Barbican

We just learned about the small back door on a castle called the Sally Port.

Another part of a castle is a Barbican.

This is a small building on the outside part of the castle that was built to help defend the castle.
Sometimes a barbican has a wall that goes from the barbican back to the castle, that defenders can walk on.

These small buildings would usually have some soldiers in them to help be the first line of defense before attackers could get to the main castle, and also help warn the castle that danger was coming.



(from: wikipedia - barbican)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Leeds Castle

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We just learned about Saint Catherine's Monastery, the church built where Moses saw the burning bush.

Another ancient church is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built in 335 AD in Jerusalem.

This is another church that was founded by Saint Helen while she traveled to find important places from the life of Jesus.

Inside this church is the tomb that Jesus was buried in, and also the rock where the cross was standing when he was crucified.



(from: wikipedia - church of the holy sepulchre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Silvanus - Bishop of Thessalonica

Mask for King Obalufon II

We just learned about the Nok Terracotta ancient sculptures from Nigeria.

Another ancient African sculpture is the Mask for King Obalufon II, made some time around 1300 AD.

This was a mask made out of copper for one of the kings of the Yoruba people.

The Yoruba are mostly from the west part of the African continent, in countries like Benin, Nigeria and Togo.

Many of the royal people in the history of the Yoruba people would wear masks for some of their celebrations, like this one that was made for King Obalufon II.

One other interesting thing about the Yoruba people is that there are more twins born in this area than any other part of the world!
No one is really sure why it happens, but some people believe that there is a kind of plant that grows there that makes it happen more often.

(from: wikipedia - yoruba art)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Six Ritual Jades - Zhang

Norwegian - May, June

We already learned that January, February is Januar, Februar
and March, April is Mars, April.

Let's keep going!

May - Mai - sounds like mah-ee
June - Juni - sounds like yoo-nee


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: Μάιος (Máios), Ιούνιος (Ioúnios)

ASL: May, June

Italian: Maggio, Giugno

German: Mai Juni

Spanish: Mayo, Junio

French: Mai, Juin

Forensic Epidemiology

We just learned about Forensic Entomology, looking at evidence of bugs!

Another part of detective science is Forensic Epidemiology.

This is the science of looking at someone who is sick or injured, making a guess as to why it happened, and then trying to prove that the guess was right or wrong.

A lot of times people get sick or injured, and we think we know what caused it.
If someone has really bad breathing problems, detectives can look around for bad chemicals in the house, and then do some tests to see if that was really what caused their problems or if maybe they were a smoker or something else.

When a person gets into a car crash and then has neck problems, the science of epidemiology helps prove whether or not their neck problems were because of the car crash or if they would have had the same neck problems from something else.

This type of science is very important, because if scientists can prove that something is bad and causes sickness or injury, then things like bad chemicals can be made illegal, cars can be changed to have better safety, medicines and surgeries can be proven to be good or bad.

(from: wikipedia - forensic epidemiology)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fire Arrow

Diplulmaris Antarctica

We just learned about the White Spotted Jellyfish.

Another type of jelly is the Diplulmaris Antarctica.

Jellyfish live in oceans all over the world, and like you might guess from this one's name it lives near Antarctica at the south pole!

These jellies only grow up to about 7 inches.
They have white tentacles and a mostly white bell.
The inside of the jelly where the stomach is at is a reddish orange color, so it really stands out against the rest of their white body.
It's frilly arms that help bring their food to their mouth are also the same orange red color, so they are pretty neat looking.



(from: wikipedia - )


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Parapuzosia

Cupid's Bow

We just learned about the Lips that help us eat and protect our mouth.

Another part of the mouth is the Cupid's Bow.

This is the shape of the line on the upper lip, that is shaped kind of like a bow for a bow and arrow.

Because it is shaped like a bow, and because people use lips for kissing, this part of the mouth got the nickname cupid's bow.


(from: wikipedia - cupid's bow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Maxillary Lateral Incisor

Sally Port

We just learned about the Curtain Wall that goes around the outside of a castle.

Another part of a castle is a Sally Port.

This is like a small door on the back or side of the castle that can be used to let people in or out.
It was usually in a protected location, like by the water, and sometimes the people in the castle would sneak out to go fight the people attacking the castle, and then go sneak back in.

Sometimes this door is also called a Postern.


(from: wikipedia - sally port)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Veste Coburg

Saint Catherine's Monastery

We just learned about the Church of the Pater Noster where Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer to his apostles.

Another famous church that Saint Helen helped to set up is Saint Catherine's Monastery.

This is on Mount Sinai, and is believed to be the place where Moses saw the burning bush that was God speaking to him.

