of st matthew (caravaggio))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Waning Gibbous

Friday, April 10, 2015

German - Their car is tall


We just learned in German your food is hot is Ihr Essen ist heiß.

To say their car is tall you would say Ihr Auto ist groß.
We can break it up into four words:
Their - Ihr - sounds like Ee-uh /?/
car - Auto - sounds like ah-oo-toh /?/
is - ist - Sounds like isst /?/
tall - groß - Sounds like guh-oh-ss /?/


So all together Ihr Autoist groß sounds like mine Ee-uh ah-oo-toh isst guh-oh-ss.

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Su coche es alto

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Leur voiture est haut

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Anemometer


We just learned about the huge storm clouds called Roll Clouds.
Many people have jobs where they work to try and predict the weather and different types of storms.
A very important thing to measure is wind speed.

The tool used to measure wind speed is called the Anemometer.
The first anemometers that were invented were small cups on a stick that spun around, and counted how many times it spun around per minute.
Some later anemometers look more like an airplane with a propeller and a tail, and they can tell wind direction and speed.

(from: wikipedia - wind speed)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mudstone

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Afghan Hound


We just learned about the Saluki.

Another type of dog is the Afghan Hound.

These dogs have long silky fur and a tail with a curl.

This dog got it's name because it was very common in the cold mountains of the country of Afghanistan.
Just like the Saluki, they have very good eyes and are known as sight hounds.

Because of their fancy fur, they are very popular dogs for pets and for dog shows that are like dog beauty pageants.

(from: wikipedia - afghan hound)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grouse

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Thoracic Aorta


We've learned how the oxygenated blood comes down the descending aorta.

Next up is the thoracic aorta, which is behind your chest area.

(from: wikipedia - thoracic aorta)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Vocal Cords

Monday, April 6, 2015

Montana


We just learned about the US state of Missouri.

Montana is a state in the north west part of the US, bordering Canada to the North.
It's nicknames are Big Sky Country and The Treasure State.
It's motto is Oro y Plata, which is Spanish for Gold and Silver.

(from: wikipedia - montana)

The flag of Montana is a dark blue color with the word MONTANA in yellow, above the state seal.
The seal says The Great Seal of the State of Montana and Oro y Plata on it. There are pictures of mountains, plains and forests.
It has the Great Falls on the Missouri River, and a plow, pick and shovel.

(from: wikipedia - flag of montana)

The Great Falls are waterfalls on the Missouri River in Montana.

(from: wikipedia - great falls (missouri river waterfall))

Glacier National Park is a place in Montana with lots of great wildlife and glaciers.

(from: wikipedia - glacier national park (u.s.))

About 50 years ago, there was an earthquake in Montana that caused an 80 million ton landslide.
The landslide blocked a river, and the earthquake caused cracks in other rocks and dams, and it created a lake which is known as Quake Lake, or Earthquake Lake.

(from: wikipedia - quake lake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nigeria

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Jesus Crucifixion - It is finished


When Jesus was being crucified on the cross, he said "I am thirsty" to get a last drink, then said "It is finished" and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit".

After he said that, he died on the cross.

When he died, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, and the earth shook.

(from: wikipedia - sayings of jesus on the cross)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Feeding the multitude

Saturday, April 4, 2015

The Thinker - Auguste Rodin


We just learned about the famous painting Charles IV of Spain and His Family by Spanish painter Francisco Goya.

Another famous work of art is The Thinker sculpture by French artist François-Auguste-René Rodin in 1904.

It is a bronze sculpture, usually on a stone pedestal.
About 28 copies of the sculpture were made, some in plaster and some in bronze.

The artwork was first called The Poet, and it was made as part of a bigger group of sculptures that were all characters from a book called The Divine Comedy.
Many people think the Thinker statue was the author and main character named Dante.


(from: wikipedia - the thinker)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Waxing Gibbous Moon

Friday, April 3, 2015

German - Your food is hot


We just learned in German:
this chair is small is Der Stuhl ist klein,
and my drink is cold is Mein Getränk ist kalt.

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

To say your food is hot you would say Ihr Essen ist heiß..
We can break it up into four words:
ear essen ist ha-ees Your - Ihr - sounds like Ee-uh /?/
food - Essen - sounds like ess-en /?/
is - ist - Sounds like isst /?/
hot - heiß - Sounds like hah-eess /?/


So all together Ihr Essen ist heißs sounds like mine Ee-uh ess-en isst hah-eess.

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Tu comida está caliente

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Votre nourriture est chaud

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Roll Clouds


We just learned about Shelf Clouds.

Another type of storm cloud is called a Roll Cloud.

It is a low tube shaped cloud that is usually all by itself and not connected to any other clouds.
They look like they are rolling along the sky, like a long tube.

(from: wikipedia - arcus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pumice

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Saluki


We just learned about the Shiba Inu.

Another type of dog is the Saluki.

The salukis have been known by lots of different names!
The Slougui, Arabian Greyhound, Arabischer Windhund, Sloughi Moghrebi, Arabian Sighthound, Levrier Marocain, Royal Dog of Egypt or Persian Greyhound.

They are a type of dog known as a sighthound, which means they hunt using their eyes, instead of like other dogs that use their noses more.

