Virginia

We just learned about the US state of Vermont.

Virginia is a state on the east coast of the US, right on the Atlantic ocean.
It's nicknames are Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents, Mother of States, The Commonwealth and it's motto is Sic semper tyrannis which means Thus Always to Tyrants.

(from: wikipedia - virginia)

The flag of Virginia is blue, with the state seal on the front.
The state seal has one person standing on another person, and the words sic semper tyrannus, which means thus always to tyrants.

(from: wikipedia - flag and seal of virginia)

A famous Native American Pocahontas saved an early English settler named John Smith.

(from: wikipedia - pocahontas)

The Pentagon is a place where a lot of people work to help protect the US government

(from: wikipedia - the pentagon)

In the city of Chincoteague, every year they have a pony penning where they herd a bunch of ponies across the water.

(from: wikipedia - pony penning)

George Washington, the 1st president of the US in 1789, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - george washington)

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the US in 1801, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - thomas jefferson)

James Madison, the 4th president of the US in 1809, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - james madison)

James Monroe, the 5th president of the US in 1817, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - james monroe)

William Henry Harrison, the 9th president of the US in 1841, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - william henry harrison)

John Tyler, the 10th president of the US in 1841, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - john tyler)

Chester A. Arthur, the 21st president of the US in 1881, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - chester a. arthur)

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the US in 1913, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - woodrow wilson)

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the US in 1923, was from Virginia.

(from: wikipedia - calvin coolidge)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Burkina Faso

Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians

We just learned about Paul's letter to the Romans.

Another letter Paul wrote was to the church in Corinth, so the letter is called First Corinthinas because it was the first of two letters.

Most of First Corinthians is Paul telling the people in the church there that they are not doing the right things by God, and he gives them advice on how to fix their actions.

This letter has one of the most famous verses in the Bible, sometimes called the love verse, because it talks on and on about how wonderful love is.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


(from: wikipedia - metropolis of corinth)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Parable of the Sower

When Will You Marry? - Gauguin

We just learned about the work of art La Blanchisseuse by Toulouse-Lautrec.

Another famous work of art is the painting When Will You Marry? by French artist Paul Gauguin in 1892.
This painting was of two women from the land of Tahiti, where Gauguin traveled to try and see what people lived like in other places.
The woman in front is dressed in bright colors and has a flower in her hair, and is looking for someone to marry.

Just like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh, he painted in a style called Post Impressionism, using bright colors and lots of thick paint.

Gauguin and Van Gogh were actually friends and worked together for a while.
They had a fight and Gauguin left, and right after that was when Van Gogh went crazy and cut his own ear off!


(from: wikipedia - when will you marry?)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mercury - Mariner 10, Messenger

German - Counting to sixty nine

We counted to 59 in German, let's keep going!

60 sechzig - sounds like zek-tsig /?/
61 einundsechzig - sounds like ah-een-oon-zek-tsig /?/
62 zweiundsechzig - sounds like svai-oon-zek-tsig /?/
63 dreiundsechzig - sounds like duh-ai-oon-zek-tsig /?/
64 vierundsechzig - sounds like fee-ah-oon-zek-tsig /?/
65 fünfundsechzig - sounds like foo-nf-oon-zek-tsig /?/
66 sechsundsechzig - sounds like zeks-oon-zek-tsig /?/
67 siebenundsechzig - sounds like zee-bm-oon-zek-tsig /?/
68 achtundsechzig - sounds like ah-kt-oon-zek-tsig /?/
69 neunundsechzig - sounds like no-een-oon-zek-tsig /?/


(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
sesenta, sesenta y uno, sesenta y dos, sesenta y tres, sesenta y cuatro, sesenta y cinco, sesenta y seis, sesenta y siete, sesenta y ocho, sesenta y nueve

Do you remember how to say it in French?
soixante, soixante et un, soixante-deux, soixante-trois, soixante-quatre, soixante-cinq, soixante-six, soixante-sept, soixante-huit, soixante-neuf

Heat Lightning

We just learned about thunder snow.

There is also something interesting called heat lightning.

Sometimes when you are out in the evening on a hot sunny day, you can see lightning flashes from very far away but you don't hear any thunder.

There actually is some thunder for the lightning, but since the skies are clear you can see very far and the sound of the thunder doesn't reach that far.



(from: wikipedia - heat lightning)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Calcium

Rough Collie

We just learned about the type of dog the cocker spaniel.

Another type of dog is the Rough Collie.
There are about 20 different types of collies, but usually when people just say collie they are talking about the rough collie.
It is sometimes called the Long Haired Collie too.

