Bhutan

We just learned about the country of Bahrain

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

This is a small country in Asia, bordering China and India.
Only about 750,000 people live there, and it is only about 15,000 square miles.

The country is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and people in this country speak a language called Dzongkha.


(from: wikipedia - )

The flag of Bhutan is yellow and orange, with a white dragon in the middle.


(from: wikipedia - flag of bhutan)

To eat in Bhutan you might have Ema datshi, which is made from hot peppers, cheese and rice.


(from: wikipedia - ema datshi)

The highest unclimbed mountain peak in the world is in Bhutan called the Gankhar Puensum, or also White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers.
It is part of the Himalayan mountain range, and the Bhutan people believe it is a special place so they do not allow anyone to climb it.

(from: wikipedia - gangkhar puensum)

The takin (Budorcas taxicolor; /ˈtɑːkɪn/), also called cattle chamois or gnu goat,[2] is a large species of ungulate of the subfamily Caprinae found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies: the Mishmi takin (B. t. taxicolor), the golden takin (B. t. bedfordi), the Tibetan (or Sichuan) takin (B. t. tibetana), and the Bhutan takin (B. t. whitei). Whilst the takin has in the past been placed together with the muskox in the tribe Ovibovini, more recent mitochondrial research shows a closer relationship to Ovis (sheep).[3] Its physical similarity to the muskox is therefore an example of convergent evolution.[4] The takin is the national animal of Bhutan.[5] The national animal of Bhutan is the Takin, which is sort of like a goat-antelope.

(from: wikipedia - takin)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Carlini Base

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

We just learned about the hymn It Is Well With My Soul.

Another famous hymn is Great Is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas Chisholm and William Runyan written in 1923 in Kansas.

Chisholm was born in Kentucky, and became a Christian at age 27.
He went on to become a minister and write many Christian poems.
When he was 57 he wrote the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness about God's faitfulness during his life.

William Runyan worked for a company that printed hymns, and he came up with music to go with the words.

The title of the song comes from the Bible chapter Lamentations 3:23, where the prophet Jeremiah is sad that Israel is going to have some troubles but he has faith that God will take care of his people.


(from: wikipedia - great is thy faithfulness)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Knights Hospitaller

Roden Crater - James Turrell

We just learned about the Circles of Time by Alan Sonfist.

Another famous work of land art is Roden Crater - James Turrell.

This crater is from the inside of an old volcano that doesn't work anymore.
In 1979 James Turrell bought the land where the volcano is in Arizona.

After he bought the land, he built tunnels under the ground to walk through, with rooms that open up to see the sun, moon or stars in special ways without a telescope.


(from: wikipedia - roden crater)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Joan of Ark - Anna Hyatt Huntington

Swahili - January, February

We just learned about the days of the week.

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

January - Januari - sounds like jah-noo-ah-ree 文A

February - Februari - sounds like feh-b-roo-ah-ree 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Январь (Yanvar'), Февраль (Fevral')

Norwegian: Januar, Februar

Greek: Ιανουάριος (Ianouários), Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários)

ASL: January, February

Italian: Gennaio, Febbraio

German: Januar, Februar

Spanish: Enero, Febrero

French: Janvier, Février

Fuel Injector

We just learned about the Carburetor that helps bring the right mix of gas and air to the engine.

Another part of a car is a Fuel Injector.

A fuel injection does the same job as a carburetor, but it works a little differently.
The carburetor mixes up the gas and air and then sends the mixture over to the engine.

A fuel injection system instead sends the air and gas right into the engine, and it has something like a small computer that controls how much fuel and air goes in at just the right time and amount to make the engine work.


(from: wikipedia - fuel injection)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rotative Beam Engine

Mandrill

We just learned about the Collared Mangabey.

Another type of old world monkey is the Mandrill.

This type of monkey has grey or green fur, a very colorful red and blue face, and big sharp teeth.
Growing to around 82 pounds and 3 feet long, these are the biggest monkeys in the world.

These monkeys live in parts of Africa, and are omnivores meaning they eat anything from plants to animals.
Mandrills live in big groups of hundreds, sometimes 600 to 800 in one group called a "horde".
The male monkeys help protect the horde, and are so big and strong that they will even fight off leopards who come to try and attack the horde.




