False Coral Snake

We just learned about the Grass Snake.

Another type of snake is the American pipe snake or false coral snake.

It looks a lot like the venomous coral snake, but it is not venomous.

Sometimes when the snake is threatened, it curls up its tail kind of like a cobra standing up.


(from: wikipedia - aniliidae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dachsund

Epithalamus

We just learned about Hypothalamus.

Another part of the brain is the epithalamus.

This part of the brain helps control our sleep and our feelings.


(from: wikipedia - epithalamus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dorsalis Pedis Artery

Kangchenjunga

We just learned about the K2.

The next highest mountain is Kangchenjunga which means The five treasures of the high snow.

There are stories about treasures hidden in the mountains, like gold and jewels.
Some people believe that there are giant beasts like a yeti living on the mountain.
Others say that there are magical valleys in the mountains where people can live forever if they find them.


(from: wikipedia - kangchenjunga)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: North Carolina

Ordinary Time

We just learned about Trinity Sunday.

Another part of the church calendar is called Ordinary Time.
There are two parts of the calendar for Ordinary Time, and they are the time after Christmas and before Easter, and then after Easter and before Christmas.


(from: wikipedia - ordinary time)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears in his disciples house

Sphinx of Naxos

We just learned about the ancient sculpture Charioteer of Delphi.

Another ancient sculpture from Greece is the Sphinx of Naxos.

This sculpture was built over 2,000 years ago on the island of Naxos as a shrine to Apollo.
It is made of marble, and is 41 feet tall.
The sphinx creature has the head of a woman, the body of a lion and the feathers of a bird.


(from: wikipedia - sphinx of naxos)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: At the Front - George Cochran Lambdin

Italian - Saturday, Sunday

We just learned that in Italian:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Italian is Lunedi, Martedì, Mercoledì,
and Thursday, Friday is Giovedi, Venerdi.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Saturday - Sabato - sounds like sah-bah-toh /?/
Sunday - Domenica - sounds like doh-may-nee-kah /?/


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Samstag, Sonntag

In Spanish:
Sabado, Domingo

In French:
Samedi, Dimanche

Typhoon

We just learned about Category 5 Hurricanes.

If a large tropical cyclone is in the northwest part of the Pacific Ocean, it is called a Typhoon instead of a hurricane.


(from: wikipedia - typhoon haiyan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lightning

Grass Snake

We just learned about the Sri Lanka cat snake.

Another snake is the Grass Snake, also known as the ringed snake, water snake or Natrix natrix.

This snake lives in the United Kingdom, and is the largest reptile living there.

It is non-venomous, so sometimes when it is scared it makes a bad smell or even fakes like it is dead.
Sometimes it pretends to be dangerous by hissing and pretending to bite, but it does not bite.

If it plays dead, it might even throw up to make it look like it is dead.


(from: wikipedia - grass snake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lhasa Apso

Hypothalamus

We just learned about the part of the brain called the thalamus.

Another part of the brain is the hypothalamus.

Just like the thalamus, this is part of the forebrain, and it helps control your body temperature, your hunger, sleep and even what you do when you are afraid.


(from: wikipedia - hypothalamus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Plantar Arteries

K2

We just learned about Mount Everest.

The next highest mountain is K2.

It gets its name because it is part of the Karakoram mountains, and it is the second peak discovered.

It is such a dangerous mountain to climb, that 1 out of every 4 people that have tried to climb it, died.


(from: wikipedia - K2)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New York

Trinity Sunday

We just learned about the church day of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.

The next day in the calendar is Trinity Sunday.

This day is for Christians to celebrate the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


(from: wikipedia - trinity sunday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears to Peter fishing

Charioteer of Delphi

We just learned about the ancient Egyptian sculpture the Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra.

The ancient Greeks were also very famous for their sculptures.
One famous sculpture that has survived through the years is the Charioteer of Delphi.

It is a bronze sculpture of a man on a chariot, made to honor someone after they had won a race in a competition like the Olympics.
It was made to look like the person at the end of the race after winning, calm, confident and happy.

The statue has lost it's arm, and it used to have horses with it also.
It still has it's glass eyes, but it is missing its silver eyelashes and headband.

