Dominican Order

We just learned about the Orthodoxy.

Another part of early Christianity is the Dominican Order.

We learned that the church all worked together and agree on rules that were called "Canon".
Following the rules is called "Orthodoxy", and breaking the rules is called "Heresy".

The Dominican Order is a group of people the church put in charge to make sure people followed the rules.

They were called the Dominican because the order was started by a church leader named Saint Dominic.


(from: wikipedia - dominican order)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Codex Vaticanus

Nebraska State Capitol - The Sower - Lee Lawrie

We just learned about Philadelphia City Hall.

Another famous building with a lot of sculptures is the Nebraska State Capitol, and The Sower by Lee Lawrie.

This building was made in 1932, and has many sculptures and works of art all over it.

It is supposed to be all about growth, so the building is a big tower like a growing plant, and there is a statue on the top called "The Sower" of a person who has a bag of seeds and is throwing them out to grow.

Lee Lawrie was the artist who came up with the look of the building and the sculpture on the outside.

Lawrie was born in Germany, and moved to the US when he was a kid.
When he was 14 he got a job working as a sculptor and worked on the Nebraska capitol when he was 55 years old.


(from: wikipedia - nebraska state capitol)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Musawwarat Es Sufra

Russian - Counting to Fifty Nine

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

50 пятьдесят (pyat'desyat) - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t 文A

51 пятьдесят один (pyat'desyat odin) - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t oh-dee-n 文A

52 пятьдесят два (pyat'desyat dva) - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t d-vah 文A

53 пятьдесят три (pyat'desyat tri) - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t t-dee 文A

54 пятьдесят четыре (pyat'desyat chetyre) - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t cheh-tee-dee 文A

55 пятьдесят пять (pyat'desyat pyat') - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t p-yah-t 文A

56 пятьдесят шесть (pyat'desyat shest') - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t sheh-st 文A

57 пятьдесят семь (pyat'desyat sem') - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t seh-m 文A

58 пятьдесят восемь (pyat'desyat vosem') - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t voh-seh-m 文A

59 пятьдесят девять (pyat'desyat devyat') - sounds like p-yah-t-deh-s-yah-t deh-v-yah-t 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: femti, femtien, femtito, femtitre, femtifire, femtifem, femtiseks, femtisyv, femti, femti ni

Greek: πενήντα (penínta), πενήντα ένα (penínta éna), πενήντα δύο (penínta dýo), πενήντα τρεις (penínta treis), πενήντα τέσσερις (penínta tésseris), πενήντα πέντε (penínta pénte), πενήντα έξι (penínta éxi), πενήντα επτά (penínta eptá), πενήντα οκτώ (penínta októ), πενήντα εννέα (penínta ennéa)

ASL: Fifty, fifty one, fifty two, fifty three, fifty four, fifty five, fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine

Italian: cinquanta, cinquantuno, cinquanta due, cinquanta tre, cinquantaquattro, cinquantacinque, cinquantasei, cinquantasette, cinquantotto, cinquantanove

German: fünfzig, einundfünfzig, zweiundfünfzig, dreiundfünfzig, vierundfünfzig, fünfundfünfzig, sechsundfünfzig, siebenundfünfzig, achtundfünfzig, neunundfünfzig

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

French: cinquante, cinquante et un, cinquante-deux, cinquante-trois, cinquante-quatre, cinquante-cinq, cinquante-six, cinquante-sept, cinquante-huit, cinquante-deux

Valve Gear

We just learned about the Train Whistle.

Another part of a steam engine is the Valve Gear.

This is a gear that is hooked up to the piston that is moving the train along, and lets the engineer open or close it to go faster or slower.

If they open the piston up all the way the train will go faster but will use more fuel.
If they close the piston all the way the train will go slower but will use less fuel.


(from: wikipedia - valve gear)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shaft

Flat-Headed Cat

We just learned about the Fishing Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Flat-Headed Cat.

These cats live in Southeast Asia, and there are not many of them left with less than 2,500 in the whole world.