(from: wikipedia - mandrill)



Mandrills! | Disney Animals | Disney Junior - Disney Junior


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Geoffrey's Cat

Sustained Angiogenesis

We've now learned about four of the six common signs of cancer.:
- Cell Growth where the cells grow too big too fast.
- Anti-Growth Signals where the cells don't listen to the body telling them to stop growing.
- Avoiding Apoptosis where the cells don't listen to the body telling them it's time to go away.
- Limitless Replication where the cells keep dividing forever.

Another of the signs of cancer is Sustained Angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is how the body makes new blood vessels that carry blood through the body.
Sustained means it keeps happening over and over.

When the body gets hurt and starts to heal up, it makes new blood vessels to help bring more blood to heal.
Usually this is only something that happens when the body is hurt or when the body is growing as a young baby.


(from: wikipedia - angiogenesis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bulbar Conjunctiva

Bahrain

We just learned about the country of Wales

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

This is a small island country in the Persian Gulf in Asia which is a small area of water just surrounded by Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran.

Bahrain is made up of one big island and about 100 other small islands.
It is only about 290 square miles in size, and about 1.5 million people live there.


(from: wikipedia - bahrain)

The flag of Bahrain is white and red, with the middle of the flag shaped like a triangle line.
The five white triangles are for Islam.


(from: wikipedia - flag of bahrain)

To eat in Bahrain you might have Kabsa which is rice mixed with meat, vegetables and spices.


(from: wikipedia - kabsa)

Visiting Bahrain you might go see the fort Qal'at al-Bahrain, which is a very old castle that was built on top of ruins from older castles.
Archeologists have dug up old ruins going back 3,000 years.
Over thousands of years, different people have taken over this fort area, and built their new castles on top of it.


(from: wikipedia - qal'at al-bahrain)

If you are visiting Bahrain you might see flamingos that live there.

(from: wikipedia - bahrain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brown Station

It Is Well with My Soul

We just learned about the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty by Reginald Heber.

Another famous hymn is It Is Well with My Soul, written in 1873 by Horatio Spafford.

Horatio was living in Chicago and doing very well as a lawyer for a while, then some very sad things happened to him.
In a big fire in Chicago he lost most of his money, so he decided to move back to England for work.
His family went on a boat ahead of him, but the boat sank and his four daughters died. Only his wife lived.
He got on a boat to go meet his wife in England, and while he was on the ocean he wrote this hymn, to say that even though he was filled with sadness, he could find peace in his soul knowing that God was always there to comfort him.


(from: wikipedia - it is well with my soul)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Third Crusade

Circles of Time - Alan Sonfist

We just learned about the famous American sculpture called The Gates by Christo and Jean-Claude.

Another famous land art sculpture is Circles of Time by Alan Sonfist in 1987.

In Tuscany Italy, Sonfist started with a bunch plants grouped together in one spot that were from the Tuscany area.
Around that he made a circle of branches from a forest that he coated in bronze, mixed in with thyme herbs growing there.
He made a second circle around that made of laurel.
A third circle around that is galestro stone.
The fourth circle is olive trees, and the last circle is made of wheat.

Each circle has a meaning to the people of Italy and the art is living so people can actually gather the wheat and other plants.


(from: wikipedia - alan sonfist)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Penguins - Albert Laessle

Swahili - Saturday, Sunday

We just learned that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Swahili is Jumatutu, Jumanne, Jumatano
and Thursday, Friday is Alhamisi, Ijumaa.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Saturday - Jumamosi - sounds like joo-mah-moh-see 文A

Sunday - Jumapili - sounds like joo-mah-pee-lee 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Суббота (Subbota), Воскресенье (Voskresen'ye)

Norwegian: Lørdag, Søndag

Greek: Σάββατο (Sávvato), Κυριακή (Kyriakí)

ASL: Saturday, Sunday

Italian: Sabato, Domenica

German: Samstag, Sonntag

Spanish: Sabado, Domingo

French: Samedi, Dimanche

Carburetor

We just learned about the Oil Filter.

Another part of a car is the Carburetor.

