Croatia

We just learned about the country of Bulgaria

Let's learn a little about the country of Croatia!

Croatia is in central eastern Europe, on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is across the sea from Italy.
There are about 4 million people in Croatia, and it is about 57,000 square miles.


(from: wikipedia - croatia)

The flag of Croatia is red, white, and blue with the coat of arms of Croatia on the middle.
The colors are for the three old kingdoms of Croatia:
- Red and white - Croatia
- Blue and white - Slavonia
- Blue and yellow - Dalmatia

The coat of arms has a red and white checkerboard for the old kingdom of Croatia, and then five small shield shapes for the history of the different people that lived in Croatia: - Croatia - A gold star over a crescent moon on a blue background
- Dubrovnik - Two red stripes on a dark sheild
- Dalmatia - Three yellow crowned leopard heads
- Istria - A golden goat on a blue background
- Slavonia - A gold star over a picture of a black marten with a red and white background


(from: wikipedia - flag of croatia)

To eat in Croatia you might have pašticada, which is like beef stew with bacon, garlic, onions and spices.

(from: wikipedia - pašticada)

Diocletian's palace is an ancient palace built around 500 AD for the Roman emperor Diocletian.

(from: wikipedia - diocletian's palace)

There is an ancient Roman arena that was made around 27 BC, and is the only Roman ampitheater that still has all of its four side towers.

(from: wikipedia - pula arena)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Transantarctic Mountains

Swiss Guard

We just learned about the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Another part of early Christianity is the Swiss Guard.

In 1505 AD, the Pope asked for the Switzerland to send guards to help protect the Pope and where he lived.
For hundreds of years, the people that guard the Pope have been a group of soldiers from Switzerland, making up the Swiss guard.

Their uniforms are blue, red, orange and yellow, and they usually carry a long staff called a halberd, and also some other weapons.


(from: wikipedia - swiss guard)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gregorian Chant

Dogon Mother and Child - Jerry Harris

We just learned about the sculpture Bearing Witness by Martin Puryear.

Another famous American sculpture is Dogon Mother and Child by Jerry Harris.

Jerry Harris was an artist who made sculptures in abstract art, using mostly wood and metal.
He was born in Pennsylvania in 1945, and then later moved to England and Sweden to learn more about art.
When he was 53 years old he moved back to America.

His sculpture is an abstract picture of an African Dogon woman and her child.


(from: wikipedia - jerry harris (artist))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Rescue - Horatio Greenough

Swahili - Six, seven, eight, nine, ten

We learned in Swahili that 1-5 is moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano.
Now let's count up to ten!

6 sita - sounds like see-tah - 文A

7 saba - sounds sah-bah - 文A

8 nane - sounds like nah-nay - 文A

9 tisa - sounds like tee-sah - 文A

10 kumi - sounds like koo-mee - 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Do you remember how to say it in other languages?

Russian: шесть (shest'), семь (sem'), восемь (vosem'), девять (devyat'), десять (desyat')

Norwegian: seks, syv, åtte, ni, ti

Greek: έξι, εφτά, οχτώ, εννέα, δέκα

ASL: Six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Italian: sei, setto, otto, nove, dieci

German: seis, sieben, acht, neun, zehn

Spanish: seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez

French: six, sept, huit, neuf, dix

Blastpipe

We just learned about the Brake Hose.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Blastpipe.

Remember we learned about the firebox where the coal burns, and the boiler where the water heats up and makes steam.

For the fire to keep burning, it needs fresh air.
The blastpipe is connected to the boiler and the firebox and the chimney.
When the boiler lets off steam, it helps pull air through the firebox, and then all of the smoke and steam goes shooting out the chimney.


(from: wikipedia - blastpipe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valve Seat

Cyprus Cat

We just learned about the Chantilly-Tiffany cat.

Another type of cat is the Cyprus Cat.

In the country of Cyprus there is a grave from almost 10,000 years ago with a person buried next to their pet cat.
It is the oldest grave anyone has found showing that humans kept cats as pets.

Some people say that this type of cat came from that line of original pets.

Other people think they came from in 328 AD when Saint Helen the mother of Emperor Constantine sent hundreds of cats to a monastery in Cyprus to help control the snake problem they were having.

There is even still an old monastery in the Cyprus town of Akrotiri called the Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats.