Just like you might think from the name, these cats have a flat head!
They are a small cat, usually less than 2 feet long and weighing about 5 pounds.

Their eyes are very close together, and their canine teeth are very long for their body.
These cats have red/brown fur and a white belly, and they have some white stripes on their face.
In between the toes on their paws they have webbed feet to help them in the water.

These cats love the water and hunting fish.
When they hunt they put their whole head under the water and bite onto the fish, then drag it away and eat it!



(from: wikipedia - flat-headed cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Creeping Comb Jelly

Lymph Capillary

We just learned about Lymph.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Lymph Capillary.

These are tiny little tubes a lot like the capillaries that carry blood, but they carry lymph instead, and they are a little smaller.

Remember that there are a bunch of left over liquids in the body that all make up what we call lymph.
The lymph gets sucked into these tiny capillaries that are all over the body.

These tiny tubes are like little collectors picking up all the lymph that gets left behind by the blood vessels or other organs, to carry it along the lymphatic system.


(from: wikipedia - lymph capillary)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pupil

Ocean Gyre

We just learned about the Antarctic Convergence.

Another part of the geography of Antarctica is the Ocean Gyre.

A gyre is an area in the ocean where the water flows around in an oval shape.
Even though there are smaller waves everywhere, there is an overall flow of the water.

In the northern part of the globe it flows clockwise, and in the south it is counter clockwise.

The gyres mix up the cold and warm water in the ocean and also carry plants animals and even garbage all around the world.
The ocean gyres that go around Antarctica help carry the cold water away from Antarctica to the rest of the ocean.

These swirling waters are made by the earth spinning around, and the water, wind and land pushing everything around.


(from: wikipedia - ocean gyre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Castle Keep

Orthodoxy

We just learned about the Heresy.

Another part of early Christianity is Orthodoxy.

Just like heresy is when someone breaks the laws of the church, orthodoxy is when someone follows the laws of the church.

The word orthodoxy comes from the Greek word ὀρθοδοξία (orthodoxía) meaning a correct opinion.
There are some churches like the Greek Orthodox Church that put that word in part of the name of their church to show that they try very hard to follow the rules of the church.


(from: wikipedia - orthodoxy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christology

Philadelphia City Hall - Calder, Struthers

We just learned about the Crazy Horse Memorial.

Another famous American sculpture is Philadelphia City Hall, made in 1901.

This building was made of brick, marble and limestone.
When it was made, it was the largest building in the world where people could live and work.

The sculptors Alexander Calder and William Struthers worked together to make hundreds of sculptures that are on and around the building.

On the top of the building is a sculpture of William Penn, the person who first started the land of Pennsylvania and named it after himself.
It is made of bronze and is over 30 feet tall.



(from: wikipedia - philadelphia city hall)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lalibela Cross

Russian - Counting to Forty Nine

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

40 сорок (sorok) - sounds like soh-doh-k 文A

41 сорок один (sorok odin) - sounds like soh-doh-k oh-dee-n 文A

42 сорок два (sorok dva) - sounds like soh-doh-k d-vah 文A

43 сорок три (sorok tri) - sounds like sorok soh-doh-k t-dee 文A

44 сорок четыре (sorok chetyre) - sounds like soh-doh-k cheh-tee-dee 文A

45 сорок пять (sorok pyat') - sounds like soh-doh-k pee-yah-t 文A

46 сорок шесть (sorok shest') - sounds like soh-doh-k sheh-s-t 文A

47 сорок семь (sorok sem') - sounds like soh-doh-k seh-m 文A

48 сорок восемь (sorok vosem') - sounds like soh-doh-k voh-seh-m 文A

49 сорок девять (sorok devyat') - sounds like soh-doh-k day-v-yah-t 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: førti, førtien, førtito, førtitre, førtifire, førtifem, førtiseks, førtisyv, førtiåtte, førtini

