Iron

We just learned about the shiny black rock Graphite

Another cool type of element is Iron.

Iron is a very common mineral found throughout the earth, and it is used in many types of metal things.

Because it is such a useful metal, it is mined throughout the world.

(from: wikipedia - iron)

Iron is one of the main chemical elements, the building blocks that make up our world.
It is on the Periodic Table under the name "Fe" which comes from the latin word for iron: "ferrum".

When combined with other types of minerals like carbon, it can become stronger.
When two minerals are combined like that it is called an alloy.
With the right type of carbon and iron, you can make the super strong metal steel.


(from: wikipedia - steel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chemical Elements

Peacock Spider

We just learned about the Wolf Spider that carries around its babies.

Spiders come in all shapes and sizes. Some are really colorful!

One type of fancy looking spider is nicknamed the peacock spider.
It's real science name is maratus volans.

When the male spider is looking for a wife, he will flap around the colorful parts of his body, wave his arms, and do a dance to get her attention.


(from: wikipedia - maratus volans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Northern Pike

Stomach - Fundus

Let's keep learning about the parts of the stomach in the digestive system.

Last time we learned about the cardia.

Next up is the fundus.

That is the part at the top, that helps hold extra food, stores gas build up from the stomach, and helps the stomach stretch to get bigger if it is full.


(from: wikipedia - stomach)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Zygomatic Bones

Kenya

We just learned about the African country of Morocco.

Kenya is a country in Africa on the Eastern border, right on the Indian Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - kenya)

The motto of Kenya is "Harambee" which means ""Let us all pull together".
The flag's colors are black for the people of the Republic of Kenya, red for the blood shed by the people who fought for their independence, green for the plants and the land, white for peace and honesty, and the shield for the defense of all things peace and honesty.

(from: wikipedia - flag of kenya)

A very common food in Kenya is sukuma wiki. It looks a lot like lettuce, and is often called collard greens.

(from: wikipedia - sukuma wiki)

President Barack Obama's father was originally from Kenya, before he moved to Hawaii for college.


(from: wikipedia - barack obama, sr.)

The second largest lake in the world is Lake Victoria, in Kenya.

(from: wikipedia - lake victoria)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Germany

Blessed are the merciful

Let's keep learning about the Sermon on the Mount.

We've learned about these Beautitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted and
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth and
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they will be filled..

The fifth one is:

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.


(from: wikipedia - matthew 5:7)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: King Solomon

Solar Core - Density

Let's keep learning about the sun's solar core. We've learned about it's size and heat.

Remember before we learned about mass and how a marble and marshmallow may be the same size but one of them is thicker and heavier? That is called density.

The density of the sun is 150 times thicker than water.


(from: wikipedia - water)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Constellations - Gemini

Spanish - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

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

Monday - Lunes - sounds like loo-nay-ss /?/

Tuesday - Martes - sounds like mah-d-tay-ss /?/

Wednesday - Miercoles - sounds like me-ay-d-coh-lay-ss /?/



(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi