The Sun

We just learned about the Harvest Moon.

We've already learned a lot of things about the Sun.

We know it's in the center of our solar system and the earth orbits around it.

We know it is a GV type of star called a Yellow Dwarf, and we know when the moon gets in front of the sun and we can't see the light that is called a solar eclipse.

The sun is an amazing thing floating out in space, and without it there would be no life on earth.

Even though our summers get really hot and the sun seems very bright, it is 93 million miles away.

That's like driving all the way around the earth almost 4,000 times!

(from: wikipedia - sun)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Asteroid Belt

Spanish - Our table is short

We've learned that in Spanish:
I am happy is Estoy feliz,
You are sad is Estás triste,
He is angry is Él está enojado,
They are excited is Ellos estan emocionados,
We are surprised is Estamos sorprendido,
This house is big is Esta casa es grande,
The chair is small is La silla es pequeña,
My drink is cold is Mi bebida es fría,
Your food is hot is Tu comida está caliente and
Their car is tall is Su coche es alto.

Let's learn more about the things we see every day.

To say Our table is short you would say Nuestra mesa es bajo

We can break it up into four words:
Our - Nuestra - sounds like noo-ay-ss-trah /?/
table - coche - sounds like may-sah /?/
is - es - sounds like ay-ss /?/
short - bajo - sounds like bah-h-oh /?/

All together Our table is short sounds like noo-ay-ss-trah may-sah ay-ss bah-h-oh.



(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Notre table est courte.

Feldspar

We just learned about Pyrite.

The most common type of mineral on the earth is called feldspar.

The word feldspar comes from the German language and means "field rock that does not have ore".
Ore is something in rocks that can be used to make metal.

Over half of the earth's crust is made up of feldspar.
The crust is the outer part of the planet earth.

Feldspar is made from elements like potassium, sodium, or calcium combined with other elements like aluminum, silicon, and oxygen.

(from: wikipedia - feldspar)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Earth's Gravity

Robin

We just learned about the Okapi.

The American robin is a small bird with a bright red chest that lives in North America.

The robin's song is a happy sounding whistle that sounds like they are saying "cheerily, cheer up, cheerio".
Robins like to get up very early to hunt for food, so you might hear them early in the morning. You're trying to sleep, but they're looking for worms to eat!

The robin is so well liked that it is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Like many other birds, the robin flies south for the winter to stay warm, and comes back to the north when it is spring. Some people look at robins as one of the first signs of spring.

Robin eggs are a light blue color, so if you see light blue eggs in a nest or shells on the ground, you know they belonged to a robin!

(from: wikipedia - american robin)


(from: wikipedia - american robin)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Earthworms

Digestive System

We've learned the parts of the respiratory system from the pharynx all the way down to the alveoli.

Now let's learn about the other part of your throat, the digestive system.

That is the part of your body that takes the food down to your stomach to turn it into energy for you.

(from: wikipedia - digestive system)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Maxilla

South Africa

We just learned about the country of Democratic Republic of Congo.

South Africa is a country on the south part of the continent of Africa on the Pacific and Indian oceans.

(from: wikipedia - south africa)

To eat in South Africa you might have chakalaka, which is a kind of vegetable stew.

(from: wikipedia - chakalaka)

Nelson Mandela was a very famous person from Africa who helped lead the African people toward peace and equality.

(from: wikipedia - nelson mandela)

Cape Town is a famous city in South Africa, with many natural wonders to see.

(from: wikipedia - cape town)

There many wild animals in South Africa, and people often go on trips there just to see the animals like the giraffes.

(from: wikipedia - south african giraffe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana

Blessed are the poor

We just learned that Jesus gave a special talk called the Sermon on the Mount.

One of the things he talked about is called Beautitudes.

These are a list of blessed people that Jesus talked about, and the heavenly rewards they would receive.

The first one is:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be poor in spirit or in wealth means that we make God more important in our lives than saving up money and things on the earth.


(from: wikipedia - matthew 5:3)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ruth