Sand Cat

We just learned about the Black Footed Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Sand Cat, also called the Sand Dune Cat or the Felis Margarita.

Just like you might think from its name, this cat lives in deserts far away from water, in places like Africa and Asia.

It has sandy brown fur with some black stripes and spots, is about 2 feet long, and is about 7 pounds.
These cats have a flat wide head, with very wide ears sitting lower on their head than most cats, so they can better hear their prey moving under the sand.
Their ears are 5 times better than a normal cat, so they can hear from far away and sneak up on other animals.

On their paws, these cats have extra fur to help protect them from the heat and cold of the desert sand.




(from: wikipedia - sand cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Green Hydra

Bone Marrow

We just learned about the Lymph Nodes.

Another part of the lymphatic system is Bone Marrow.

When we think about our bones, we think of them as hard solid.
But inside our bones is something called bone marrow.

This bone marrow is soft, and is mostly white with some yellow and red.

When we think about blood, we just think of it red liquid, but there are really two types of blood cells called red and white blood cells.
Marrow is where these blood cells in the body are made, and even though we think of the outside of our bones as solid there are really small arteries and veins there that bring the fresh blood cells out of the bone marrow to go to the rest of the body.


(from: wikipedia - bone marrow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cornea

Antarctic Glaciers

We just learned about the Ross Gyre.

Another part of Antarctica is the number of Antarctic Glaciers.

We know that the Antarctic Ice sheet goes over all of Antarctica, but there are a lot of smaller ice sheets that people have given names to and put on maps. There are thousands of different glaciers of different types in Antarctica, like outlet glaciers, valley glaciers, cirque glaciers, tidewater glaciers and ice streams.

Each different type of glacier have different shapes and do different things for the ice and water in Antarctica.

The biggest glacier in Antarctica is the Lambert Glacier.

It is 50 miles wide, over 250 miles long and over a mile and a half deep!


(from: wikipedia - lambert glacier)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Yett

Divine Comedy

We just learned about the Medieval Inquisition.

Another part of early Christianity is the book the Divine Comedy.

This was written by a man named Dante Alighieri who was an Italian poet.

Long ago there were many ideas about what heaven and hell looked like.
The different mythologies from Romans and Greeks and other people mixed together and a lot of people took those ideas and mixed them in with what the Bible says about heaven and hell.

Dante wrote this book of poetry and talked about going into hell and heaven, and a lot of the places that he described going are a lot like the stories from mythology.

No one really knows what hell and heaven look like, but Dante's book was so popular that many people started to believe that what he wrote about was what they really looked like.


(from: wikipedia - divine comedy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fifty Bibles of Constantine

Astor Memorial Doors - Karl Bitter

We just learned about the Alexander Macomb - Adolph Alexander Weinman.

Another famous architectural sculpture is the Astor Memorial Doors by Karl Bitter, made in 1891 in New York at Trinity Church.

The doors were named for John Jacob Astor, who was a very famous business person in America.

The tympanum top of the sculpture has a big sculpture of Jesus standing above his 12 apostles.
On the doors are six sculpted picture boxes showing stories from the Bible: Adam and Eve, Jacob, Jesus' empty tomb, Jesus' mother Mary, praying at church, and heaven

The sculptor Karl Bitter was born in Austria in 1867.
He grew up there and learned how to be a sculptor, and then when he was 21 he moved to America.

While he was living in New York City he entered the competition to sculpt these Astor Memorial Doors, and won.
After that he had some money and people knew about him so he went on to make many more sculptures, mostly architectural as part of buildings.


(from: wikipedia - karl bitter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Olmec Colossal Heads

Russian - Counting to Seventy Nine

We counted to 69 in Russian, let's keep going!

