Cité de Carcassonne

We just learned about the Leeds Castle.

Another famous castle is the Cité de Carcassonne, built around 300 AD in Carcassonne, Aude, France.

This castle is actually a fortress with a wall that goes around a whole city.
The wall is almost two miles long, and there are 52 towers going around it, with a moat and a drawbridge at the gate.

The first parts of the wall and castle were built around 300 AD, and more walls and towers were built up through the years.



(from: wikipedia - carcassonne)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Alberta

Crescens - bishop of Carchedon in Gaul

We just learned about Silvanus - Bishop of Thessalonica, one of the seventy disciples.

Another of the seventy was Crescens - bishop of Carchedon in Gaul.

He is mentioned in the Bible as going to Galatia on a missionary journey to help spread God's word.


(from: wikipedia - crescens)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Proverbs 3 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Yixian glazed pottery luohans

We just learned about the Six Ritual Jades.

Another ancient Chinese sculpture is the Yixian glazed pottery luohans.

This is a set of life sized statues of Buddha that were made sometime around 1000 AD in China.

There have been at least eight found, but people think there may be many more.
All of the sculptures found are a little different, and were not just copies made from one sculpture.

They are made of terracotta which is a kind of clay, covered in glaze in a style called Sancai which means "three colors", brown green and white.




(from: wikipedia - yixian glazed pottery luohans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cantoria - Luca Della Robbia

Greek - July, August

We already learned that January, February is Ιανουάριος (Ianouários), - Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários),
March, April is Μάρτιος (Mártios), Απρίλιος (Aprílios),
and May, June is Μάιος (Máios), Ιούνιος (Ioúnios).

Let's keep going!

July - Ιούλιος (Ioúlios) - sounds like YOO-lee-oh-ss
August - Αύγουστος (Ávgoustos) - sounds like AH-oo-go-stoh-ss


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: July, August

Italian: Luglio, Agosto

German: Juli, August

Spanish: Julio, Agosto

French: Julliet, Août

Rocket Thrust Vectoring

We just learned about the Fire Arrow.

Another part of rocket science is Thrust Vectoring.

When a rocket is flying up in the sky, there needs to be some way to steer it.

Sometimes rockets are built with a nozzle at the end that can be moved around to thrust in different directions, and sometimes they are built with extra rocket propellant tanks on the sides to give extra thrust to steer it.

Thrust vectoring really just means steering the rocket by changing where the thrust is going.


(from: wikipedia - thrust vectoring)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bending

Glass Squid

We just learned about the Parapuzosia.

Another type of cephalopod is the Glass Squid, also known as the cockatoo squid, cranch squid, cranchiid or bathyscaphoid squid.

This type of squid lives in the ocean near the surface or in the middle of the water all over the world.
They are from about 4 inches long to almost 10 feet long.

They get their name because they are almost totally see through, almost like a floating piece of glass!
Because they are so clear, these squids can hide out so that their prey can not see them coming, and their predators can not come eat them.




(from: wikipedia - cranchiidae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: African Clawed Frog

Maxillary Canine

We just learned about the Maxillary Lateral Incisor.

Another tooth is the Maxillary Canine, also sometimes called the cuspid.

These are the teeth right next to the front four incisors.
Remember starting from the middle, there are two of each type of teeth:
Central Incisors
Maxillary Lateral Incisors

The Maxillary Canines are a little different than the incisors, because they have a "cusp" on them, meaning they have pointed ends, almost like a dog's tooth.
That's really why they are called "canine" teeth, because canine is another word for a dog, and it you look in a dog's mouth you will see some very sharp pointy teeth!
It's also why sometimes they are called the "cuspid" teeth, because they have a cusp on them.

The canines are like a tooth that can work as an incisor to cut and tear food, but also like the bigger teeth that help you grind up and chew your food once it's in your mouth.

The canine is the longest tooth in the mouth.



(from: wikipedia - maxillary canine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hair - Sebaceous Gland

Leeds Castle

We just learned about the Veste Coburg castle.

Another famous castle is Leeds Castle, built in 1086 in Kent, England.

Many famous kings and queens have lived there or stayed there, like Edward I, Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Eleanor of Castile and Anne of Bohemia.

There is a sundial in this castle that has a matching one in Belvoir, Virginia, America.
In the garden there is a maze made out of 2,400 trees.