There is even an actual live bush growing there, that people say is still the same bush that was on fire when God spoke to Moses.

This church is also a monastery where monks live and study the Bible.
It has a library in it that has been around longer than any other library in the world, going all the way back to around the year 550 AD.



(from: wikipedia - saint catherine's monastery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past:Silas - Bishop of Corinth

Nok Terracotta

We just learned about the Pisa Griffin in Spain.

Another famous type of sculpture is the Nok Terracotta.

Thousands of years ago in an area called Nok in the country of Nigeria, people made sculptures out of a type of clay that hardened to be like ceramic, called terracotta.

These terracotta statues were usually small sculptures of people with very detailed heads and hairstyles, lots of jewelry, and all kinds of different shapes.

Since these were made thousands of years ago, it's hard to figure out why they were made or a lot about them, but people have dug up the ground and found many of these sculptures over the years.



(from: wikipedia - nok culture)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Six Ritual Jades - Gui

Norwegian - March, April

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

We already learned that January, February is Januar, Februar

Let's keep going!

March - Mars - sounds like mah-r-ss
April - April - sounds like ah-p-d-eel


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: Μάρτιος (Mártios), Απρίλιος (Aprílios)

ASL: March, April

Italian: Marzo, Aprile

German: März, April

Spanish: Marzo, Abril

French: Mars, Avril

Forensic Entomology

We just learned about how Forensic Dentistry can help use teeth to solve crimes.

Another type of science used by detectives is Forensic Entomology.

Entomology is the study of bugs!

Bugs can be pretty scary and gross, but sometimes they can actually help solve crimes that no one else can figure out.
When someone dies, and a detective has to figure out how it happened, they can look at all different types of bugs.

When a scientist is in a laboratory looking at the body of someone who died, they can sometimes find clues of different types of insects that touched the body.
This can help them figure out how long it's been since the person died, and even sometimes it can tell them where the person was at when they died.
This can be very useful in solving crimes!

Studying bugs can also help scientists figure out if there is a problem with bugs in an area.
Like if someone complains that there are fleas in their house, scientists can come by and help figure out where they are coming from, how they got in there, and how to get rid of them.

Forensic entomology also helps figure how helpful insects like bees are being killed, like if there is a type of chemical somewhere that is causing problems for them.

Bugs are not always pretty, but studying the science of bugs can help solve mysteries!


(from: wikipedia - forensic entomology)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Specific Impulse

White Spotted Jellyfish

We just learned about the Lobed Comb Jellyfish that lights up like a rainbow.

Another type of jellyfish is the White Spotted Jellyfish, also called the floating bell, Australian spotted jellyfish, or phyllorhiza punctata.

This type of jelly started out living in warm water in the Pacific ocean by Australia and Japan, but has now been found all the way over by California, and even in the Gulf of Mexico.
It grows to about 20 inches wide, and does have a sting but it doesn't really hurt humans.

They swim in large groups with other white spotted jellies, and because of this they can be harmful to other life in the ocean.
In their groups they swim along and eat all of the tiny little things like zooplankton, or eggs of crabs, shrimp or fish.
They also clog up the boat motors and cause problems with ships on the sea.



(from: wikipedia - phyllorhiza punctata)


(from: youtube - Underwater Beauty: Spotted Jellies - Shedd Aquarium)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Giant Cuttlefish

Lips

We just learned about the part on the roof of the mouth called the Palatine Raphe.

Another part of the mouth is the Lips.
The big long names for the upper and lower lips are the Labium superius oris and "Labium inferius oris.
Labium means lip, superius and inferius are for upper and lower, and then oris is for the face, near the mouth.

The lips have no sweat glands, and can not grow hair.
Skin on the lips is softer than the face skin.

Most of the skin on the face has 16 layers, but the skin on the lips only has about 4 layers.
It also doesn't have the same coloring cells as the face does, so you can see right through the top skin and see the blood vessels underneath it.
That's why the lips are pink or red, because of the blood vessels underneath.

There are a whole bunch of muscles for the lips that we learned about a while ago:
Upper lip: levator labii superioris and levator anguli oris
Lower lip: depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, mentalis

Lips are used to open and close for food, to help make sounds when we talk, and also to kiss!
Because lips are on the human face, people try very hard to make their lips look nice, sometimes using makeup or lip gloss, and sometimes even having surgery to make their lips look bigger.

The lips are very important to keep healthy, which is why there are things like lip balm to protect them.
Healthy lips help protect the mouth from the outside, and keep a healthy mouth!


(from: wikipedia - lip)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Central Incisors

Curtain Wall

We just learned about the hole in a castle wall called the Machicolation.

Another part of a castle is a Curtain Wall.