Wherever they came from, the Cyprus cats have thick hair and have lots of energy and are very good at jumping and running.
They can have different types of white or brown fur, but no spots, and their ears stick out in a V shape instead of straight up.


(from: wikipedia - cyprus cat)


(from: wikipedia - akrotiri (village))

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jellyfish Statocyst

Phagocytosis

We just learned about the Spleen.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Phagocytosis.

Some of the white blood cells we learned about get rid of bad things in our body in different ways.
One of the ways they do this is by using phagocytosis, which is wrapping their whole body around the bad bacteria, almost like they are eating it.
Then once the bad thing is surrounded, they break it down into pieces and get rid of it.


(from: wikipedia - phagocytosis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Photoreceptor Cells

Bulgaria

We just learned about the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Let's learn a little about the country of Bulgaria.

It is a small country in the eastern part of Europe, bordered by Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, and the Black Sea.
There are about 7 million people living there, and it is about 42,000 square miles.

(from: wikipedia - bulgaria)

The flag of Bulgaria is horizontal stripes of white, green, red.
The white is for peace, the green is for farming, and the red is for courage.

(from: wikipedia - flag of bulgaria)

To eat in Bulgaria you might have Tarator, which is a cold yogurt soup with other vegetables mixed in like cucumber or dill.

(from: wikipedia - bulgarian cuisine)

Visiting Bulgaria you might go to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is one of the biggest churches in the world, made back in 1912.

(from: wikipedia - alexander nevsky cathedral, sofia)

During some holiday parades in Bulgaria, people dress up in furry costumes with masks and bells on and dance around to scare away evil spirits in the town.


(from: wikipedia - kukeri)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctic Peninsula

Bonfire of the Vanities

We just learned about Christianity in the New World.

Another part of early Christianity is the Bonfire of the Vanities.

In 1497 one of the church leaders named Friar Girolamo Savonarola said that there were a lot of things out there that might make people sin, and he wanted to get rid of them.

Some of these things were like mirrors, makeup or pretty dresses that might make someone be vain, or think about wanting to be pretty instead of thinking about God.

Other things were like paintings, games, musical instruments or books.

He thought they were bad because if someone played a game, sang a song or read a book and it wasn't about God then it must be bad and should be destroyed.

So he made a big fire and had thousands of these things burned up.
Some things were just owned by people who lived in the town, but other things were famous paintings and sculptures that were destroyed by this fire.


(from: wikipedia - bonfire of the vanities)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity in Britain

Bearing Witness - Martin Puryear

We just learned about the sculpture of Students Aspire by Elizabeth Catlett.

Another famous American sculpture is Bearing Witness by Martin Puryear made in 1998 in Washington D.C.

This sulpture is 40 feet tall and weighs 20,000 pounds.
It is made out of sheets of bronze metal, wrapped on a steel sculpture underneath to hold it up.

Puryear was famous for sculpting abstract art.
He liked to use big shapes and simple things like metal to make sculptures taht could really stand out.

He grew up in Washington D.C, went to college for art, and then went into the peace Corps and traveled to Sierra Leone and Sweden where he learned some other kinds of art.


(from: wikipedia - martin puryear)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford

Swahili - One, two, three, four, five

We just learned that dog and cat in Swahili is mbwa and paka

Let's count to five in Swahili!

1 moja - sounds like moh-jah 文A
2 mbili - sounds like m-bee-lee 文A
3 tatu - sounds like tah-too 文A
4 nne - sounds like n-nay 文A
5 tano - sounds like tah-no 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)


Russian: раз (raz), два (dva), три (tri), четыре (chetyre), пять (pyat')

Norwegian: en, to, tre, fire, fem

Greek: ένα (éna), δύο (dýo), τρία (tría), τέσσερα (téssera), πέντε (pénte)

ASL: One, two, three, four, five

Italian: uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque

German: Ein, zwei, drei, veir, fünf

Spanish: Uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco

French: Un, deaux, trois, quatre, cinq

Brake Hose

We just learned about the locomotive Headlight.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Brake Hose.

Remember we learned before that when the engineer wants to stop the train he pulls a lever that uses the high pressure air brakes to push the brake shoe and stop the train.

When a train has a lot of passenger or supply cars behind the main engine, they can have brake shoes to help slow them down too.

The high pressure air brakes have tubes that go from car to car to bring the air pressure that closes the brake shoes to slow down the train.