Collies have been used for a long time as herding dogs, mostly for sheep.

There were old books, movies and TV shows about a loyal family dog named Lassie.
The dog from the movie whose real name was Pal was so famous that they had a star with their name on it put on a famous sidewalk called the Hollywood walk of fame.

(from: wikipedia - rough collie)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Koala

Small Saphenous Vein

We just learned about the great saphenous vein that brings deoxygenated blood from the foot up the leg toward the heart.

Another big vein in the foot and leg is the small saphenous vein.

Even though it's name says small, the vein is very big.
It goes from the outside of your foot, then up behind your ankle and up the back of your leg.

(from: wikipedia - small saphenous vein)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jejunum

Vermont

We just learned about the US state of Utah.

Vermont is a state in the northeast part of the US, bordering Canada to the North.

Its nickname is The Green Mountain State, and its motto is Freedom and Unity and Stella quarta decima fulgeat (May 14 star shine bright)


(from: wikipedia - vermont)

The flag of Vermont has a blue background and 14 branched pine tree with two grain sheaves above it.
The 14 branches are for the 13 colonies and Vermont as the 14th state in the union.
There is a cow for the dairy farming, clouds and wavy lines.


(from: wikipedia - flag of vermont)

Vermont is the leading maker of maple syrup in the US.

(from: wikipedia - Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association)

In the town of Thetford Vermont, there is a 25 foot statue made of old wood and hot air ballons called the Vermontasaurus.

(from: wikipedia - vermontasaurus)

Lake Champlain is a very popular place for people to go on vacation.

(from: wikipedia - lake champlain)

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the US in 1923, was from Vermont.

(from: wikipedia - calvin coolidge)

Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the US in 1881, was from Vermont.

(from: wikipedia - chester a. arthur)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mali

Paul's Letter to the Romans

Let's learn more about the Letters written by Paul

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the people of Rome, and that book in the bible is called Romans.

He was writing to a bunch of different types of people who came from different places, and in Rome people were arguing a lot about what was the right way to believe and what were the right or wrong things to do.

He told everyone that everyone does things wrong and no one is perfect.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

And that because people sin, the punishment for sin is death, but believing in Jesus gives eternal life.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(from: wikipedia - epistle to the romans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wise man built his house on a rock

La Blanchisseuse - Toulouse-Lautrec

We just learned about the famous work of art Le Pont de Moret, effet d’orage by French artist Alfred Sisley.

Another famous work of art is La Blanchisseuse by French artist Henri de Toulouse Lautrec in 1886.

Toulouse-Latrec was part of what was called the Post-Impressionism group of artists, where they liked to use bright colors and lots of thick paint.
They liked to make paintings of real things like people and places, but sometimes try to make shapes stand out more or use crazy colors to make an effect.

(from: wikipedia - la blanchisseuse (toulouse-latrec))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Venus - Venera 7-16, Mariner 10, Pioneer Venus

German - Counting to fifty nine

We counted to 49 in German, let's keep going!

50 fünfzig - sounds like foon-f-tsig /?/
51 einundfünfzig - sounds like ah-een-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
52 zweiundfünfzig - sounds like svai-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
53 dreiundfünfzig - sounds like duh-ai-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
54 vierundfünfzig - sounds like fee-ah-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
55 fünfundfünfzig - sounds like foo-nf-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
56 sechsundfünfzig - sounds like zeks-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
57 siebenundfünfzig - sounds like zee-bm-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
58 achtundfünfzig - sounds like ah-kt-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/
59 neunundfünfzig - sounds like no-een-oon-foon-f-tsig /?/


(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
cincuenta, cincuenta y uno, cincuenta y dos, cincuenta y tres, cincuenta y cuatro, cincuenta y cinco, cincuenta y seis, cincuenta y siete, cincuenta y ocho, cincuenta y nueve

Do you remember how to say it in French?
cinquante, cinquante et un, cinquante-deux, cinquante-trois, cinquante-quatre, cinquante-cinq, cinquante-six, cinquante-sept, cinquante-huit, cinquante-deux

Thundersnow

We always think of thunder coming with lightning in a rain storm.

But thunder can even happen during snow!

One big difference between regular thunder and thundersnow is that the snowflakes falling down make the thunder quieter, so you can't hear the thunder noise from as far away.

The snowflakes are like padding that gets in the way of the sound and keeps it from going very far.

(from: wikipedia - thundersnow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Magnesium

Cocker Spaniel

We just learned about the type of dog the Boxer.

Another type of dog is the Cocker Spaniel.
They got their name because they were good at hunting a type of bird called the woodcock.