This is another wall that goes around the main castle, to help protect the castle inside the wall.

Its name makes sense because it's like a big curtain going around the outside of the castle.


(from: wikipedia - curtain wall (fortification))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Castel del Monte

Church of the Pater Noster

We just learned about the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

Another part of early Christian history is the Church of the Pater Noster in Jerusalem.

In the Bible there was a place called the Mount of Olives, where Jesus appeared to the disciples and then ascended into heaven.

When the emperor Constantine sent his mother Helena out to find some of the important places in Christianity, she came to this place and made a church where the Mount of Olives was.

It's called Church of the Pater Noster because "pater" means father and "noster" means our.
In a cave below the Mount of Olives is where people believe Jesus taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer, which starts with the words "Our Father".



(from: wikipedia - church of the pater noster)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Luke the Evangelist

Pisa Griffin

We just learned about the Trà Kiệu Pedestal from the ancient Champa kingdom.

Another famous sculpture is the Pisa Griffin, made around 1000 AD somewhere in Spain.

It is about 3 feet tall, and is the largest Islamic metal sculpture ever found.
It has carvings on it, and some holes.
Some people think the holes were used to make it into a fountain, and others think maybe the holes were to make sounds like a horn.

The sculpture is in Pisa, Italy now, and people think it was taken as a treasure from war long ago when some people from Italy battled some Islamic people in Spain.


(from: wikipedia - pisa griffin)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Six Ritual Jades - Hu

Norwegian - January, February

We just learned about the days of the week.

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

January - Januar - sounds like yah-noo-adr
February - Februar - sounds like feh-b-doo-ah-dr


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: Ιανουάριος (Ianouários), Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários)

ASL: January, February

Italian: Gennaio, Febbraio

German: Januar, Februar

Spanish: Enero, Febrero

French: Janvier, Février

Forensic Dentistry

We just learned about how scientists can use Forensic Botany to figure out what kind of plants were around during a crime.

Another part of forensic science is Forensic Dentistry.

Sometimes after a crime has been committed, scientists will look at teeth to figure out what really happened.

If there was a fight between two people and one person bit the other person, they can look at the bite mark and try to match it up to the other person's teeth!

There also might be a skeleton that was found from a long time ago, and people aren't sure who it was.
If that person ever went to the dentist and had molds made of their teeth or x-rays of them, they can try to match it up and see who it was.

The teeth can also tell a scientist how old a person was when they died.
This can even be helpful for people that died hundreds of years ago, when people are digging out ancient pyramids, castles or finding cavemen!


(from: wikipedia - forensic dentistry)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rocket Engine Thrust

Lobed Comb Jellyfish

We just learned about the small Barrel Jellyfish.

Another jellyfish is the Lobed Comb Jellyfish, also called the common northern comb jelly, or the bolinopsis infundibulum.

It grows to about 6 inches long, and lives mostly in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

This type of jelly is see through or sometimes milky white.
It has two small tentacles, and it's mouth is at one end of its body.

They have little tiny hairs along their body that they use to swim around.
On their body they have parts that light up using bioluminescence.
This means some chemicals in their body mix together to change colors and glow in the dark.


(from: wikipedia - bolinopsis infundibulum)


(from: youtube - The Lovely Lobed Comb Jelly - Monterey Bay Aquarium)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mimic Octopus

Palatine Raphe

We just learned about the bump of skin behind your front teeth called the Incisive Papilla.

Another part of the mouth is the Palatine Raphe.

This is the bump on the roof of the mouth in the middle that goes from front to back.
Some people have a big bump that sticks out, but for others it is just a little bump.


(from: wikipedia - palatine raphe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Baby Teeth

Machicolation

We just learned about the Battlements on the top of the castle where people defend from attackers.

Another part of a castle's defense is the Machicolation.

This is a place where the top of the wall sticks out a little and there is a hole where people can drop things down on attackers.
It isn't a low spot in the wall like a crenel, the wall is still high there like a merlon, but it sticks out.
In the old days people would use that spot to drop big rocks or pour hot water or oil on people trying to break into the castle.

One famous machicolation we already learned about is at Blarney Castle in Ireland.
The stone on the bottom of the machicolation is called the Blarney Stone, and kissing it is for good luck!



(from: wikipedia - machicolation)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Schwerin Castle

Church of the Nativity

We just learned about Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine.

Another part of early Christianity is the Church of the Nativity.

After the emperor Constantine became a Christian, he sent his mother Helena out on a trip called a pilgrimage to go and find some of the holy places from the history of the Bible.

She went to Bethlehem and found the place where Jesus was born.
After she found it, she set up a church there, and it has been there for over 1,600 years, since 327 AD.