In order for the car's engine to burn up the gas it uses for fuel, it needs to have the right mixture of air and gas.
With a campfire you need wood as fuel mixed with air to make it burn. The same goes for car engines, but you use gas mixed with air, and it has to be the right amount of each for the car to burn the fuel and make the engine run.

The carburetor helps the engine control how much fuel and air are brought to the engine to get the right mix so the engine will run.


(from: wikipedia - carburetor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Newcomen Engine

Collared Mangabey

We just learned about the Gelada.

Another type of Old World Monkey is the Collared Mangabey, also called the red capped mangabey, white collared mangabey and cercocebus torquatus.

This monkey has grey fur with a brown red top of its head and white fur around its neck like a collar.
It also has white eyelids, so sometimes people think it looks like it has four eyes.

These monkeys grow to be about 22 pounds and two feet long.


(from: wikipedia - collared mangabey)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kodkod

Limitless Replication

We've now learned about six of the common signs of cancer.:
- Cell Growth where the cells grow too big too fast.
- Anti-Growth Signals where the cells don't listen to the body telling them to stop growing.
- Avoiding Apoptosis where the cells don't listen to the body telling them it's time to go away.

Another of the six signs of cancer is Limitless Replication.

This means cells can keep dividing forever.

Normally in the human body our cells will divide a few times, and then eventually they will get to a point where they've divided too many times and they will die off and go away.

Cancer cells don't do that, so they can just keep dividing over and over forever.


(from: wikipedia - hayflick limit)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lacrimal Lake

Wales

We just learned about the country of Slovenia

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

Just like Ireland, England and Scotland, this is a country that is a part of the United Kingdom.

Wales is part of the same island as England and Scotland, just west of where England is.
It is only about 8,000 square miles, but has over 3 million people living there.


(from: wikipedia - wales)

The flag of Wales is white and green, with a red dragon on it.
There are ancient stories about a dragon that lived in Wales, and is buried under one of the big hills in the country.


(from: wikipedia - flag of wales)

To eat in Wales you might have Welsh Cakes, which are small cakes a few inches wide, and usually flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg.


(from: wikipedia - welsh cake)

Visiting Wales you might go see Caernarfon Castle built in 1283.

(from: wikipedia - caernarfon castle)

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a type of dog that came from Wales.

(from: wikipedia - cardigan welsh corgi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Vernadsky Research Base

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty - Reginald Heber

We just learned about the How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg.

Another famous hymn is Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty by Reginald Heber.

When Heber was working for the churches back in the early 1800s, most churches thought people should only sing from the book of Psalms, and without a lot of changes in music notes from high to low.

Heber really wanted people to sing more types of music, so he wrote this song that talks about the holy trinity.
It has been one of the most popular hymns in the world now for hundreds of years.


(from: wikipedia - holy, holy, holy! lord god almighty)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Second Crusade

The Gates - Christo and Jean-Claude

We just learned about the Two Running Violet V Forms by Robert Irwin.

Another famous American land art is The Gates by Christo and Jean-Claude made in New York City in 2005.



(from: wikipedia - the gates)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: John Dill - Herbert Haseltine

Swahili - Thursday, Friday

We just learned that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Swahili is Jumatutu, Jumanne, Jumatano.

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Thursday - Alhamisi - sounds like cheh-t-v-yeh-rg 文A

Friday - Ijumaa - sounds like P-yah-t-nih-t-sah 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Четверг (Chetverg), пятница (Pyatnitsa)

Norwegian: Torsdag, Fredag

Greek: Πέμπτη (Pémpti), Παρασκευή (Paraskeví)

ASL: Thursday, Friday

Italian: Giovedì, Venerdì

German: Donnerstag, Freitag

Spanish: Viernes, Jueves

French: Jeudi, Vendredi

Oil Filter

We just learned about the Oil Pump.

Another part of a car is the Oil Filter.

We've learned that oil goes through the motor to keep things running smoothly, and that the oil pump is the thing that pushes the oil through the motor.

The oil gets dirty after going through the engine, and so it has to get cleaned up.
The oil filter is hooked up to the engine, and the oil gets pumped into that, cleaned up and then sent back out to the engine.