Greek: τσαράντα (saránta), τσαράντα ένα (saránta éna), τσαράντα δύο (saránta dýo), τσαράντα τρεις (saránta treis), τσαράντα τέσσερις (saránta tésseris), τσαράντα πέντε (saránta pénte), τσαράντα έξι (saránta éxi), τσαράντα επτά (saránta eptá), τσαράντα οκτώ (saránta októ), τσαράντα εννέα (saránta ennéa)

ASL: forty, forty one, forty two, forty three, forty four, forty five, forty six, forty seven, forty eight, forty nine

Italian: quaranta, quarantuno, quarantadue, quarantatre, quarantaquattro, quarantacinque, quarantasei, quarantasette, quarantotto, quarantanove

German: vierzig, einundvierzig, zweiundvierzig, dreiundvierzig, vierundvierzig, fünfundvierzig, sechsundvierzig, siebenundvierzig, achtundvierzig, neunundvierzig

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

French: quarante, quarante et un, quarante-deux, quarante-trois, quarante-quatre, quarante-cinq, quarante-six, quarante-sept, quarante-huit, quarante-neuf

Train Whistle

We just learned about the Cab where the Engineer and Fireman work.

Another part of the steam locomotive is the Train Whistle, also called the air whistle or steam trumpet.

When locomotives started becoming popular, people knew it would be dangerous for a big train to be rolling down the tracks and it was very tough for a train to stop.

The engineers put a whistle on the top of the train and hooked it up so that steam could get blown out of the whistle to make noise.

It was hooked up to a lever, and it could be pulled hard or soft, so it could make a little woo or a big WOOO or even a woo-ahh woo-ahh sound.

Because it made different noises, each engineer could have their own style of blowing the whistle, and people could sometimes figure out who was driving the train based on what the whistle sounded like.

Later on they made the whistles even better and would have 2 or 4 different notes combined to make a nice sounding whistle that could be heard for miles.

The engineers used the whistle to tell people the train was getting ready to go, to warn someone at a crossing that the train was coming, and also to let people at the train stations know they were coming.


(from: wikipedia - train whistle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulley

Fishing Cat

We just learned about the Leopard Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Fishing Cat.

This is another cat that lives in South Asia, and looks a lot like the Leopard Cat.
It is about 2 feet long and weighs about 15 pounds.

The Fishing Cats are brown with stripes and spots just like the leopard cat, but they have a white spot on the back of their ears.

These cats live mostly in swamps, marshes and wetlands so they spend a lot of time in the water hunting for food.
They are very good swimmers and can even swim underwater.

Because these cats spend so much time in the water, they have layered fur that helps keep them warm, and keeps some of their fur dry even if the outside layers get wet.



(from: wikipedia - fishing cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Jellyfish

Lymph

Let's learn more about the Lymphatic System.

One of the first things to learn about the lymphatic system is Lymph.

The word lymph comes from an ancient Roman goddess of water named Lympha.

Lymph is a liquid that is sent all around the body in little tubes, a lot like blood is carried all over the body.

Every time the heart pumps it pushes blood out to all the parts of the body, and then pulls it back to the heart to get more oxygen and nutrients.
When the blood is pulled back, it leaves behind a lot of things like proteins and other liquids that just float around in the body.

The digestive system also leaves some things like fatty white liquids and other things behind after digestion.

Lymph is all of these left over liquids that get sent back around the body through the lymphatic system.
It can be made of proteins, fats, bacteria or other liquids.


(from: wikipedia - lymph)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eyes

Antarctic Convergence

We just learned about the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

Another part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Convergence, also called the Antarctic Polar Front.

This is the line in the water around Antarctica where the cold water of Antarctica meets the warm water from the rest of the oceans.

Where the waters meet the cold water usually sinks down below, and the warm water goes to the top.
Because of this mixing, a lot of sea animals like krill live there, which also means a lot of other animals that eat krill come around.

The mixing of this cold and warm water has a lot of effects on the rest of the ocean.


(from: wikipedia - antarctic convergence)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bastion

Heresy

We just learned about the Rosary.