In the movie Lady and the Tramp, the dog Lady is a cocker spaniel.


(from: wikipedia - cocker spaniel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Firefly

Great Saphenous Vein

We just learned about the Dorsal Venous Arch that helps bring deoxygenated blood from the foot toward the heart.

That vein connects to another very big vein called the Great Saphenous Vein.

This vein goes all the way from your foot up your leg to your hip.
It is the longest vein in the human body.


(from: wikipedia - great saphenous vein)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Liver

Utah

We just learned about the state of Texas

Utah is a state in the west part of the US.
It's nickname is the Beehive State and it's motto is Industry.

(from: wikipedia - Utah)

The flag of Utah is dark blue, with the state seal in the middle.
The state seal shows the American eagle, a shield for defense, a beehive, a Sego Lily which is the state flower, and the US flag.

(from: wikipedia - flag of utah)

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the largest salt lake in the west side of the earth.

(from: wikipedia - great salt lake)

Long ago it used to take about six months to get from one side of the US to the other, and people worked to make a railroad to go all the way across the US.
Once it was completed it took about one week instead of six months to make the trip!
This was called the Transcontinental Railroad, and when the railroad was finished, the last railroad spike was put in at Promontory Summit, Utah.
That railroad spike was called the Golden Spike, and it is now in a museum.
When they put in the spike, they used a telegram which was a way to send messages before there were phones, and they told the whole country it was done and everyone celebrated.


(from: wikipedia - golden spike)

Delicate Arch is a natural stone arch near Moab Utah

(from: wikipedia - delicate arch)

Zion National park is a mountain area that has many beautiful rock formations, like an area that is called the Subway.

(from: wikipedia - subway (canyoneering))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Niger

Paul's Letters

We just learned about a man named Saul who became a believer in Jesus.
He later changed his name to Paul, and went on to go tell lots of other people about Jesus by visiting them or writing letters.
The greek word for letter is the word epistle, so sometimes his letters are called the Epistles of Paul or the Pauline Epistles.

These epistles were not just letters he wrote for fun to say hi to someone, they were more like instructions or small books with wisdom to help churches and people follow God's word.

He wrote 13 letters:
Romans - To Rome, Italy.
First Corinthians - To Corinth, Greece.
Second Corinthians - To Corinth, Greece.
Galatians - To Galatia, in what is now Turkey.
Ephesians - To Ephesus, in what is now Turkey.
Philippians - To Phillipi, Greece.
Colossians - To Colossae, in what is now Turkey.
First Thessalonians - To Thessalonica, Greece.
Second Thessalonians - To Thessalonica, Greece.
First Timothy - To his friend Timothy.
Second Timothy - To his friend Timothy.
Titus - To his friend Titus.
Philemon - To his friend Philemon.


(from: wikipedia - pauline epistles)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Do Unto Others

Le Pont de Moret, effet d’orage - Sisley

We just learned about the famous work of art Le Boulevard de Montmartre, Matinée de Printemps by Pissarro.

Another famous work of art is Le Pont de Moret, effet d’orage by French artist Alfred Sisley in 1887.

Sisley was an Impressionist painter like Claude Monet.
He mostly painted outside things, using mixed up bright and dark colors, and tried to show the way sunlight looked on things outside.

He lived in a place called Moret, a town which has a river going through it called Le Loing.

He made many paintings of this river, from different parts of the town.
The painting Le Pont de Moret, effet d’orage means The Bridge of Moret, Storm Effect.

You can see that even though the water is blue and the sky is white, when you look closely there are colors of red, pink and orange mixed in.

(from: wikipedia - alfred sisley)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Venus - Venera 3-6, Mariner 5

German - Counting to forty nine

We counted to 39 in German, let's keep going!

40 vierzig - sounds like vay-uh-t-seek /?/
41 einundvierzig - sounds like ah-een-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
42 zweiundvierzig - sounds like svai-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
43 dreiundvierzig - sounds like duh-ai-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
44 vierundvierzig - sounds like fee-ah-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
45 fünfundvierzig - sounds like foo-nf-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
46 sechsundvierzig - sounds like zeks-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
47 siebenundvierzig - sounds like zee-bm-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
48 achtundvierzig - sounds like ah-kt-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/
49 neunundvierzig - sounds like no-een-oon-vay-uh-t-seek /?/


(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
quarenta, quarenta y uno, quarenta y dos, quarenta y tres, quarenta y cuatro, quarenta y cinco, quarenta y seis, quarenta y siete, quarenta y ocho, quarenta y nueve

Do you remember how to say it in French?
quarante, quarante et un, quarante-deux, quarante-trois, quarante-quatre, quarante-cinq, quarante-six, quarante-sept, quarante-huit, quarante-neuf

Thunder

We just learned about the Lightning Rod

Another part of lightning storms is Thunder

We know that lightning coming down from the sky is really hot, and that it is excited electrons zapping down as plasma.