70 семьдесят (sem'desyat) - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t 文A

71 семьдесят один (sem'desyat odin) - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t oh-dee-n 文A

72 семьдесят два (sem'desyat dva) - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t d-vah 文A

73 семьдесят три (sem'desyat tri) - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t t-dee 文A

74 семьдесят четыре (sem'desyat chetyre) - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t cheh-tee-dee 文A

75 семьдесят пять (sem'desyat pyat') - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t pee-yah-t 文A

76 семьдесят шесть (sem'desyat shest') - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t sheh-s-t 文A

77 семьдесят семь (sem'desyat sem') - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t seh-m 文A

78 семьдесят восемь (sem'desyat vosem') - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t voh-seh-m 文A

79 семьдесят девять (sem'desyat devyat') - sounds like sehm-deh-s-yah-t day-v-yah-t 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: sytti, sytti en, syttito, syttitre, sytti-fire, syttifem, syttiseks, sytti syv, syttiåtte, syttini

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

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

Italian: settanta, settantuno, settantadue, settantatre, settantaquattro, settantacinque, settantasei, settantasette, settantotto, settantanove

German: siebzig, einundsiebzig, zweiundsiebzig, dreiundsiebzig, vierundsiebzig, fünfundsiebzig, sechsundsiebzig, siebenundsiebzig, achtundsiebzig, neunundsiebzig

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

French: soixante-dix, soixante et onze, soixante-douze, soixante-treize, soixante-quatorze, soixante-quinze, soixante-seize, soixante dix sept, soixante dix huit, soixante dix neuf

Safety Valve

We just learned about the Johnson Bar that controls the train speed.

Another part of a steam locomotive was the Safety Valve.

This was a valve that could be opened to let off steam if the pressure in the steam engine was getting too high.


(from: wikipedia - safety valve)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bearing

Black-Footed Cat

We just learned about the Jungle Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Black Footed Cat.

This is a small cat that lives in Africa and has a brown fur with black spots and stripes on it.
These cats are less than 2 feet long, and weigh about 5 pounds.

Even though their name is black footed cat, the only bottom parts of their feet are black.




(from: wikipedia - black-footed cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: String Jellyfish

Lymph Nodes

We just learned about the Lymphatic Vessel.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Lymph Node.

So we know that lymph is carried in the lymph capillaries and then the lymphatic vessels.
The lymphatic vessels bring the lymph to the Lymph Node.

This is a kidney bean shaped small part of the body that helps filter out bad stuff in the lymph.
It keeps the bad stuff in the lymph node and lets the other liquid lymph go back out to circulate.

The lymph nodes try to fight off the bad stuff collected inside them, and if there is too much bad stuff collected, then your lymph nodes can fill up and get swollen.

Sometimes if you are sick, you can feel on the side of your neck and feel a little lymph node bump sticking out.
Doctors can feel that area and if your lymph nodes are swollen that is a sign you are probably sick and they can do some other tests to try and figure out what sickness you have.

An adult has about 450 lymph nodes in their body, so the lymph gets carried all over and collected in these lymph nodes.


(from: wikipedia - lymph node)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eye Color

Ross Gyre

We just learned about the Weddell Gyre.

Another gyre in Antarctica is the Ross Gyre.

This one is just like the Weddel Gyre, but it is in the Ross Sea which is on the other side of the Antarctic Peninsula from the Weddell Sea.


(from: wikipedia - ross gyre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portcullis

Medieval Inquisition

We just learned about the Dominican Order.

Another part of early Christianity was the Medieval Inquisition.

We've learned that orthodoxy is what the church says you are supposed to do, and heresy is what the church says you are not supposed to do.

Long ago in many states and countries it was against the law to do or say something that was heresy.
If you were caught, the king or lord of the land would have a trial, and if you were found guilty you could be killed.

The church leaders decided that the kings and lords shouldn't be in charge of those trials, because they didn't know the laws that well.
They also wanted to try and give people the chance to learn what they did wrong and stop being heretics instead of being killed.

The church would send people from the Dominican or Franciscan order as judges to rule on trials as to whether the person was really bad or if they were just confused and needed to learn the right orthodox way to believe.
These trials were called Inquisitions.

For a while the Inquisitions were peaceful and did not allow anyone to be hurt. They were actually better than trials from the kings or lords where people were hurt and killed a lot more.