Another part of early Christianity is Heresy.

Through the hundreds of years after Jesus died, the church had a lot of talks about what was true, and what was right.
Their decisions were put together into books like the Decretum Gratiani that we learned about.

Sometimes people would say things that went against those rules.
When some idea was against the rules the church decided, it was called heresy.
Someone who said something that was heresy was called a heretic.

The word comes from the Greek word αἵρεσις (haíresis) which means choice.

When the church started getting their own soldiers and having wars, they started using that new power to force people not to say any heresies.


(from: wikipedia - heresy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Seven Ecumenical Councils

Crazy Horse Memorial

We just learned about the Mount Rushmore.

Another famous monument carved into a mountain is the Crazy Horse Memorial.

This is a carving of the famous Native American warrior named Crazy Horse who lived during the late 1800s.

The sculpture is not finished, but the plan is for it to be of Crazy Horse riding a horse.
It would be over 640 feet long and over 560 feet tall.

The statue was started a long time ago in 1948, and is still very far from being completed.
Korczak Ziolkowsk was the sculptor who first started it.
He had worked as a helper on Mount Rushmore before working on this sculpture.


(from: wikipedia - crazy horse memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Church of Saint George, Lalibela

Russian - Counting to Thirty Nine

We counted to 29 in Russian, let's keep going!

30 тридцать (tridtsat') - sounds like t-dee-d-sit 文A

31 тридцать один (tridtsat' odin) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit ah-d-yin 文A

32 тридцать два (tridtsat' dva) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit d-vah 文A

33 тридцать три (tridtsat' tri) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit t-dee 文A

34 тридцать четыре (tridtsat' chetyre) - sounds like t-dee-d-sit cheh-tee-dee 文A

35 тридцать пять (tridtsat' pyat') - sounds like t-dee-d-sit pee-yah-t 文A

36 тридцать шесть (tridtsat' shest') - sounds like t-deh-tee shay-st 文A

37 тридцать семь (tridtsat' sem') - sounds like t-dee-d-sit seh-m 文A

38 тридцать восемь (tridtsat' vosem') - sounds like t-deh-tee voh-ee-sem 文A

39 тридцать девять (tridtsat' devyat') - sounds like t-deh-tee dee-ay-vit 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: tretti, trettien, trettito, tretti tre, trettifire, trettifem, trettiseks, trettisyv, trettiåtte, trettini

Greek: τριάντα (triánta), τριάντα ένα (triánta éna), τριάντα δύο (triánta dýo), τριάντα τρεις (triánta treis), τριάντα τέσσερις (triánta tésseris), τριάντα πέντε (triánta pénte), τριάντα έξι (triánta éxi), τριάντα επτά (triánta eptá), τριάντα οκτώ (triánta októ), τριάντα εννέα (triánta ennéa)

ASL: thirty, thirty one, thirty two, thirty three, thirty four, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine

Italian: Trenta, trentuno, trentadue, trentatré, trentaquattro, trentacinque, trentasei, trentasette, trentotto, trentanove

German: einunddreißig, zweiunddreißig, dreiunddreißig, vierunddreißig, fünfunddreißig, sechsunddreißig, siebenunddreißig, achtunddreißig, neununddreißig

Spanish: treinta y uno, treinta y dos, treinta y tres, treinta y cuatro, treinta y cinco, treinta y seis, treinta y siete, treinta y ocho, treinta y nueve

French: trente et un, trente-deux, trente-trois, trente-quatre, trente-cinq, trente-six, trente-sept, trente-huit, trente-neuf

Cab - Engineer and Fireman

We just learned about the Tender.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Cab.

This is where the engineer and the fireman are at.
The engineer or driver is the person who uses all the controls to make the locomotive go faster or slower, and to help control the engine.

The fireman is the person who is in charge of the fire that keeps the train going.
So he has to shovel coal from the coal bunker into the engine, and also help refill the water compartment for the steam.




(from: wikipedia - cab (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sprocket

Leopard Cat

We just learned about the Rusy-Spotted Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Leopard Cat, also called prionailurus bengalensis.

