Lightning Strikes - Trees

We just learned about Lightning Plasma

When lightning strikes, it looks for the tallest things around to zap.

Trees get hit by lightning a lot, and sometimes having tall trees around a house can keep it from getting hit by lightning.

The gooey stuff inside of a tree is called sap. Some trees like maple trees make enough sap to make syrup that you can use on pancakes.

When a tree gets struck by lightning, that sap gets so hot that it turns into steam, and the steam blows out of the tree and blows off the bark on the outside of the tree.


(from: wikipedia - lightning strike)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Silver

German Shepherd

We just learned about the type of dog the Bulldog.

Another type of dog is a German Shepherd.

This type of dog is used a lot as a working dog, because it is very smart, very hard working, and really wants to have a job so that it feels like it is doing something good.

German Shepherds have been used by the police to fight criminals, to use their sense of smell to find things that people are trying to hide, and even to sniff out hidden bombs.
They work for the military to deliver messages, to be a guard dog, to scout for danger and even jump from parachutes.
They work to rescue people in trouble, and they are also sometimes leader dogs for blind people.


(from: wikipedia - german shepherd)

A dog that is working as a police officer is called a K-9 unit, because the word canine means dog.


(from: wikipedia - police dog)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butterfly Larvae

Plantar and Dorsal digital veins

So we know that the arteries bring the oxygenated blood from the heart all the way to the toes.
And the veins take the oxygenated blood from the toes and bring it back to the heart.

The arteries in the foot we learned about were the Plantar and Dorsal Digital Arteries

Just like you might guess, the veins are called Plantar and Dorsal Digital Veins.

(from: wikipedia - dorsal digital veins of the foot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Duodenum

South Dakota

We just learned about the state of South Carolina

Another US state is South Dakota

South Dakota is a state in the midwest part of the US, just south of North Dakota.
It's nickname is The Mount Rushmore State, and it's motto is Under God the people rule.

(from: wikipedia - south dakota)

The flag of South Dakota is blue with yellow letters, and has a picture of the state seal in the middle surrounded by yellow triangles that look like the sun's rays.
The state seal shows hills, a river with a boat, a farmer, a mine, and cattle for all the farming and nature in the state.

(from: wikipedia - flag of south dakota)

Mount Rushmore is a large sculpture of the faces of four presidents, carved into the side of a mountain.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

(from: wikipedia - mount rushmore)

The badlands is a park in South Dakota that has many wonderful things to see in nature

(from: wikipedia - badlands national park)

Just like Mt. Rushmore, there are people trying to make a carving in a mountain of the famous Native American warrior named Crazy Horse.
It is still being worked on, and the people making it started over 50 years ago.

(from: wikipedia - crazy horse memorial)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ivory Coast

Choosing of Stephen

We just learned about The Apostles being Persecuted

When the 12 apostles were out doing the work for Jesus, there were people who were asking for a lot of help but there weren't enough apostles.
So they all got together and chose 7 other people to help out.

One of the men was named Stephen, and he was a man full of faith.
He went on to do great wonderful things, but he made the people who did not like Jesus angry.
They got so angry that they put him on trial and even had him killed.


(from: wikipedia - saint stephen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Treasures in Heaven

Broadway Boogie Woogie - Mondrian

We just learned about the painting Charing Cross Bridge by artist André Derain.

Another famous work of art is Broadway Boogie Woogie by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian in 1943.

When the painter moved to New York, he was impressed by the city streets forming a grid in New York city, and he really liked the music called boogie woogie music.
The lines and sounds are for the cars and people moving all over in the city.
And the colors help give the feel of the fun boogie woogie music.


(from: wikipedia - broadway boogie-woogie)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sunspots

German - Counting to Twenty

We counted to 15 in German, let's keep going!

16 sechzehn - sounds like zehkt-zin /?/
17 siebzehn - sounds like zeep-zin /?/
18 achtzehn - sounds like ach-t-zin /?/
19 neunzehn - sounds like no-in-t-zin /?/
20 zwanzig - sounds like t-swan-t-sich /?/


(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte

Do you remember how to say it in French?
seize, dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt