Solar - Magnetic Field

The magnetic field of the sun is the area outside of the corona in space,
and it is so large that it stretches beyond earth all the way beyond pluto in our solar system.

The magnetic field is like a big cloud with winds that have an effect on all of our planets, and can even cause changes in the weather on earth.

The field swirls around in a circle, and can't be seen but scientists have tried to draw what it might look like.

(from: wikipedia - sun)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Betelgeuse

Spanish - July, August

Let's keep learning the months of the year in Spanish!

We've learned that January, February is Enero, Febrero March, April are Marzo, Abril and May, June is Mayo, Junio.

July - Julio - sounds like hoo-lee-oh /?/

August - Agosto - sounds like ah-goh-stoh /?/


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
French - Juillet, Août

Mercury

We just learned about the element of Copper

Another chemical element is Mercury, called "Hg" for short (from the Greek word "hydrargyros" which means "water-silver") on the Periodic Table.

When we think of metals, we think of heavy hard things, like iron or copper.
Those are all solid metals.

Mercury is a very special metal that is a liquid at normal temperatures!

All metals can be melted down to be liquid if they get hot enough.
The temperature they turn to liquid at is called their melting point.
Most metals have to get very hot to turn to liquid, like iron needs to be 2,800 degrees F.

Mercury stays liquid at normal room temperature, and won't turn into a solid until it gets super cold -37 degrees F.


(from: wikipedia - mercury)

Another interesting thing about mercury being a liquid, is that some metals are lighter than mercury, and the metal can actually float on top of the liquid.

(from: wikipedia - mercury)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Capacitors

Mosquito larvae

We just learned about the Osprey bird.

We've all seen those nasty mosquitos flying around, but you might wonder what baby mosquitos look like.

Like many other insects, mosquitos go through 4 stages: egg, larvae, pupa, adult (also called imago).

The adult mosquitos lay their tiny eggs in the water.
Eventually the eggs hatch and turn into mosquito larvae, which look kind of like long tiny skinny fuzzy caterpillars in the water.
The larvae swim around in the water eating things like algea and bacteria, things we consider garbage but they eat for lunch!
They breathe air through their body with holes on their bodies called spiracles or siphons.
If mosquito larvae are living in an area that has a cold winter, they can actually get frozen solid in the water, and survive until the next spring to grow again.
This is called diapause.

(from: wikipedia - mosquito)

When the larvae get enough food, they turn into a pupa, which looks sort of like a comma shape.
The pupa doesn't eat, it just stays in the water and works on changing its body, kind of like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

Eventually the pupa gets big enough, cracks through its shell and then out flies a grown up mosquito, off to bite someone!

Mosquitos are annoying, but they are very important for wildlife.
Many animals like fish, frogs, dragonflies, spiders and bats all eat mosquitos either as larvae or imago.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mosquito Proboscis

Stomach - Bolus and Chyme

When you chew up and swallow your food, the mushed up food is called bolus.

After your stomach's proteases and hydrochloric acid work on the food, it is called chyme.

(from: wikipedia - stomach)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Biceps

Madagascar

We just learned about the African country of Mozambique.

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the Southeast coast of Africa.

(from: wikipedia - madagascar)

The flag of Madagascar is white, red and green.
The red and white are for an old kingdom called the Merina kingdom, and the green was the color of the poor people in the country.

(from: wikipedia - flag of madagascar)

To eat in Madagascar you might have voanjobory sy henakisoa, which is a type of groundnut cooked with pork.

(from: wikipedia - malagasy cuisine)

A musical instrument in Madagascar is called the valiha, which is like a long tube with guitar strings strapped to the outside of it, that you play like a guitar.

(from: wikipedia - valiha)

In Madagascar they have a custom called famadihana, where every seven years families dig up the bodies of their famiy members who died long ago, wrap them in fresh cloth, then dance around their burial tombs.


(from: wikipedia - famadihana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Poland

Eye for Eye

We just learned about Jesus teaching people about the Light of the World.

In the Old Testament, there was a law saying an eye for an eye, meaning that if you fought with someone and poked out their eye, then you would have to get your eye poked out in return.

This all was a way to keep people from being mean to each other so they didn't get punished.

When Jesus came along, he told people that if someone slapped you on one side of the face you should not hit them back.
Even more than that you should turn the other side of your face even if they wanted to hit you there too.

Jesus wasn't telling us to go get beat up by a bully, he was just trying to tell us that we shouldn't fight people, just walk away from fights.

(from: wikipedia - beatitudes)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Job