(from: wikipedia - leeds castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: British Columbia

Silvanus - Bishop of Thessalonica

We just learned about Silas - Bishop of Corinth, one of the seventy disciples.

Another of the seventy was Silvanus, bishop of Thessalonica.

Silvanus was a person who helped write down the words for some of the letters in the Bible.
Many people actually think Silvanus was the same person as Silas the Bishop of Corinth.


(from: wikipedia - silvanus of the seventy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Proverbs

Six Ritual Jades - Zhang

We've learned about four of the ancient Chinese Six Ritual Jades:
Cong - earth, Bi - sky/heaven, Huang - North, Hu - West,
and Gui - East.

The last of the Six Ritual Jades was the Zhang.

This was a flat blade or axe, and it was used to mean "South".


(from: wikipedia - chinese jade)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gates of Paradise

Greek - May, June

We already learned that January, February is Ιανουάριος (Ianouários), - Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários),
and March, April is Μάρτιος (Mártios), Απρίλιος (Aprílios).

Let's keep going!

May - Μάιος (Máios) - sounds like MAH-ee-oh-ss
June - Ιούνιος (Ioúnios) - sounds like YOO-nee-oh-ss


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: May, June

Italian: Maggio, Giugno

German: Mai Juni

Spanish: Mayo, Junio

French: Mai, Juin

Fire Arrow

We just learned about how Specific Impulse measures how a rocket works.

Some of the first rockets that were made came from China over a thousand years ago, after the invention of gunpowder.

These were known as Fire Arrows.

At first people just had the idea to tie an explosive ball of gunpowder to the arrow that would blow up after the arrow was shot with a bow.
Later on someone figured out how to use the gunpowder as a solid propellant for the rocket in a wooden tube as the propellant tank, and use the burning of the gunpowder to thrust the arrow up higher and farther.


(from: wikipedia - fire arrow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Burr

Parapuzosia

We just learned about the Giant Cuttlefish.

Another type of cephalopod is the Parapuzosia.

This animal is extinct now, but it was part of the ammonite family, which look a lot like the shelled nautilus, but are actually their own family in the world of animals.

These Parapuzosias would grow to be around 2 feet wide, but one person found pieces of an old shell showing one that was over 8 feet tall!


(from: wikipedia - parapuzosia seppenradensis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tomato Frog

Maxillary Lateral Incisor

We just learned about the Central Incisors.

The next set of teeth that show up in your mouth are the Maxillary Lateral Incisor.

These are right next to the two front teeth, one on either side.
Just like the central incisors they are used for cutting and biting things.



(from: wikipedia - maxillary lateral incisor)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hair Muscle

Veste Coburg

We just learned about the Castel del Monte.

Another famous castle is Veste Coburg built in Coburg Germany around 1000 AD.

This castle was built up on a hill, and was added onto over and over again through the years as it became a more important place.

In the 1506 a man named Martin Luther had some different ideas about the way people should go to church and study their Bible.
This made some people very upset and they wanted to put him in jail, so he went into hiding at this castle for a while, and worked on writing the Bible in the German language, which had never been done before.

This castle stayed strong for some very big battles, and one time the people inside lasted for five months while people outside tried to fight them.

It is one of the biggest castles in Germany, at over 375,000 square feet of space inside!



(from: wikipedia - veste coburg)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Quebec

Silas - Bishop of Corinth

We just learned about Luke the Evangelist, one of the seventy disciples.

Another of the seventy was Silas - Bishop of Corinth.

Silas was one of the people who went around with Paul and Timothy, helping to spread the word of God to people in other places.

The bible says that Silas was with Paul in the town of Philippi, after some people who didn't like Jesus had them throw into prison.
They were praying and singing hymns and an earthquake came and broke their chains and opened the door to the jail so they could get out.
When that happened the jailer thought they had escaped and thought he would be punished for it, but Paul and Silas did not leave the jail, but instead sat and talked with the jailer and helped him become a believer in Jesus.


(from: wikipedia - silas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Psalm 119 - Longest Psalm

Six Ritual Jades - Gui

We've learned about four of the ancient Chinese Six Ritual Jades:
Cong - earth, Bi - sky/heaven, Huang - North, and Hu - West.

Another of the Six Ritual Jades was the Gui.

This was a kind of blade, and it was used to mean "East".