Many bronze statues were melted down for the metal long after they were made, but this statue had been buried under a building that had collapsed, so it survived and was found hundreds of years later.

Statues like this were usually made in a few different pieces and then put together when they were all sculpted.


(from: wikipedia - charioteer of delphi)


(from: wikipedia - charioteer of delphi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Detroit Industry Murals - Diego Rivera

Italian - Thursday, Friday

We just learned that in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Italian is Lunedi, Martedì, Mercoledì.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Thursday - Giovedì - sounds like Gee-oh-vay-dee /?/
Friday - Venerdì - sounds like Vay-nay-d-dee /?/


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

German:
Donnerstag, Freitag.

Spanish:
Viernes, Jueves

French:
Jeudi, Vendredi.

Category 5 Hurricane

We just learned about the Category 4 Hurricane.

The next level of hurricane is Category 5 Hurricane - Catastrophic damage will occur.

These hurricanes have wind speeds over 157 mph.

This is the highest level a tropical cyclone can get to.
These hurricanes totally destroy entire buildings.
They flood large areas, uproot trees, cause power outages for a long time, and people have to leave their homes and go to a safer place.


(from: wikipedia - saffir-simpson hurricane)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fog

Sri Lanka cat snake

We just learned about the Spiny Bush Viper.

Another type of snake is the Sri Lanka cat snake, also known as Boiga ceylonensis.

This snake is usually about 4 feet long, and lives in Sri Lanka and India.

It will sometimes go into houses looking for food, like rats or lizards, and isn't afraid to try and bite people.

They do have venom so their bites will hurt, but it is not enough to kill a person.

They are called a cat snake because of their eyes.


(from: wikipedia - boiga ceylonensis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Irish Wolfhound

Thalamus

We just learned about the Occipital Lobe in the Cerebrum.

Another part of the brain by the cerebrum is called the Thalamus.

This part of the brain helps send messages back and forth from the cerebrum to all parts of the body like your eyes and ears.

It also helps you stay awake when you want or fall asleep when you're tired.


(from: wikipedia - thalamus)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fibular Arteries

Mount Everest

We just learned about Lake Vänern.

Let's learn about the highest mountain peaks in the world.

The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest in Nepal and Tibet.
It was named Mount Everest after Sir George Everest, who was in charge of mapping out that land when it was discovered.

It is known in Nepal as Sagarmāthā which means "the Head in the Great Blue Sky", and in Tibet as Chomolungma which means "Goddess Mother of Mountains".

It's tallest peak is 29,029 feet above sea level.
Sea level is the height on earth where the ocean is.

The tallest building in the world is only 2,722 feet high, so this mountain is ten times taller than the tallest building in the world.


(from: wikipedia - mount everest)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Mexico

Pentecost

We just learned about Easter Sunday.

The next time in the church calendar is Pentecost.

The word means 50th day, and the day is 50 days after Easter.
This is the time when churches remember the Holy Spirit coming to the Apostles.

Many churches use rose petals or images of doves to remember the holy spirit coming down, and some even will lower a dove from the ceiling or drop rose petals from the roof.

Other churches remember the day with confirmation, when young people confirm their faith.

The churches are usually decorated in red, the color of fire.

(from: wikipedia - pentecost)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears on the Road to Emmaus

Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra

We just learned about the Ka Statue of Hor.

Another ancient Egyptian statue is the Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra.

Block statues were made of people that were important, but were not royalty like pharaohs.
This statue is of someone named Pa-Ankh-Ra who was a ship master, and he is sculpted holding a smaller statue of the mythical person Ptah.

These block statues were usually put in temples and were statues of the person sitting on a square block, with some words written on the square block.

(from: wikipedia - block statue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I - Gustav Klimt

Italian - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Let's learn the days of the week in Italian!

Monday - Lunedi - sounds like loo-nay-dee /?/
Tuesday - Martedì - sounds like mah-d-tay-dee /?/
Wednesday - Mercoledì - Sounds like may-d-koh-lay-dee /?/


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch

In Spanish:
Lunes, Martes, Miercoles

In French:
Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi.

Category 4 Hurricane

We just learned about a Category 3 Hurricane.