Because these oil filters get very dirty, they have to be changed out for new ones when they are used up.


(from: wikipedia - oil filter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Steam Pump

Gelada

We just learned about the Olive Baboon.

Another type of old world monkey is the Gelada, also sometimes called the bleeding-heart monkey.

This type of monkey is lives only in the mountains in Ethiopia.
They grow to be about 40 pounds and a little over 2 feet tall.

These monkeys have mostly black or brown fur, but they have an hourglass shaped place on their chest with no hair where their skin is bright red.
They usually sleep on the cliffs in the mountains and then go to the grassland areas to eat.



(from: wikipedia - gelada)



These Ethiopian Geladas Produce a Very Human-like Sound (4K) - Smithsonian Channel


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Margay

Avoiding Apoptosis

We just learned about the Anti-Growth Signals of cancer, where the cells won't listen to the body telling them to stop.

Another part of cancer is Avoiding Apoptosis.

All of the cells in our body are created, live for a while and then go away.
Apoptosis is the part at the end of a cell's life where it would die and go away.

In a cancer cell, it doesn't listen to the body telling it that it's time to go away, and so they avoid apoptosis.
These cells that are not working right do not go away, and then the body can be flooded with the wrong types of cells.


(from: wikipedia - apoptosis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Canthus

Slovenia

We just learned about the country of Slovakia

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

This is a small country in eastern Europe, bordering Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia.
It is about 8,000 square miles and about 2 million people live there.

People in Slovenia usually speak Slovene, Italian or Hungarian.


(from: wikipedia - slovenia)

The flag of Slovenia is stripes of white, blue and red with the coat of arms of Slovenia.
On the coat of arms is a white mountain for Mount Triglav, wavy lines for the sea, and three golden stars for the old rulers of the land.


(from: wikipedia - flag of slovenia)

To eat in Slovenia you might have Potica which is a type of rolled pastry with ground up walnuts.


(from: wikipedia - slovenian potica)

Visiting Slovenia you might go see the mountain Triglav, which is about 10,000 feet high.


(from: wikipedia - triglav)

In Slovenia there are famous old stories from 1858 of a fairy tale hero named Martin Krpan, who was so strong he would do things like carry around his own horse.

(from: wikipedia - martin krpan)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Palmer Research Base

How Great Thou Art - Carl Boberg

We just learned about the hymn Amazing Grace by John Newton.

Another famous hymn is How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg, written in Sweden in 1885.

One day when Boberg was walking outside, a huge storm came along with dark clouds, thunder, and lightning.
The storm got over pretty quickly, and then right after there was a rainbow, and birds singing happily.

When he saw the power of the storm and then the beauty of nature after, it gave him the idea for the song.


(from: wikipedia - how great thou art)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Prince's Crusade

Two Running Violet V Forms - Robert Irwin

We just learned about the land art Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson.

Another famous land art is Two Running Violet V Forms made by artist Robert Irwin in 1983 in San Diego.

Irwin liked the forest with eucalyptus trees in this area, how there were so many of them and how the light throughout the day changed and made them look different.

He put violet colored fences up high that would help reflect the light as it was changing through the day and shining through the trees.

Irwin was born in 1928 in California, and went to art school in California.
He started off as a painter, but as he went on to do more abstract art he started making things like these fences that were part of landscapes.


(from: wikipedia - robert irwin (artist))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Meat for Wild Men - Charles Marion Russell

Swahili - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

We just learned in Swahili that to say his face is rough is Uso wake ni mkali

Let's learn the days of the week in Swahili!

Monday - Jumatatu - Sounds like joo-mah-tah-too 文A


Tuesday - Jumanne - Sounds like joo-mah-n-nay 文A


Wednesday - Jumatano - Sounds like joo-mah-tah-noh 文A




(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Russian: Понедельник (Ponedel'nik), Вторник (Vtornik), Среда (Sreda)

Norwegian: Mandag, Tirsdag, Onsdag

Greek: Δευτέρα (Deftéra), Τρίτη (Tríti), Τετάρτη (Tetárti)

ASL: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Italian: Lunedi, Martedì, Mercoledì

German: Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch

Spanish: Lunes, Martes, Miercoles

French: Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi

Oil Pump

We just learned about the Motor Oil.