(from: wikipedia - gladhand connector)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valve Disc

Chantilly-Tiffany

We just learned about the Bengal Cat.

Another type of cat is the Chantilly-Tiffany.

This type of cat has a long full coat with soft and silky fur.
They have golden eyes that get brighter as they get older.

These cats usually are in a chocolate brown color, but they can also be blue, light brown or even tabby.


(from: wikipedia - chantilly-tiffany)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ocelli

Spleen

We just learned about the Basophil.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Spleen.

This is a small organ about 3 inches long in the upper left part of the body, behind the stomach.

The spleen has a few jobs: - Remove old red blood cells that aren't good anymore
- Keep some extra blood in case of bleeding
- Recycles iron from old blood back into the body
- Fights bacteria and viruses using lymphocytes


(from: wikipedia - spleen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cone Cells

Bosnia and Herzegovina

We just learned about the country of Belarus

Let's learn a little about the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also called BiH, B&H, Bosnia–Herzegovina, or sometimes just Bosnia.

This country is bordered by Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea.
It is about 20,000 square miles, and about 3 million people live there.

(from: wikipedia - bosnia and herzegovina)

The flag for Bosnia and Herzegovina is blue, with a yellow triangle and white stars.
The colors are for neutrality, peace and for Bosnian culture and history.

The triangle is for the three different types of people living there, Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.


(from: wikipedia - flag of bosnia and herzegovina)

To eat in BiH you might have ćevapi, which is grilled meat with fruit and spices in it, and usually some bread.

(from: wikipedia - ćevapi)

Stari Most is a very old bridge in the town of Mostar, that was built in the 1500s.

(from: wikipedia - stari most)

Sarajevo is the biggest city in BiH, and has many famous old buildings and neighborhoods.
One of the most famous moments in history was in this city when someone assassinated the Archduke Ferdinand, which many people say was what started World War I.


(from: wikipedia - sarajevo)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: West Antarctica

Christianity in the New World

We just learned about the Spanish Inquisition.

Another part of early Christianity is Christianity in the New World.

After Christopher Columbus had gone across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered new lands, he came back to Europe to Spain.
The Pope Alexander VI told him to go back to the new world, and to bring priests with him to try and tell people in the new world about God and Jesus and see if they would be Christians.

On this trip Columbus brought 17 ships, and visited Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.


(from: wikipedia - christopher columbus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pope Gregory I

Students Aspire - Elizabeth Catlett

We just learned about the sculpture of Booker T. Washington by Richmond Barthé.

Another famous American sculpture is Students Aspire by Elizabeth Catlett made in 1978 in Washington D.C.

This is a sculpture of an African American man and woman holding each other and raising their hands toward a circle with a picture of an equals sign in it. There are 4 other circles for some of the different types of science and engineering in the world, like gears for a mechanical engineer, a protractor for a civil engineer, a glass bottle for chemistry, and a circuit picture for electrical.
At the bottom is a tree trunk, and the two students are holding each other and reaching out like branches of the tree.

The sculptor Elizabeth Catlett was born in 1915 in Washington D.C.
Her grandparents had been slaves, so growing up she knew that life had been hard for African Americans.
She tried to go to college at one university, but they would not let her in because she was black.
So she ended up going to Howard University, which was a college where they let black people in.

She spent many years making art and teaching, and later moved to Mexico to be a teacher and artist.


(from: wikipedia - students aspire)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Benjamin Franklin - Hiram Powers

Swahili - Dog, Cat

We just learned that to ask if someone speaks Swahili you say Unazungumza kiswahili?.

To say dog in Swahili, you say mbwa and it sounds like mm-bwah 文A

To say cat in Swahili, you say paka and it sounds like pah-kah 文A

, Also in Swahili, cats say meow meow and dogs say bow wow


(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: собака (sobaka), кошка (koshka)

Norwegian: hund, katt

Greek: σκύλος (skýlos), γάτα (gáta)

ASL: dog, cat

Italian: cane, gatto

German: Hunt, Katze

Spanish: perro, gato

French: chien, chat

Headlight

We just learned about the Chimney.

Another part of a locomotive is the Headlight or headlamp.

The headlight isn't really for the people driving the train, because they are going too fast to be able to stop if they saw something.
It's really meant to warn everyone to get off the tracks and to stay out of the way.
There are also workers at stations who need to know the train is coming, and they can see the light from very far away.