The next level is a Category 4 Hurricane - Catastrophic damage will occur.

These hurricanes have wind speeds between 130 and 156 mph.

This kind of hurricane can totally knock over a house, rip up and snap most trees, flood very far inland, and cause power and water losses for weeks.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane gustav)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snowflake

Spiny Bush Viper

We just learned about Indian Cobra.

Another type of snake is the spiny bush viper, also called the atheris hispida.

This snake has scales that stick out, so it is very spiky looking, and can be green or red.

It is also sometimes called the rough-scaled bush viper, or hairy viper.


(from: wikipedia - atheris hispida)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Alaskan Malamute

Occipital Lobe

We just learned about Temporal Lobe.

Another part of the brain is the Occipital Lobe.

This part of the brain is used to take the things you see and turn them into pictures that your brain can understand.


(from: wikipedia - occipital lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tibial Arteries

Lake Vänern

We just learned about Lake Urmia in Iran.

The next biggest lake is Lake Vänern in Sweden.

This lake was made when the ice age melted, and is very old.

An old viking ship was found at the bottom of the lake.


(from: wikipedia - vänern)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Jersey

Easter Sunday

We just learned about Holy Saturday.

The next day of the church calendar is Easter Sunday.

This is the day when the church remembers Jesus Christ being resurrected from the dead.

There are many different ways that people celebrate this day, like decorating and finding Easter eggs to remember the tomb Jesus was in, or having parades.
Many churches have a sunrise service, where people greet each other by saying Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.
The decorations on the church are usually white, to show the purity of Christ after coming back from the dead.

(from: wikipedia - easter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears to Mary

Ka Statue of Hor

We just learned about the Pendant of Osorkon II.

Another ancient Egyptian sculpture is the Ka Statue of Hor.

The pharaohs of Egypt were very powerful, and had many statues made of them.
When they died people made large statues to be buried with them in their tombs.

One type of sculpture in the tomb was called a Ka statue, and it was meant to hold the spirit of the dead pharaoh.
In the ancient Egyptian picture language called hieroglyphics, the arms on the pharaoh's head in the shape of a U, was the symbol for Ka.


(from: wikipedia - ka statue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Liberty - Bartholdi

Italian - His face is rough

We just learned in Italian her hands are soft is Le sue mani sono morbide.

To say his face is rough you would say il suo volto è ruvida.
We can break it up into four words:
His - il suo - sounds like eel soo-oh /?/
face - volto - sounds like voh-l-toh /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay /?/
rough - ruvida - Sounds like roo-vee-dah /?/


So all together il suo volto è ruvida sounds like eel soo-oh voh-l-toh ay roo-vee-dah.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Sein Gesicht ist rau.

In Spanish:
Su cara es áspera

In French:
Son visage est rude.

Category 3 Hurricane

We just learned about a Category 2 Hurricane.

The next level of damage on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is the Category 3 Hurricane - Devastating damage will occur.

These hurricanes have wind speeds between 111 and 129 mph.

This type of hurricane can destroy mobile homes, damage smaller houses, cause flooding, uproot or snap trees, and cause power outages.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane isodore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sleet

Indian Cobra

We just learned about Emerald Tree Boa.

Another type of snake is the Indian Cobra, also known as the naja naja, spectacled cobra, asian cobra or binocellate cobra.
This type of cobra lives mostly near India.

When this snake gets upset, it has a hood on the sides of it's head that it will flare out to show it is angry.


(from: wikipedia - indian cobra)

On some of these types of cobras, there is a marking on the back of their head that looks like a pair of glasses or spectacles.

Many people in India used to do something called snake charming, where they kept a cobra in a basket and then played a flute to get the snake to stand up and dance.
The real secret was the way the flute moved around to make the snake look at it.

Because these snakes were handled so much by people, they are one of the snakes that has bit people the most of any species.

(from: wikipedia - indian cobra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Akita Inu

Temporal Lobe

We just learned about the Parietal Lobe.

Another part of the cerebral cortex is the temporal lobe.

This lobe is on the side of your head, right by your ear and your temple.
The main job of this part of your brain is to take the sounds that come in through your ear and help you understand what they mean.