In the church there is a spot on the ground where people believe Mary was when Jesus was born.
There is a 14 pointed star on the ground, with a circle hole in the middle.
The points on the star are for the history of Jesus' family from Abraham to David, David to when the Hebrews were captured in Babylon, and then from that time to Jesus.
Where the hole is in the middle is a stone that you can touch, that people believe is the actual stone from when Jesus was born.




(from: wikipedia - church of the nativity)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mark the Evangelist

Trà Kiệu Pedestal

We just learned about the ancient temple Borobudur in Indonesia.

Another famous sculpture is the Trà Kiệu Pedestal, built around 250 BC in Southeast Asia.

Long ago there was a kingdom known as the Champa in the countries of Malaysia and Thailand.
The kingdom and most of the temples were destroyed by other kingdoms, but there was a big temple that had pedestals to hold it up, and one of those was saved.

The Trà Kiệu Pedestal has a bunch of people dancing and playing music on it.
It shows some of the history from that time that is now lost because other artwork was destroyed.



(from: wikipedia - trà kiệu)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Six Ritual Jades - Huang

Norwegian - Saturday, Sunday

We just learned that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Norwegian is Mandag, Tirsdag, Onsdag and Thursday, Friday is Torsdag, Fredag.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Saturday - Lørdag - sounds like loh-r-dah
Sunday - Søndag - sounds like sun-dah


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: Σάββατο (Sávvato), Κυριακή (Kyriakí)

ASL: Saturday, Sunday

Italian: Sabato, Domenica

German: Samstag, Sonntag

Spanish: Sabado, Domingo

French: Samedi, Dimanche

Forensic Botany

We just learned about the Species Test to test blood to see what kind of animal it belongs to.

Another type of forensic science is Forensic Botany.

This is the study of the plants around a place where a crime was committed.
If the police look at a person's shoes or clothes, sometimes they can find tiny pieces of plants that are on them.
It could be just a seed, or a piece of a leaf, or even a tiny bit of pollen from a flower.

If the forensic scientists find evidence of a type of plant, they can figure out what season a crime happened, like fall winter spring summer.
They can also sometimes figure out the place where it happened, like if a type of flower or plant only grows in one area.
Scientists can also look at the plants and figure out how long ago it was that someone was near those plants, because the plants get brown and decay.

Sometimes the pollen, seeds or bits of plants on our clothes are so small that a criminal wouldn't see it and think they got away with a crime, but the forensic scientists look closely and figure it out!



(from: wikipedia - botany)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rocket Engine

Barrel Jellyfish

We just learned about the Darth Vader Jellyfish that lives in the deep sea and looks like Darth Vader's helmet.

Another type of jellyfish is the Barrel Jellyfish, also called the dustbin-lid jellyfish, frilly-mouthed jellyfish, or rhizostoma pulmo.

This type of jelly lives in the Atlantic ocean, and the Mediterannean sea.
It is very small, only usually growing around 16 inches.




(from: wikipedia - rhizostoma pulmo)


(from: youtube - Swimming with a giant Barrel Jellyfish - Matt Slater)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Vampire Squid

Incisive Papilla

We just learned about the ridges on the roof of the mouth called the Palatal Rugae.

Another part of the inside of the mouth is the Incisive Papilla.

Right behind the top two front teeth called incisors is a little bump of skin that sticks down.
A bump in mouth medical words is usually called a "papilla" and its right behind the incisors so it's called the incisive papilla.
It's usually right in the middle, and you can feel it with your tongue right behind the teeth.


(from: wikipedia - incisor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Teeth

Battlements

We just learned about the high part of a castle wall called the Merlon.

Another part of a castle is the Battlement.

Let's go over what we've learned about the things on top of a castle wall.
Wall Walk - The place to walk along the top of the wall
Parapet - Short wall that people can hide behind
Crenel or Embrasure - Open spaces in the parapet wall where people can throw things down on attackers
Merlon - High part of the parapet wall that people can hide behind. Opposite of a crenel.

All of these things together are called the battlements.

They were called that because people on top of the wall would be doing battle against people trying to attack the castle from the ground.


(from: wikipedia - battlement)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Caerlaverock Castle

Saint Helena

We just learned about the emperor Constantine the Great who became the first Christian Emperor.

Another person from early Christianity is Saint Helena.

Helena was the mother of Constantine.
She became a Christian, and her son Constantine told her she could go into where all the Roman treasure was kept and try to find old Christian things that were taken away when Christianity was illegal.

He also gave her the job to go out and build some churches that are still around today over a thousand years later.


(from: wikipedia - helena (empress))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Barnabas