Thursday, July 6, 2017

Water jet cutting


We just learned about Electrical Discharge Machining.

Another way to work with metal is water jet cutting.

A water jet cutting tool takes water and squirts it at super high speeds at a piece of metal, and the water is going so fast that it actually cuts the metal.

The tool that makes the water go fast actually uses a jewel like a sapphire, ruby or diamond to make a really small hole for the water to go through.
Water jets can be used to cut anything from glass, to rubber to wood or metal.

Sometimes if the water needs to cut something really hard the water gets mixed up with small pieces of hard crystals like garnet or aluminum oxide, and it gets rougher.
You can think of that like if someone mixed sand up in a squirtgun and shot it at you, it might sting more than just water in a squirtgun.


(from: wikipedia - water jet cutter)


(from: wikipedia - water jet cutter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anvil - Table

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Central Coast stubfoot toad


We just learned about the Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad.

Another frog is the Central Coast stubfoot toad.

This is a true toad in the family Bufonidae.
Their vocal sac that fills up with air is not like other frogs, it is very quiet so they can only make calls to other frogs in small distances.
Because of this they have to live very close to other frogs.


(from: wikipedia - atelopus franciscus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Colorado Desert Sidwinder

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Nail Plate


We just learned about the nail matrix.

Another part of the nail is the nail plate.

This is the big flat part of your nail.
When new cells are being made in the matrix, they are pushed forward to the plate, where they eventually end up at the tip of your fingernail.

(from: wikipedia - nail (anatomy))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Diancephalon

Monday, July 3, 2017

Saskatchewan


We just learned about the Canadian province of Manitoba.

The next most populated Canadian province is Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan is in the southern middle part of Canada, just west of Manitoba.
The name comes from an old cree name for the river, meaning "swift flowing river".
This province gets more sunshine than any other province, and has the record for the hottest temperature in all of Canada, at 113 degrees F.


(from: wikipedia - saskatchewan)

The flag of Saskatchewan has the coat of arms in the upper left, and the province flower of the western red lily in the bottom right.
The upper green half is for the forests, and the bottom gold half is for the prairie wheat fields.

(from: wikipedia - flag of saskatchewan)

The coat of arms for Saskatchewan has a lion for England, some wheat for the farms, Canada's national animal the beaver, a western red lily for the province, a white tailed deer, and a maple leaf.

The province motto is "Multis e gentibus vires" which means "from many peoples, strength"

(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of saskatchewan)

A famous Native American named Sitting Bull moved to Saskatchewan after the famous Battle of Little Bighorn, and had a family there for a while.

(from: wikipedia - sitting bull)

Hockey is the most popular sport in Saskatchewan, and many famous hockey players came from there, including Gordie Howe.

(from: wikipedia - gordie howe)

Moose Jaw is one of the largest cities in Saskatchewan, where they have a giant statue of Mac the Moose.

(from: wikipedia - mac the moose)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nanga Parbat

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Proverbs 4 - The Path of the Righteous


We just learned about Proverbs 31 - A wife of noble character.

Another good lesson from the book of Proverbs is Proverbs 4.

This chapter is advice from a father, telling his children to seek out wisdom, and to listen to the wisdom given to them by their father.

the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.



(from: wikipedia - book of proverbs)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Alpha and Omega

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni - Verrocchio


We just learned about the statue of Christ and St. Thomas, by Andrea del Verrocchio.

Another famous sculpture by Andrea del Verrocchio is the Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni made in Venice, Italy in 1488 AD.

When the noble person Bartolomeo Colleoni died, he had left some money for a statue to be made of him.
There was a competition between three sculptors who had to make samples of what they wanted to put up, and Andrea del Verrocchio won the competition.

He made the statue to be like the famous Donatello statue The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata.

The statue is made to look like a very strong and powerful military commander.


(from: wikipedia - equestrian statue of bartolomeo colleoni)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Friday, June 30, 2017

ASL - November, December


Let's keep learning about the months of the year in ASL!

We just learned how to say January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October.


Remember, to say a month, you just have to spell out the first three letters of the month.

November - N-O-V



December - D-E-C



wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes


Here is a helpful video to show how these signs are done.


ASL HANGOUT: HOW TO SIGN MONTHS OF THE YEAR! - Sign Duo


ASL
(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: Novembre, Dicembre

German: November, Dezember

Spanish: Noviembre, Diciembre

French: Novembre, Décembre

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Electrical Discharge Machining


We just learned about the type of metal working called Stamping.

Another way to work with metal is called Electrical Discharge Machining or EDM for short.
It is also sometimes called spark machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking, wire burning or wire erosion.

This is a way to cut some parts out of a piece of metal using electricity.
A special tool zaps a piece of metal with some electricity, and the power of the electricity is so strong it cuts into the metal.



(from: wikipedia - electrical discharge machining)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anvil - Horn

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad


We just learned about the Yellow Bellied Toad.

Another frog is the Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad.

Just like a lot of toads, this is not a "True Toad".
They get their name because they have a small mouth, and kind of a short fat body shape.

These frogs also do not have any eardrums!


(from: wikipedia - gastrophryne carolinensis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Aruba Island Rattlesnake

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Nail - Matrix


Let's learn a little more about nails.

One part of the nail is the matrix.
This is the skin underneath the very bottom part of the nail, below where the nail meets the skin.

The matrix has nerves and blood vessels, and it is the part that makes new cells that turn into the nails.