Another part of a car is the Oil Pump.

The oil that helps keep everything in the engine moving fast and slippery gets pushed through the car using an oil pump.

There are a few different types of oil pumps, but one of the most common is the gear pump.
For this type of pump, the gears spin around and help push the oil through the engine.
The gears are spun around using the power of the spinning crankshaft as it goes around.


(from: wikipedia - gear pump)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Steam Cylinder

Olive Baboon

We just learned about the Uganda Mangabey.

Another type of old world monkey is the Olive Baboon, also called the Anubis Baboon, or Papio Anubis.

These monkeys live all over Africa, in forests, deserts, and grasslands.
They get the name Olive Baboon because their fur looks olive colored.
Their other name Anubis Baboon comes from the way their face looks kind of like the dog faced statue of the Egyptian Anubis.

Olive Baboons are a little over 2 feet tall and weigh about 50 pounds.
Usually they talk to each other using grunts, but if they get scared by another animal they might shout "Wahoo!" to warn everyone.

These baboons will eat just about anything, from plants and bugs to mice, birds, and other larger animals.
They will sometimes even go after sheep, goats and chickens from farms!

Some elephants and the baboons have learned to work together to survive.
Elephants will dig holes to get water, and baboons will be lookouts up in the trees to warn if there is danger coming.


(from: wikipedia - olive baboon)



Olive baboon troupe - Cameron Wares


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Andean Mountain Cat

Anti-Growth Signals

We just learned about the Cell Growth and Division where cells get bigger, multiply and don't go away.

Another one of the six signs of cancer is called Anti-Growth Signals.

When the cells in the body grow or multiply, and don't die off or go away, the body uses things called "tumor supressor genes" to send messages to the cells saying that it is time to stop growing and dividing, and to go away.

It's kind of like being in a car, going too fast, and you hit the brakes to slow down or stop.

Cells that have been mutated into cancer don't listen to those messages and they keep growing.
This would be like the brakes in the car not working, so it keeps going too fast.

If the cancer cells in the body do not listen, the cells can grow and divide and spread over the body.


(from: wikipedia - tumor suppressor gene)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Meibomian Gland

Slovakia

We just learned about the country of Serbia

Let's learn a little about the country of Slovakia, also called the Slovak Republic!

This is a country in eastern Europe that borders Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
It is about 19,000 square miles, and over 5 million people live there.
People in Slovakia speak either Slavic, Hungarian or Rusyn.


(from: wikipedia - slovakia)

The flag of Slovakia is white, blue and red, with the coat of arms on the front.
A few countries in eastern Europe use these same colors, and they are called the "Pan-Slavic" colors.

The coat of arms is a double cross for Christianity, and three mountains for the three main mountain ranges in the country.


(from: wikipedia - flag of slovakia)

To eat in Slovakia you might have Bryndzové Halušky, which is dumplings served with cheese and bacon.
You would also have a glass of Žinčica with it, which is like a creamy milk drink.


(from: wikipedia - )

Visiting Slovakia you might go see Bojnice Castle, which was built before 1200 AD.


(from: wikipedia - bojnice castle)

In Slovakia there is a large group of over 700 caves called Domica Cave.
These are caves made out of limestone that go on for over 3 miles.

(from: wikipedia - domica cave)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Palmer Station

Amazing Grace - John Newton

We just learned about the sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

We've learned a lot about what happened in Christianity after Jesus over thousands of years.

Let's learn about some of the famous songs people sing in church called hymns.

One of the most famous hymns is Amazing Grace by John Newton written in England in 1779.

John Newton was born in 1725, and when he was 18 he was made to work on a sailing ship.
When he was young he was not very nice, and said a lot of very mean things to people.

One day when he was on the ship a terrible storm came along and almost tipped the boat over.
He was so scared that he shouted out "Lord have mercy on us!"

Later on when he was back on land, he was happy to be alive, and remembered that he had shouted out to God for help.
So he decided to work to write hymns to help people worship God, and one of those hymns was Amazing Grace.


(from: wikipedia - amazing grace)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The People's Crusade