(from: wikipedia - steam locomotive components)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valve Handle

Bengal Cat

We just learned about the Savannah Cat.

Another type of cat is the Bengal Cat.

This cat came from the wild Leopard Cat mixed with a house cat that was more calm and would be a good pet.

They have golden fur, with dark spots on them just like a leopard.
Because they came from a wild cat, they have lots of energy and need a lot of attention.


(from: wikipedia - bengal cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rhopalium

Basophil

We just learned about the type of white blood cell called the Eosinophil.

Another type of white blood cell is the Basophil.

We've learned about 4 other types of white blood cells (WBC):
- lymphocytes - that help kill off bad diseases using T, B or NK cells.
- monocytes - that help fight off infections and clean up garbage in the body.
- neutrophils - most common WBC that is the first line of defense for fighting infections.
- eosinophils - that live in tissues and help fight off allergic responses

The Basophil is the 5th and last type of WBC.

This type of white blood cell is one of the things that makes your body react when it is allergic to something. So this could be swelling up or getting itchy spots on your body.
It does this by letting out something called "histamines".

The eosinophils puts out "antihistamines" so when your body is trying to calm down from being allergic to something, these antihistamines work against the histamines.

Basophils also let out a chemical called heparin, which keeps your blood a liquid.
When your blood dries up and turns to a clot it can cause problems, so the heparin makes sure it doesn't dry up.


(from: wikipedia - basophil)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rod Cells

Belarus

We just learned about the country of Azerbaijan.

Let's learn about the country of Belarus

This country is in eastern Europe next to Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Latvia.
It's about 80,000 square miles, and about 10 million people live there.
The people there speak both the Belarusian and Russian languages.

(from: wikipedia - belarus)

The Belarusian flag has a large red stripe above a smaller green stripe, and on the left side there is a red and white pattern.
The red stripe is for freedom, the green stripe is for life, and the red-white pattern is one that is used a lot in Belarusian art and clothing.


(from: wikipedia - flag of belarus)

To eat in Belarus you might have Kalduny, which is dumplings made of dough, and filled with something like ham and mushrooms.

(from: wikipedia - kalduny)

Almost half of Belarus is a forest. Long ago most of Europe used to be a forest, but after people have made buildings and cities a lot of it is gone. The Białowieża Forest in Belarus is one of the last big forests left in Europe.
The forest is part of both Poland and Belarus.

(from: wikipedia - białowieża forest)

There is a big old castle in Belarus called the Mir Castle, made in 1568 AD.

(from: wikipedia - mir castle complex)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: East Antarctica

Spanish Inquisition

We just learned about the Italian Renaissance.

Another part of early Christianity is the Spanish Inquisition.

We learned before about the Medieval Inquisition that the churches started to try and help make sure people were following the right laws from God.

During the Spanish Inquisition in 1478 AD, the rulers of Spain wanted everyone in Spain to be Catholic.

So they said if someone wasn't Catholic they had to either leave Spain or become Catholic.
And if they found out someone was not following the rules, they would put them in jail and ask them questions to try and make them prove they were good or bad.

Later on things got very bad and the inquisition would hurt or kill people if they thought they were not following the rules from the Bible or from the King.

The inquisition went on for hundreds of years and wasn't over until the year 1834 AD.


(from: wikipedia - spanish inquisition)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anno Domini

Booker T. Washington - Richmond Barthé

We just learned about the sculpture of Alice in Wonderland by Jose de Creeft.

Another famous American sculpture is Booker T. Washington made by Richmond Barthé in New York in 1946.

In America after the Civil War was over and slavery was made illegal, a lot of African American people who lived as slaves in the south moved to the north to find places to live and get jobs.

Many places in the south were still not very friendly toward African Americans, so they wanted to go to places in the north where they felt more free.

Barthé was born in Mississippi and grew up wanting to be an artist.
He tried to go to a college in the south but they would not let him because he was African American, so he went to art college in Pennsylvania.
Later on he moved to New York where a lot of African Americans were living and getting jobs, and he became a famous artist there.

Booker T. Washington was a famous African American who fought for the rights of freed slaves after the civil war.


(from: wikipedia - richmond barthé)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Water Nymph and Bitterna - William Rush

Swahili - Do you speak Swahili?

Remember that to say please, you're welcome in Swahili, you say tafadhali, karibu.