(from: wikipedia - nail (anatomy))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hindbrain

Monday, June 26, 2017

Manitoba


We just learned about the province of Alberta.

The next biggest province in Canada is Manitoba.

It is in the southern part, right in the middle, above North Dakota and Minnesota.


(from: wikipedia - manitoba)

The flag for the province is the flag called the red ensign, with the coat of arms also on it.
The red ensign is a flag used by the United Kingdom, and has the flag of Great Britain in the corner on top of a red background.

Long ago the flag for all of Canada looked like the Red Ensign, but then in 1965 Canada changed their national flag to be the maple leaf.
The people of Manitoba wanted to keep the red ensign as a flag to show that they still liked the United Kingdom, so they made it the flag of their province.


(from: wikipedia - flag of manitoba)

The seal of the province shows that many people came from Britain, and also some things from local Canada.
At the top is the cross of St. George for England, and the bottom has the bison on a rock with a green background for the nature of Canada.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of manitoba)

The arctic temperatures in Manitoba are perfect for many polar bears to live there.

(from: wikipedia - polar bear)

Winnipeg the capital of Manitoba, has a museum called the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.


(from: wikipedia - canadian museum for human rights)

There is an old fort in Churchill called the Prince of Wales Fort

(from: wikipedia - prince of wales fort)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Manaslu

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Proverbs 31 - A wife of noble character


We just learned about Proverbs 3 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Another famous proverb is Proverbs 31.

This chapter tells of the wisdom of having a good wife, and how valuable she is.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.


(from: wikipedia - proverbs 31)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ichthys

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Christ and St. Thomas - Verrocchio


We just learned about the Cantoria bu Luca Della Robbia.

Another famous Renaissance sculpture is the bronze statue of Christ and St. Thomas, sculpted by Andrea del Verrocchio in 1483 in Florence.

These statues tell the story of Christ when the Apostle Thomas doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead, and said he would only believe if he saw him with his own eyes.

The statue shows Christ standing confident and strong, and Thomas looking very nervous and embarrassed.

When it was sculpted it was made to be seen only from the front side, so the back is not sculpted.
This helped make it easier to do, and also saved on using up bronze.

(from: wikipedia - christ and st. thomas (verrocchio))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Elgin Marbles

Friday, June 23, 2017

ASL - September, October


Let's keep learning about the months of the year in ASL!

We just learned how to say January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August.


Remember, to say a month, you just have to spell out the first three letters of the month.

September - S-E-P



October - O-C-T



wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes


Here is a helpful video to show how these signs are done.


ASL HANGOUT: HOW TO SIGN MONTHS OF THE YEAR! - Sign Duo


ASL
(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: Settembre, Ottobre

German: September, Oktober

Spanish: Septiembre, Octubre

French: Septembre, Octobre

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Stamping


We just learned about Bending.

Another part of metalworking is stamping.

Stamping is when you take a large piece of flat metal and you want to shape it and cut it.


(from: wikipedia - stamping (metalworking))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anvil Face

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Yellow Bellied Toad


We just learned about the African Clawed Frog.

Another frog is the Yellow Bellied Toad.

This type of frog has a yellow body with black swirls all over it's body, and heart shaped pupils.


(from: wikipedia - yellow bellied toad)



(from: wikipedia - yellow bellied toad)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mexican Lance Headed Rattlesnake

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Nails


We just learned about sweat glands.

Another part of the integumentary system is the nails.

Even though nails feel hard like bones, they are actually made of something called keratin.
It's the same thing that hair is made out of too.
There are lots of parts of nails, like the plate, lunula, root, sinus, matrix, bed, hyponychium, and margin.

(from: wikipedia - nail (anatomy))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Medulla Oblongata

Monday, June 19, 2017

Alberta


We just learned about the British Columbia.

Another province in Canada is Alberta.
Alberta is in the west part of Canada, just north of the US state of Montana.



(from: wikipedia - alberta)

The flag of Alberta is a blue background with the shield of Alberta on it.
The shield has pictures of the natural beauty of Alberta on it, the Rocky mountains, the grass prairies and wheat fields.


(from: wikipedia - flag of alberta)

The coat of arms of Alberta has a beaver, the shield of Alberta, wild roses that are the flower of Alberta, a golden lion and a pronghorn.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of alberta)

There is a lot of oil in Canada, in a place called the Athabasca oil sands.
This place has the third most oil of any place in the world.


(from: wikipedia - athabasca oil sands)

There is a park in Alberta called Dinosaur Provincial Park where they have found a whole lot of old dinosaur bones.


(from: wikipedia - dinosaur provincial park)

The bighorn sheep is the state animal of Alberta.


(from: wikipedia - bighorn sheep)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dhaulagiri

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Proverbs 3 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart


We just learned about the Bible book of Proverbs.

One famous Proverb is Proverbs chapter 3.

This chapter says to trust in the Lord and he will help you out.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.



(from: wikipedia - book of proverbs)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Crucifix

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Cantoria - Luca della Robbia


We just learned about the Gates of Paradise.

Another famous Renaissance sculpture is the Cantoria organ loft in the Cathedral of Florence, sculpted in 1438 by Luca della Robbia.
These marble sculptures showed a group of people singing and dancing and making music to praise the Lord, in the words of Psalm 150 from the Bible.

The Psalm says to praise God with the trumpet, harp, lyre, timbral, dancing, strings, pipe and cymbals.
This sculpture shows people doing all of these different things to praise God.


(from: wikipedia - luca della robbia)


(from: wikipedia - luca della robbia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jockey of Artemision