Zimbabwe

We just learned about the African country of Burkina Faso

Zimbabwe is a country in the southeast part of Africa.


(from: wikipedia - zimbabwe)

The flag of Zimbabwe has seven stripes of green, gold, red, black, red, gold, green.
It has a white triangle on the left side, and in the triangle is a red star with a yellow bird.

The yellow, black, green and red are part of the shared pan-African colors of other African countries.
The green is for the plants and land, the gold is for the minerals like gold or iron that come from the ground, the black is for independence and the red is for the fight for freedom.
The star is for the fight for freedom, and the bird is for the history of Zimbabwe.

(from: wikipedia - flag of zimbabwe)

To eat in Zimbabwe you might have some meat sausage called Boerewors.

(from: wikipedia - boerewors)

There is an ancient city in Zimbabwe called Great Zimbabwe, where people can go to see the ruins of a very old place.

(from: wikipedia - great zimbabwe)

Some of the people of Zimbabwe use the horns of the kudu as a musical instrument.

(from: wikipedia - zimbabwe)

The two people who first created the boy scouts met in Zimbabwe. They both agreed that there should be a group to teach boys things about scouting, and they came up with many great ideas of how to do it. They later returned to their homes in England and America and started the boy scouts.

(from: wikipedia - zimbabwe)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Romania

Parable of the Weeds

We just learned about one of Jesus' teaching stories called the Parable of the Sower

Another parable Jesus told was called the Parable of the Weeds.

He said that God's kingdom is like a field where the farmer planted wheat seeds, but when he was sleeping a bad person came and planted weeds right next to his wheat seeds.

The farmer's helpers asked if they should pull the weeds out, but the farmer said they couldn't because that would uproot the wheat too.

He said to wait until the wheat is grown. Then go pull the weeds out to be burned up and bring the wheat to the barn.

Jesus was really talking about people, and saying that the bad people of the world would not go to Heaven, they would be thrown out like the weeds. But the good people of the earth would be brought to Heaven to live with him forever.

(from: wikipedia - parable of the tares)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Testament

Mars - Mars 1, Mariner 4, 6, 7 & 9

We've learned about the space exploration of Mercury and Venus, next up is Mars!

The first missions to explore Mars were to take pictures and science measurements as the spacecraft flew by the planet.

Russia was first in 1962 with the Mars 1.

The US sent the Mariner 4 in 1964, the Mariner 6 and 7 in 1969, and the Mariner 9 in 1971.
The Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to take pictures of the Mars moon Phobos.

(from: wikipedia - mariner 9)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Red Giant

Spanish - Counting to forty nine

We just learned how to count to 39 in Spanish, let's keep going!

40 quarenta - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah /?/
41 quarenta y uno - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee oo-n-oh /?/
42 quarenta y dos - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee doh-ss /?/
43 quarenta y tres - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee t-day-ss /?/
44 quarenta y cuatro - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee koo-ah-t-doh /?/
45 quarenta y cinco - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee see-n-koh /?/
46 quarenta y seis - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee say-ss /?/
47 quarenta y siete - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee see-ay-tay /?/
48 quarenta y ocho - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee oh-choh /?/
49 quarenta y nueve - sounds like coo-ah-den-tah ee noo-ay-vay /?/


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
French - quarante, quarante et un, quarante-deux, quarante-trois, quarante-quatre, quarante-cinq, quarante-six, quarante-sept, quarante-huit, quarante-neuf

Corundum

We just learned about the type of element Calcium.

Corundum is a type of gem stone that can be many different colors, red, yellow, pink-orange, green or blue.

If the corundum is red, it is called a ruby. Otherwise it is called a sapphire.

Corundum is very hard and rough, is sometimes used on sandpaper or on large cutting machines.
It is made up mostly of the chemical elements of aluminum and oxygen combined together.

(from: wikipedia - corundum)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Diode

Starfish

We just learned about the Koala.

Starfish are invertibrates. That means they don't have bones!

The bottom of the starfish legs have tiny little tubes, that are called tube feet.
These tube feet squish water in and out to slowly move the starfish along the ocean floor.
They also use them to breathe, like the gills of a fish.


(from: wikipedia - starfish)

Some starfish can regrow their arms if they get attacked by a fish and lose an arm,
and some are able to split themselves into two and make another starfish!


(from: wikipedia - starfish)

The hard poky parts on the outside of the starfish are called ossicles, and are one way that starfish keep themselves from being eaten.

(from: wikipedia - starfish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Duck Billed Platypus

Ileum

We just learned that in your digestive system, after the duodenum comes the jejunum.

After that comes the ileum. It is a very long tube that also helps your body use up the good things in your food, like the vitamin B12.


(from: wikipedia - ileum)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gluteus Maximus