This cat lives in the South and East parts of Asia.
They can grow to be about 2 feet long and weigh 8 pounds.
On their head they have two dark stripes on their head and they have a white mouth.
Just like a leopard they have black spots all over their body, and yellow brown fur.

Scientists have discovered that this type of cat was kept as a pet in China 5,000 years ago.
One type of house cat called the Bengal Cat is related to the Leopard Cat, and has a lot of the same marks but is more friendly and makes a better pet.




(from: wikipedia - leopard cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Velella

Lymphatic System

We just learned about Presbyopia.

We've learned a whole lot about Eyes, from the Cornea, Pupil, Iris and Retina to the Rods, Cones and Fovea!

Let's move on now and learn about something else, called the Lymphatic System.

This is a part of the body that helps make new blood cells, and also helps fight off diseases.
It's part of both the circulatory system and immune system, and goes through the whole body.

The lymphatic system isn't as well known as other parts of the body like the bones or muscles, but it was discovered over 300 years ago, so scientists have been studying it for a long time to figure out how the body works.


(from: wikipedia - lymphatic system)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tonsils

Antarctic Circumpolar Current

We just learned about the Nunatuk rock formations.

Another part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also called the ACC.

In the ocean around Antarctica the water flows around it in a clockwise loop.

This water flow called a current is the largest ocean current in the world, mostly because it flows around and around without hitting any other land.
Most other ocean currents eventually run into other continents.

The looping current goes around Antarctica and the south pole like a circle, which is why it's called "Circumpolar".
With the water going around and around, it helps keep the warmer ocean water from getting to Antarctica.
This helps keep the south pole cold and the glaciers from melting.


(from: wikipedia - antarctic circumpolar current)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butter Churn Tower

Rosary

We just learned about the Franciscans.

Another part of early Christianity is the Rosary.

In 1214 AD, a Spanish priest named Saint Dominic said that he had a dream of Mary the mother of Jesus.
She told him to make a necklace with beads on it, and the beads would be used to help say prayers.

Most rosaries have 59 beads, and a cross. The beads are either "Our Father" beads or "Hail Mary" beads.

Four of the beads hang down from the circle necklace, with the cross.
The circle necklace is grouped in 5 sets of haily mary 10 beads called "decades" or "mysteries" and separated by 1 our father bead.

When praying, a person starts at the cross, then moves up the chain to the circle, then around the circle saying a prayer for each bead.
Many prayers have to be memorized in order to do the whole rosary: The Apostle's Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Glory Be, Hail Holy Queen.

So for a full rosary reading, you would say:
- (From the crucifix) - The Apostle's Creed, The Lord's Prayer, 3 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 1) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 2) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 3) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 4) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- (Mystery 5) - The Lord's Prayer, 10 x Hail Mary, Glory Be
- Hail Holy Queen


(from: wikipedia - rosary)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity in Armenia

Mount Rushmore

We just learned about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Maya Lin.

Another famous American sculpture is Mount Rushmore, made by Gutzon Borglum in 1941 in South Dakota.

This sculpture was made of 4 presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Each of the heads is about 60 feet tall, and mountain is about 5,700 feet high.

The first idea for a sculpture on this mountain was to have some American West heroes like Lewis and Clark, Scagawea, and some famous Lakota Native Americans, but sculptor Borglum chose the presidents as he thought they would be a more popular tourist attraction.


(from: wikipedia - mount rushmore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Obelisk of Axum

Russian - Counting to Twenty Nine

We counted to 20 in Russian, let's keep going!