(from: wikipedia - commons: jade gui in the western han dynasty)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Judith and Holofernes - Donatello

Greek - March, April

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

We already learned that January, February is Ιανουάριος (Ianouários), - Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários)

Let's keep going!

March - Μάρτιος (Mártios) - sounds like MAH-d-tee-oh-ss
April - Απρίλιος (Aprílios) - sounds like ah-p-DEE-lee-oh-ss


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: March, April

Italian: Marzo, Aprile

German: März, April

Spanish: Marzo, Abril

French: Mars, Avril

Specific Impulse

We just learned about Rocket Engine Thrust.

Another part of rocket science is called the Specific Impulse.

This is a way for scientists to measure how fast a rocket moves along, combined with how fast it uses up it's fuel as the rocket engine is blasting off.

The rocket can only burn up so much fuel before it runs out, so the more thrust the rocket for every little drop of its fuel really matters!


(from: wikipedia - specific impulse)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grinding

Giant Cuttlefish

We just learned about the Mimic Octopus.

Another type of cephalopod is the Giant Cuttlefish.

This is the largest cuttlefish in the world, and they live around the southern part of Australia.

They are very colorful and can change their whole body to white, red or yellow, and very bright or very dark to try and either get the attention of other cuttlefish, or to confuse the animals they are hunting.

They also can raise up little bumps on their skin to make themselves look either bumpy or smooth, so they can look like rocks, sand or seaweed.

The giant cuttlefish is so popular in Australia, that for a festival someone made a 42 foot long parade float shaped like a cuttlefish, named "Stobie the Disco Cuttlefish" that could move its arms, blink its eyes, and had flashing lights and dance music.




(from: wikipedia - sepia apama)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Waxy Monkey Tree Frog

Central Incisors

We just learned about the Baby Teeth.

Usually the first baby teeth that people get are the Central Incisors.

Most babies start with two front bottom teeth, and then later the two front top teeth come in.
These incisors are made to be sharp and bite through things like carrots.


(from: wikipedia - maxillary central incisor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hair Root Sheath

Castel del Monte

We just learned about the Schwerin Castle.

Another famous castle is Castel del Monte in Andria Apulia Italy, built in 1240 by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, .

This castle is very different because it is octagon shaped, with eight sides and eight towers.
Some people believe there used to be a large curtain wall going around the outside of the castle.
The castle wall is 82 feet high, and the sides of the octagon are 54 feet wide.

It is a little different that there is no moat and no drawbridge.
There are only 2 entrances, one fancy one in the front, and a simple one in the back for servants.
It is very famous in Italy, and is on the one cent Italian Euro coin.





(from: wikipedia - castel del monte, apulia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ontario

Luke the Evangelist

We just learned about Mark the Evangelist, one of the seventy disciples.

Another of the seventy was Luke the Evangelist.

Luke was a doctor, an artist and a historian, and was the person who wrote the gospel book of Luke in the bible.


(from: wikipedia - luke the evangelist)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Psalm 137

Six Ritual Jades - Hu

We just learned about three of the ancient Chinese Six Ritual Jades:
Cong - earth, Bi - sky/heaven, and Huang - North.

Another of the Six Ritual Jades was the Hu.

This was something like a vase, and it was used to mean "West".


(from: wikipedia - category:chinese jade)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: David - Michelangelo

Greek - January, February

Let's learn about the months of the year in Greek!

January - Ιανουάριος (Ianouários) - sounds like ee-ah-no-AH-dee-oh-ss
February - Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários) - sounds like feh-v-doo-AH-dee-oh-ss


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: January, February

Italian: Gennaio, Febbraio

German: Januar, Februar

Spanish: Enero, Febrero

French: Janvier, Février

Rocket Engine Thrust

We just learned about the Rocket Engine.

Another part of rocket science is the Thrust.

We learned that a rocket has propellant in a tank, and an engine that burns up that propellant and pushes the burning fuel out the back of the rocket at the nozzle.

As the fuel is being burned and pushed out of the nozzle, the rocket is pushed along through the air.
That push is called THRUST.

Some rocket engines have a lot of thrust and make rockets go very fast, blasting off into outer space.
Others only have a little bit of thrust, but they are very careful about exactly how much thrust they make in the right direction, like for steering a rocket.

Scientists have to know exactly how much thrust a rocket will have, so they know how much propellant they need, and how big of a tank to use and the shape of the nozzle.


(from: wikipedia - rocket engine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hole Saw