The change in temperature and pressure as the lightning is zapping the ground causes the air around it to get pushed out really really fast.
That pushing of all the air around it creates what is called a shockwave that makes a huge sound which is the thunder we hear.

(from: wikipedia - thunder)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Obsidian

Boxer

We just learned about the type of dog the Scottish Terrier

Another type of dog is the boxer.

This dog is very smart, hard working and friendly, and is also very protective of it's family.

No one really knows for sure why the dog is called a boxer.
Some people think it's because the dog stands up and boxes using it's feet,
some think it's from the old German name Baxer, or the German word Boxl which means underpants.

(from: wikipedia - boxer (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butterfly - Imago

Dorsal venous arch

We just learned about the Metatarsal Veins.

Another vein on your foot that brings deoxygenated blood back to your heart is called the dorsal venous arch.

This vein is on the top of your foot, going across from the left to the right.
Sometimes you can see this vein puffed up a little on top of the foot. It looks like a blue colored tube under your skin.

(from: wikipedia - dorsal venous arch of the foot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gall Bladder

Texas

We just learned about the US state of Tennessee.

Texas is a state in the southwest part of the US, bordering Mexico to the south.

It's nickname is The Lone Star State, and it's motto is Friendship.

Texas is the 2nd largest state in the US after Alaska, and it has the 2nd most people of any state after California.

(from: wikipedia - texas)

The flag of Texas is a blue stripe with a white star, a white stripe and a red star.

(from: wikipedia - flag of texas)

The seal of Texas has two sides. On one side is a star with olive and oak branches around it.

On the other side is a picture of the Alamo, the cannon of the Battle of Gonzales, Vince's bridge, and the flags of France, Spain, Mexico, Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States of America.
The six different flags are for the six different nations that have controlled Texas.

(from: wikipedia - seal of texas)

The Alamo is a place in Texas where a big battle took place between the people of Texas and Mexico.
The Mexican army won the battle, but people in Texas were so angry about losing the battle that they all fought hard together and came back to beat Mexico.
People in later battles would shout "Remember the Alamo!" to help keep everyone fighting hard to win.

(from: wikipedia - alamo mission in san antonio)

A special type of cattle in Texas is called the Texas Longhorn because it has really long horns.

(from: wikipedia - texas longhorn)

There is a NASA space center called Johnson Space Center in Houston.
During the Apollo 13 space mission where some things went wrong after the astronauts were launched into outer space, they said over the radio to the control center Houston we have a problem and it has become a famous saying for when something goes wrong.

(from: wikipedia - christopher c. kraft jr. mission control center)
Dwight D. Eisenhower from Texas was the 34th president of the US, in 1953.

(from: wikipedia - dwight d. eisenhower)

Lyndon B. Johnson from Texas was the 36th president of the US, in 1963.

(from: wikipedia - lyndon b. johnson)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Zambia

Saul's Conversion

We just learned about Philip and the Ethiopian

In the times after Jesus' lived, the apostles were going places and telling people about Jesus.
Some of the people who did not like Jesus tried to stop the apostles and would put them in jail.

One of the people who really did not like Jesus was named Saul.
He was a very powerful leader, and was on his way to a town to go arrest a bunch of Jesus' followers.

While he was going there, he saw a big flash of light and heard a voice say "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me".
He fell down on the ground and said "Who are you, Lord?"
The voice said "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

Paul got up, but he was blind, and couldn't see for three days!
They took him to a city called Damascus, and God told a person there named Ananias to go help Saul.
Ananias put his hands on Saul like God told him, and Saul could see again.

(from: wikipedia - conversion of paul the apostle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ask, Seek and Knock

Le Boulevard de Montmartre, Matinée de Printemps - Pissarro

We just learned about the painting Woman with a Bag by German artist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.

Another famous work of art is Le Boulevard de Montmartre, Matinée de Printemps by Pissarro.

This painting is interesting because the artist painted this same street in Paris for different times of day and seasons.
He painted it in spring, in fall, in winter, at night and with or without lots of people.

He made 14 paintings total, to show a vision of how a busy street can change so much all year long.



(from: wikipedia - le boulevard de montmartre, matinée de printemps)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Venus - Mariner 2