21 двадцать один (dvadtsat' odin) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit ah-din 文A

22 двадцать два (dvadtsat' dva) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit d-vah 文A

23 двадцать три (dvadtsat' tri) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit t-dee 文A

24 двадцать четыре (dvadtsat' chetyre) - sounds like d-vah-t-sit cheh-tear-dee-ah 文A

25 двадцать пять (dvadtsat' pyat') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit pee-ah-t 文A

26 двадцать шесть (dvadtsat' shest') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit shay-st 文A

27 двадцать семь (dvadtsat' sem') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit say-m 文A

28 двадцать восемь (dvadtsat' vosem') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit voh-ee-seh-m 文A

29 двадцать девять (dvadtsat' devyat') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit day-vih-t 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: tjueen, tjueto, tjue-tre, tjuefire, tjuefem, tjueseks, tjuesju, tjue åtte, tjue ni

Greek: είκοσι ένα (eíkosi éna), είκοσι δύο (eíkosi dýo), είκοσι τρεις (eíkosi treis), είκοσι τέσσερις (eíkosi tésseris), είκοσι πέντε (eíkosi pénte), είκοσι έξι (eíkosi éxi), είκοσι επτά (eíkosi eptá), είκοσι οκτώ (eíkosi októ), είκοσι εννέα (eíkosi ennéa)

ASL: twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine

Italian: ventuno, ventidue, ventitré, ventiquattro, venticinque, ventisei, ventisette, ventotto, ventinove

German: einundzwanzig, zweiundzwanzig, dreiundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, fünfundzwanzig, sechsundzwanzig, siebenundzwanzig, achtundzwanzig, neunundzwanzig

Spanish: veintiún, veintidós, veintitrés, veinticuatro, veinticinco, veintiséis, veintisiete, veintiocho, veintinueve

French: vingt et un, vingt-deux, vingt-trois, vingt-quatre, vingt-cinc, vingt-six, vingt-sept, vingt-huit, vingt-neuf

Tender

We just learned about the Fire-Tube Boiler.

Let's go step by step and learn all the parts of a working steam locomotive!

One part of the locomotive is the Tender, or coal car.

This is a big box that is pulled behind the engine that is full of the fuel that the locomotive needs to run.
It can be full of wood, coal or oil, and it also is full of water that is used for the steam.

Usually the water was on the bottom of the tender, in a place called the water compartment.
The coal or other fuel was on top in a place called the coal bunker.

The engines used a lot of water, which is why railroads came up with places to refill with water using big cranes when they stopped at train stations.



(from: wikipedia - tender (rail))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gear

Rusty-Spotted Cat

We just learned about the Pallas's Cat.

Another Rusty-Spotted Cat, also called prionailurus rubiginosus.

This is one of the smallest cats around, only 19 inches long and weighing only 3.5 pounds.

They mostly live in the forests of India and Sri Lanka.

Their fur is short and a red grey color, with spots on its back.
It has black lines going up on its head and down its neck.




(from: wikipedia - rusty-spotted cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portuguese Man o'War

Presbyopia

We just learned about the Astigmatism.

Another kind of refractive error is Presbyopia.

This is something that usually happens to older people, when the lens of the eye gets harder.
When that happens the eye focuses light behind the retina instead of right on it.

If someone has this presbyopia, they usually can't read small printed words, and a lot of times they have to hold things away from them to see them better.



(from: wikipedia - presbyopia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Parotid Gland

Nunatak

We just learned about the Onyx River.

Another part of Antarctica is a Nunatak.

This is a rocky part of a mountain that sticks up out of a glacier.

Nunataks are important because many times they are the only place that plants and animals can live in cold places like Antarctica.


(from: wikipedia - nunatak)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Outworks

Franciscans

We just learned about the Battle on the Ice.

Another part of early Christianity is the Franciscans.

Long ago a man named Francis of Assisi decided to go live by himself like a hermit.

A bunch of other people who also wanted to live away from other people to worship God together and called themselves Franciscans, because of Francis.

These groups of people became the monks that we know about today.


(from: wikipedia - franciscans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: First Council of Nicea

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Maya Lin

We just learned about the Marine Corps War Memorial - Felix de Weldon.

Another famous American monument is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial made by Maya Lin in Washington D.C. in 1981.

In 1981 there was a contest to see who could come up with the best sculpture for a new memorial for the people who died in the Vietnam War.