To ask if someone speaks Swahili, you say:
Unazungumza kiswahili? which sounds like tee oo-nah-zoo-n-goo-m-zah kee-swah-hee-lee - 文A


To say yes you would say ndio which sounds like n-dee-oh - 文A


or to say no you would say hapana which sounds like hah-pah-nah - 文A




(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Ты говоришь по-русски? (Ty govorish' po russki), Вы говорите по русски (Vy govorishtay po russki)

Norwegian: Kan du norsk?

Greek: Μιλατε ελληνικα? (Milate ellinika?)

ASL: Do you speak ASL?

Italian: Parli italiano?

German: Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Spanish: ¿Hablas español?

French: parlez-vous français?

Chimney

We just learned about the Superheater.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Chimney.

The smoke from the boiler goes up the chimney pipe so the smoke goes up high and the engineer can still see down the tracks.


(from: wikipedia - chimney (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valve Port

Savannah Cat

We just learned about the Sphynx Cat.

Another type of cat is the Savannah Cat.

This type of cat is a cross between a normal house cat and the wild Serval cat.
They usually weigh about 15 pounds, which is a lot smaller than the 40 pound serval cat.
On their ears they have the same markings, and their fur is spotted just like the serval.
Their legs are longer than a normal cats, but not super long like the wild serval.



(from: wikipedia - savannah cat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lappet

Eosinophil

We just learned about the Neutrophil.

Another type of white blood cell is the Eosinophil, pronounced like "ee-oh-sin-oh-fill".

We've learned about 3 other types of white blood cells (WBC):
- lymphocytes - that help kill off bad diseases using T, B or NK cells.
- monocytes - that help fight off infections and clean up garbage in the body.
- neutrophils - most common WBC that is the first line of defense for fighting infections.

Less than 3% of the WBCs in the body are eosinophils.
They help fight viruses, and they also help the body fight off allergic responses.

One big difference is that these eosinophils live in tissues, they are not floating around in the blood stream.
They hang out in places like the intestines and spleen, but they do not go into the lungs, skin or esophagus.


(from: wikipedia - eosinophil)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Zonule of Zinn

Azerbaijan

We just learned about the country of Armenia.

Let's learn a little about the country of Azerbaijan!

This country is in the area of Europe and Asia called Eurasia.
It is south of Russia, north of Iran, and east of Armenia.
On the east side of the country is the Caspian Sea.
It is about 33,000 square miles, and about 10 million people live there.


(from: wikipedia - azerbaijan)

The flag of Azerbaijan is blue, red, and green with a crescent moon and star in the middle.
The blue and the moon and star are for the Turkish people who live all over the world.
The red is for progress, and the green is for the religion of Islam.

(from: wikipedia - azerbaijan)

To eat in Azerbaijan you might have plov, which is rice with some other things added like meat or vegetables.


(from: wikipedia - pilaf)

There is a carpet museum in Azerbaijan, with over 10,000 things on display showing the history of weaving and carpets and how they were used through history.


(from: wikipedia - azerbaijan carpet museum)

There is an ancient building called the Maiden Tower that goes back to around 1100 AD.
It has many stories from history about legends and mysteries that happened here.


(from: wikipedia - maiden tower (baku))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctica

Italian Renaissance

We just learned about the Sistine Chapel.

Another part of early Christianity was the Italian Renaissance.

After the Pope moved back to Italy, there was a time that many rich and powerful people were working with the Pope to help make new works of art and very fancy churches.

This was during the time of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello and they all were paid lots of money by the church to make Christian works of art like the Sistine Chapel or Michelangelo's Pieta.


(from: wikipedia - christianity in the 15th century)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hagia Sophia

Alice in Wonderland - Jose de Creeft

We just learned about the American sculpture of Puma by William Zorach.

Another famous American sculpture is Alice in Wonderland by Jose de Creeft made in New York in 1959.

This is a bronze statue in Central Park in New York, and it is a favorite for little kids to climb on, so the bronze has become worn down and shiny all over it.

It has Alice sitting on a mushroom, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter.
The sculpture was made to honor a famous rich person's wife who loved the stories of Alice in Wonderland.

The artist Jose de Creeft was born in 1884 in Spain, and grew up learning about art in different places in Europe.
In 1929 he moved to New York and set up a studio there and made many sculptures like this one.


(from: wikipedia - jose de creeft)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chacmool