But as time went on the Inquisitions changed, and the Dominican and Franciscan leaders started to hurt people during the trials, to try and force them to admit that they had done something bad and were heretics.



(from: wikipedia - medieval inquisition)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Four Great Uncials

Alexander Macomb - Adolph Alexander Weinman

We just learned about the Nebraska State Capitol - The Sower - Lee Lawrie.

Another famous American statue is the sculpture of Alexander Macomb made by Adolph Alexander Weinman in Detroit Michigan in 1908.

Alexander Macomb was born in Detroit and went on to be the commander of the US Army.
In Michigan the area called Macomb County was named after him.

The artist Weinman was from Germany and moved to the US to live in New York when he was 14.
He spent most of his life working on buildings as an architectural sculptor, but also did some statues like this one in Detroit.


(from: wikipedia - adolph alexander weinman)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nubian Pyramids

Russian - Counting to Sixty Nine

We counted to 59 in Russian, let's keep going!

60 шестьдесят (shest'desyat) - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t 文A

61 шестьдесят один (shest'desyat odin) - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t oh-dee-n 文A

62 шестьдесят два (shest'desyat dva) - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t d-vah 文A

63 шестьдесят три (shest'desyat tri) - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t t-dee 文A

64 шестьдесят четыре (shest'desyat chetyre) - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t cheh-tee-dee 文A

65 шестьдесят пять (shest'desyat pyat') - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t pee-yah-t 文A

66 шестьдесят шесть (shest'desyat shest') - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t sheh-s-t 文A

67 шестьдесят семь (shest'desyat sem') - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t seh-m 文A

68 шестьдесят восемь (shest'desyat vosem') - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t voh-seh-m 文A

69 шестьдесят девять (shest'desyat devyat') - sounds like sheh-st-deh-s-yah-t day-v-yah-t 文A



(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: seksti, sekstien, seksti to, sekstitre, sekstifire, sekstifem, sekstiseks, sekstiju, seksti åtte, sekstini

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

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

Italian: sessanta, sessantuno, sessantadue, sessantatre, sessantaquattro, sessantacinque, sessantasei, sessantasette, sessantotto, sessantanove

German: sechzig, einundsechzig, zweiundsechzig, dreiundsechzig, vierundsechzig, fünfundsechzig, sechsundsechzig, siebenundsechzig, achtundsechzig, neunundsechzig

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

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

Johnson Bar

We just learned about the Valve Gear.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Johnson Bar, also called the reach rod or reversing lever.

This is a lever that is hooked up to the Valve Gear, and is up in the Cab so that the engineer can push or pull on it to control the speed.

No one really knows why it has the name of Johnson Bar!


(from: wikipedia - johnson bar (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Axle

Jungle Cat

We just learned about the Flat-Headed Cat.

Another type of wild cat is the Jungle Cat, also called the reed cat or swamp cat.

This cat lives in Asia, and has brown or grey fur.
It is a little over 2 feet long and can weigh up to 35 pounds.

The ears on these cats have a little tuft of black hair, and they have a white mouth.
They have a few dark lines on their front legs.

These cats mostly live in wetlands like swamps or grasslands, which is how it got it's nickname the reed cat or swamp cat.




(from: wikipedia - jungle cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Freshwater Jellyfish

Lymphatic Vessel

We just learned about the Lymph Capillary.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Lymphatic Vessel.

These are like the veins and arteries in the body, but they carry lymph around the body.

The lymph is either brough to something called a lymph node, lymph duct or to a blood vein.

There are two types of lymphatic vessles:
- afferent lymph vessels: Bring lymph to a lymph node
- efferent lymph vessels: Bring lymph away from a lymph node


(from: wikipedia - lymphatic vessel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Iris

Weddell Gyre

We just learned that an Ocean Gyre is a way that water flows around in all the oceans.

One of the ocean gyres in Antarctica is called the Weddell Gyre.

The Weddell Sea is the water by the Antarctic peninsula.

The water in this gyre mixes the super cold water right by Antarctica with the warmer southern Atlantic ocean water that is north of Antarctica.



(from: wikipedia - weddel gyre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Drawbridge

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