Maya Lin won the contest, and her idea was to have a big black wall made of granite, with the names of all of the people who died engraved on it.

The memorial is v-shaped when you look at it from above, and her idea was that it would look kind of like a wound that needed to heal for America.


(from: wikipedia - vietnam veterans memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Akan Goldweights

Russian - Counting to Twenty

We counted to 15 in Russian, let's keep going!

16 шестнадцать (shestnadtsat') - sounds like sheh-st-nah-t-sit 文A

17 семнадцать (semnadtsat') - sounds like see-im-nah-t-sit 文A

18 восемнадцать (vosemnadtsat') - sounds like voy-see-im-st-nah-t-sit 文A

19 девятнадцать (devyatnadtsat') - sounds like dee-ay-vit-nah-t-sit 文A

20 двадцать (dvadtsat') - sounds like d-vah-t-sit 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: seksten, sytten, atten, nitten, tjue

Greek: δεκαέξι (dekaéxi), δεκαεπτά (dekaeptá), δεκαοχτώ (dekaochtó), δεκαεννέα (dekaennéa), είκοσι (eíkosi)

ASL: sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty

Italian: sedici, diciassette, diciotto, diciannove, venti

German: sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn, zwanzig

Spanish: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte

French: seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt

Fire-Tube Boiler

We just learned about the Locomotion No. 1.

Another part of how steam locomotives work is the Fire-Tube Boiler.

A boiler is a big tank of water that is heated up to where the water boils and turns to steam.
There are a lot of different kinds of boilers, and the one called a fire-tube boiler was the one most used by steam locomotives to run the engine.

It's called a fire-tube boiler because there are a bunch of metal tubes that take in heat from a fire and then the heated up tubes make the water hot.

The hot water then turns to steam that is used with a steam pump to drive the gears that turn the wheels of the train.



(from: wikipedia - fire-tube boiler)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Motor

Pallas's Cat

We just learned about the Caracal.

Another type of wild cat is the Pallas's Cat, also called the manul, or otocolubs manul.

This is a cat about the size of a house cat, 2 feet long and weighing about 10 pounds.
It has thick grey fur that makes it look short and fat, with a flat face.

It lives in the grasslands of Asia, mostly living in caves and hunting small animals.




(from: wikipedia - pallas's cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Button

Astigmatism

We just learned about the Far Sightedness.

Another type of refractive error that makes the eye not see as well is Astigmatism.

This happens when the cornea at the front of the eye is not shaped right, causing light to get focused in the wrong place and not where it is supposed to go on the back of the retina.


(from: wikipedia - astigmatism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Labial Commissure of Mouth

Onyx River

We just learned about the Subglacial Lakes.

Another part of Antarctica is the Onyx River.

This is the longest river in Antarctica, at 32 kilometers long and ends up at Lake Vanda.
The water for this river is from meltwater, and goes toward the middle of Antarctica away from the ocean, during the summer months.

Water levels change depending on the season, and the river can flow as fast as 20 cubic meters per second. There were even some researchers from New Zealand that rafted down the river one time!

There are no fish in the river, but there are some tiny animals like bacteria and algea living there, along with some gulls that fly around.

Most of the time the water is just barely higher than the 32 degrees F it needs to melt, so it is really ice cold water!



(from: wikipedia - onyx river)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Roundel

Battle on the Ice

We just learned about the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Another part of early Christianity was the Battle on the Ice.

We learned before about some of the first groups of people fighting wars in the name of Christianity, called Crusades.
From the years 1200 through 1300 there were a lot more wars like this.

There were around a dozen different crusades through these years, and they fought all over Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Western Asia, and even Northern Africa.

There was even a crusade that went into Russia and was fought on a frozen lake.
The Western church from places like Germany and France was fighting against the Eastern church in places like Russia.
In the battle the Russians won by a lot and Lake Peipus became a famous place in Russia where the Eastern church won an important battle.


(from: wikipedia - battle on the ice)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Golden Legend