This means helping you tell the difference between a bunch of noise, and someone talking to you and saying words.
Or listening to music or birds chirping.

It also helps a little with memories and with things you see.


(from: wikipedia - temporal lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Popliteal Artery

Lake Urmia

We just learned about Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

The next biggest lake is Lake Urmia in Iran.

This lake used to be the largest lake in the middle east in Asia, but because of dams that blocked off the rivers feeding it and the water being used up, it is now 10 times smaller than it was.

(from: wikipedia - lake urmia)

There is an interesting small island on the lake called The Fist of Osman.

(from: wikipedia - lake urmia)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Hampshire

Holy Saturday

We just learned about Good Friday on the Church Calendar.

The next day is Holy Saturday.

On this day people remember when Jesus Christ body was laid in his tomb after he was crucified on Good Friday.


(from: wikipedia - holy saturday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Tomb - Angels

Pendant of Osorkon II

We just learned about the Younger Memnon statue.

Another Egyptian sculpture is the Pendant of Osorkon II.

Through the years of the Egyptian empire, there were many myths about different gods.
The stories about how they looked and who they were changed for many years.
Like for a while Horus was the brother of Isis and Osiris, but then later the stories changed and Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris.

When people started making sculptures of them people decided on what each character would look like, so that when you saw a sculpture you know which person it was, and the stories didn't change as much after that.

This is a sculpture of Horus, Osiris and Isis.
Horus has a falcon's head, Osiris has a feathered tiara, and Isis has a horned disk.

There are markings on the statue showing that it was made for the Pharaoh Osorkon II, and was probably in his temple somewhere.
In those days the Pharaoh was very powerful, and people believed the Pharaoh would become part of the mythology after his death.


(from: wikipedia - art of ancient egypt)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bethlehem Mural - Banksy

Italian - Her hands are soft

We just learned in Italian our table is short is Il nostro tavolo è breve.

To say her hands are soft you would say Le sue mani sono morbide.
We can break it up into four words:
Her - Le sue - sounds like lay soo-ay /?/
hands - mani - sounds like mah-nee /?/
are - sono - Sounds like soh-noh /?/
soft - morbide - Sounds like moh-d-bee-day /?/


So all together Le sue mani sono morbide sounds like lay soo-ay mah-nee so-noh moh-d-bee-day.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Ihre Hände sind weich

In Spanish:
Sus manos estan suaves

In French:
Ses mains sont douces.

Category 2 Hurricane

We just learned about the Category 1 Hurricane.

The next level of damage on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is the Category 2 Hurricane - Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage.

These hurricanes have winds between 96 and 110 mph.

These will cause damage to roofing, uproot or snap trees, destroy mobile homes and cause power outages.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane juan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hail

Emerald Tree Boa

We just learned about the Green Tree Python.

Another type of snake is the Emerald Tree Boa.
This snake looks and acts a lot like the Green Tree Python, but they are from totally different parts of the world, and they are not the same snake.

The Emerald Tree Boa is from South America, and the Green Tree Python is from Indonesia and Australia.

They both live in trees, grow to about the same size, attack their prey by wrapping their bodies around them, and they even coil themselves up in trees the same way.

If you found one of these snakes in the wild, it would be really tough to tell which type it was!

A few differences are that the Emerald Tree Boa has large fangs and eats birds, and the boa has live snake babies, while the python lays eggs.


(from: wikipedia - emerald tree boa)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Basenji

Parietal Lobe

We just learned about the frontal lobe in the cerebrum part of the brain.

Another lobe in the cerebrum is called the parietal lobe.

This part of the brain is used for your skin and feelings, so when you touch something you can tell if it is soft or hard, smooth or sharp.

The parietal lobe is also used to help understand and speak languages.

And it is used to figure out where you are when you are moving around, which is called spatial awareness. An example of this is when you are in a house you can tell if you are in a smaller room versus a larger room, or if you go upstairs you can figure out which room you are above.


(from: wikipedia - parietal lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Femoral Artery

Lake Issyk-Kul

We just learned about Reindeer Lake in Canada.

