Striped House Snake

We just learned about the type of snake the Massasauga.

Another type of snake is the striped house snake, also known as boaedon lineatus.

This snake is found in Africa, and is found inside or near houses a lot where it eats up mice and rats that carry diseases and destroy food.
These snakes are not poisonous, so they are not harmful to humans and can be very helpful.
Lots of people keep these snakes as pets.

The word lineatus in the snakes name comes from the white line that goes down the snakes body.
They come in different colors too, black, red-brown or green.


(from: wikipedia - boaedon lineatus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Australian Cattle Dog

Heart Wall - Epicardium

We just learned that the heart wall's soft inner most layer is the endocardium, and the second layer of muscle is the myocardium.

The next layer is called the epicardium.
This layer is a barrier to protect the heart.


(from: wikipedia - pericardium)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Axillary Artery

Lake Vostok

We just learned about the lake Lake Balkhash.

Another lake is called Lake Vostok.

This is the largest lake on the continent of Antarctica, and it is actually 13,000 feet under the ice.

Scientists used lasers to find the lake, and then drilled down through the ice to try and get some water.
They want to test that water to see if it is different, because it has been trapped under the ice for a very long time.


(from: wikipedia - lake vostok)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Maryland

Epiphany - Baptism of Our Lord

We just learned about the church season of Epiphany, celebrating the wise men coming to meet Jesus.

The next part of Epiphany is sometimes used to remember when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.


(from: wikipedia - al-maghtas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Crucifixion - Calvary

Trundholm Sun Chariot

We just learned about the ancient sculpture the Gundestrup Cauldron.

Another ancient sculpture is called the Trundholm Sun Chariot.

This sculpture was made out of bronze, with some gold parts on one side, which is called gilding.

It was made using something called lost wax casting.
This means someone started off with a sculpture made of wax, made a shell of sand, and used hot ovens to pour melted metal into the shell to make the sculpture.

The horse is pulling a circle that looks like the sun.
Long ago people did not know about how the planets and stars worked, so some people believed stories about the sun being pulled across the sky by a magical horse.


(from: wikipedia - trundholm sun chariot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Night Watch - Rembrandt

Italian - He is angry

We just learned that I am happy in Italian is sono felice, and you are sad is Sei triste.

Now let's learn how to say He is angry.

Lui è arrabbiato

We can break it up into three words:
He - Lui - sounds like loo-ee /?/
is - è - sounds like ay /?/
angry - arrabbiato - Sounds like ah-dah-bee-ah-toh /?/


So all together Lui è arrabbiato sounds like loo-ee ay ah-dah-bee-ah-toh.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Er ist wütend

In Spanish:
Él está enojado

In French:
Il est en colère

F2 Tornado

We just learned that the F1 Tornado on the Fujita Scale is roofs peeled off, and cars are pushed off of roads.

The next level of damage is the F2 tornado - Significant damage.
This is when roofs have been torn off of houses, mobile homes have been destroyed, train boxcars have been turned over, or large trees have been snapped or uprooted.


(from: wikipedia - parameters)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Altostratus Cloud