They are a very old type of dog, with cave paintings of them going back over 10,000 years!

(from: wikipedia - saluki)

Long ago they were used in the Middle East as hunting dogs for gazelles and hare.
Sometimes when they were hunting the gazelles, the dog owners would ride along on a camel holding the dog, and when they got close to their prey they would throw the dog out so they got a head start running to catch the prey!

They are one of the fastest dogs in the world, and are even faster than a greyhound over longer distances.

(from: wikipedia - saluki)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peregrine Falcon

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Descending Aorta


We've learned how the oxygenated blood leaves the heart at the ascending aorta, then at the aortic arch it branches off to the carotid artery and subclavian artery.

After the aortic arch, the aorta turns downward and that is called the descending aorta.

(from: wikipedia - descending aorta)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Larynx

Monday, March 30, 2015

Missouri


We just learned about the US state of Mississippi.

Missouri is in the midwest part of the US.
It's nickname is The Show Me State, and it's motto is Salus populi suprema lex esto which is Latin for The health of the people should be the supreme law.


(from: wikipedia - missouri)

The flag of Missouri has red white and blue stripes.
The red is for valor, white for purity, blue for justice.
The red white and blue are also because there were a lot of French people in Missouri long ago, and the French flag is red white and blue.
The state seal is in the middle, and it has a bear for bravery, a crescent moon for the new and growing state and two grizzly bears.
There is a helmet above the seal with 1 big star and 23 small stars because Missouri was the 24th state.


(from: wikipedia - flag of missouri)

The gateway arch is in St. Louis Missouri.
It is the tallest arch in the world and was built to honor Missouri.

(from: wikipedia - gateway arch)

The Pony Express was a way for people to deliver mail all across the country by people riding horses really fast.
The trail started in Missouri, and went all the way over to Sacramento, California.
It took about 10 days for a package to get all the way across the country on the Pony Express.

(from: wikipedia - pony express)

The 33rd president of the United States Harry S. Truman was born in Missouri.

(from: wikipedia - harry s. truman)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Asia - Many Countries

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Jesus Crucificion - Why have you forsaken me?


We just learned about Jesus telling Mary and John to take care of each other.

When Jesus had been on the cross a long time, he was almost ready to die.

He cried out My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Jesus was going to die while carrying the sin of the whole world with him.

In the book of Psalms, King David had written a song that began like that, and then goes on to talk about being in pain and suffering, but then being delivered by God and praising God as he rules over all the nations.

Jesus talked a lot about things that prophets said were going to happen, and many times told people that he was proof that some of the prophecies were coming true.

Psalms were poetry and songs that were written mostly by King David about 1,000 years before Jesus came along.

Psalm #22 in the book of Psalms starts off with: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
which is exactly what Jesus said. He knew every word of every Psalm.

The Psalm goes on to say: "a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment."

Jesus was on the cross with his hands and feet pierced, and the solders had divided up his clothes and cast lots for them.

It goes on at the end to tell how the Lord will rule over the nations, and ends with: "They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!"

Jesus talked in parables a lot, and did things that were part of fulfilling the prophecies of the prophets from long ago.
King David's Psalm was written over 1,000 years before Jesus came along, but on the cross he was still fulfilling the prophecy, and even said the first line of the Psalm that talked about what was happening.


(from: wikipedia - crucifixion of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Miracles - Catching Fish

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Charles IV of Spain and His Family - Francisco Goya


We just learned about the famous painting No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock.

Another famous painting is Charles IV of Spain and His Family by Spanish painter Francisco Goya in 1801.

Goya became a famous painter in Spain and the royal family liked his art so much they hired him to do some family portraits.

The painting of Charles IV and his family is interesting because many people believed that his wife Louisa was really in charge, so Goya painted her to be in the middle of the painting.
He also painted them in very fancy expensive clothing, to show how rich they were.
The lighting in the painting shows that although the family is in light right now, there is a dark shadow coming toward them.

Many people were not happy with the kings and queens, so that is why Goya painted them with the queen in the middle, wearing rich and fancy clothes that no one else could afford, and a shadow coming toward them meaning they would not be kings and queens for much longer.

Goya also painted himself in the painting in the back left in the dark, standing at an easel.


(from: wikipedia - charles iv of spain and his family)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: First Quarter Moon

Friday, March 27, 2015

German - My drink is cold


We just learned that in German to say this chair is small you say Der Stuhl ist klein.

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

To say My drink is cold, we say Mein Getränk ist kalt.

We can break it up into four words:
My - Mein - sounds like mine /?/
drink - Getränk - sounds like geh-tuhrank /?/
is - ist - Sounds like isst /?/
cold - kalt - Sounds like kah-lt /?/


So all together Mein Getränk ist kalt sounds like mine geh-trank isst kah-lt.

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Mi bebida es fría

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Ma boisson est froid

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Shelf Clouds


We just learned about Cloud Étages

Some clouds only come around during big storms. One of these types of clouds is called a shelf cloud.

Usually when you see a shelf cloud, it is a low sideways wedge cloud right at the edge of a thunderstorm.
The upper part looks like a rising cloud, and the bottom part looks like a wild windy blowing storm.


(from: wikipedia - arcus cloud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Slate