The next largest lake is Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

This lake is in a mountain range, and even though through the winter the mountains are covered in snow, the water never freezes because there are hot springs feeding the water into the lake.
Hot springs doesn't mean the water is hot though, it just means the temperature is above freezing.
At the warmest part of the year when people go to the beach for swimming, the water is usually from 64 to 73 degrees F.
That's really cold for most people!


(from: wikipedia - issyk-kul)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nevada

Good Friday

We just learned about Maundy Thursday.

The next special day of Holy Week is Good Friday.

This is the day for remembering when Christ died on the cross.

Some churches will have prayers to remember each part of Jesus' walk to the cross.
Other countries have parades with large crosses and floats to remember what happened.


(from: wikipedia - good friday)

In some places they make hot cross buns, which have frosting of a cross on the top to remember the cross, and spices inside to remember the spices used when Jesus was buried.


(from: wikipedia - hot cross buns)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Empty Tomb

Younger Memnon

We just learned about Nefertiti Bust sculpture.

Another ancient sculpture is the Younger Memnon statue.
This is the sculpture of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh named Ramesses II or Ramesses the Great, and it is over 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
The statue used to have a lower body and legs, but they were broken.

This statue used to stand outside a large temple called the Ramesseum, a temple built for the pharaoh.
Rameses II was pharaoh for a long time and had many temples, statues and sculptures built through the time he was a ruler.


(from: wikipedia - younger memnon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: A Bar at the Folies-Bergère - Manet

Italian - Our table is short

We just learned in Italian their car is tall is La loro auto è alto.

To say our table is short you would say Il nostro tavolo è breve.
We can break it up like this:
Our - Il nostro - sounds like eel noh-st-doh /?/
table - tavolo - sounds like tah-voh-loh /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay /?/
short - breve - Sounds like b-day-vay /?/


So all together Il nostro tavolo è breve sounds like eel noh-st-doh tah-voh-loh ay b-day-vay.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Unser Tisch ist kurz

In Spanish:
Nuestra mesa es bajo

In French:
Notre table est courte

Category 1 Hurricane

We just learned about the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale used to measure hurricanes.

The first level on that scale is a Category 1 Hurricane - Very dangerous winds that will produce some damage.

These hurricanes have winds between 74 and 95 mph.

They usually are not strong enough to damage large houses or buildings, but could blow over mobile homes, uproot trees or blow off roof shingles.


(from: wikipedia - hurricane barbara (2013))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rain

Green Tree Python

We just learned about Corn Snake.

Another type of snake is the Green Tree Python.
These snakes live in areas like New Guinea, Indonesia or Australia.

They live in trees, and will loop their coils over the tree like a saddle, and then lay their head in the middle.
When they hunt for the rodents that they eat, they will hang down from the tree and surprise their prey.
They do not have venom, and they are constrictors.
That means they wrap their body around their prey and squish it.

Sometimes they will bite humans if they get scared, but since they do not have venom they are not very dangerous.


(from: wikipedia - green tree python)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chow Chow

Frontal Lobe

We just learned about the Cerebrum.

There are four parts of the cerebrum, called lobes.

The lobe in the front at your forehead is called the Frontal Lobe.

The frontal lobe helps control voluntary movement.
Voluntary movement means things that you control, like walking or moving your arms.
Involuntary movement is things you can't control, like your heart pumping, or your stomach digesting your food.

It also helps make decisions on what is good or bad, and helps make decisions on if two things are alike.


(from: wikipedia - frontal lobe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Abdominal Aorta

Reindeer Lake

We just learned about Lake Turkana in Russia.

The next biggest lake is Reindeer Lake in Canada.

This lake has a very deep circular part called Deep Bay Crater that was made when a large meteorite crashed into the earth.
There is also a legend about a giant creature that lives deep in that crater.


(from: wikipedia - reindeer lake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nebraska

Maundy Thursday

We just learned about Palm Sunday.

The next day in the church calendar is Maundy Thursday.

This day is to remember the Last Supper, when Christ sat with his disciples for the last time, washed their feet and then ate together.

Some churches remember the day by having foot washing ceremonies where everyone washes each other's feet.


(from: wikipedia - maundy thursday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Burial