ASL - How are you?

We just learned how to say Hello, Goodbye and Good Morning in ASL.

If you want to say How are you? in ASL, you start with how.

The hand shape you start with is like the "Bent B".



(from: wiktionary - appendix:sign language handshapes)

It's like the Bent B, but not exactly the same.
Keep your thumb up, bend your hand, point your fingers down, and your palm is facing down.
You do this with both hands, have them meet in front of you with the backs of your fingers facing each other.

Then rotate your hand at the wrist, bringing your fingers up toward the inside of your body until they are pointed up.

After that make the hand shape for "1" with your index finger, and point at the person you're talking to.

A lot of ASL also uses your face and your body, so it helps if you lean forward to show that you are interested in how someone is.

Here is a helpful video showing this sign, and also a way to say "What's up?" that you might say to your close friends:


ASL Signs "How are you?" - teachmesignlanguage



(from: wikipedia - american sign language)


Italian: Come va? Molto bene, grazie.

German: Wie geht es Ihnen? Sehr gut, danke.

Spanish: ¿Cómo estás? Muy bien, gracias.

French: Comment allez-vous? Très bien, merci.

Heat Treatment

We just learned about Forge Welding.

Another way to work with metal is called Heat Treatment.

Some mixtures of metals will get harder or softer if you keep them really hot for a very long time.


(from: wikipedia - heat treating)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snownado

Timor Python

We just learned about the Mandarin Ratsnake.

Another type of snake is the Timor Python.

These snakes are constrictors, and they are not venomous.
They can grow to be 7 feet long, but they are thinner than most pythons.
They live in trees, and mostly hunt at night in the trees.

Even though they are called the Timor Python, none of these snakes live on the island of Timor in Indonesia.
When they lay their eggs, they will stay curled up around them until the eggs hatch.
Sometimes to warm up their bodies they can twitch and contract and that helps keep the eggs warm.


(from: wikipedia - python timoriensis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Curly Coated Retriever

Intercostal Nerves

We just learned about the Cervical Plexus.

We know that there are 12 thoracic nerves in the spinal cord, T1 - T12.
The first 11 of those, T1 - T11 are called the Intercostal Nerves.

These nerves control your arms, your muscles around your chest and stomach, and the feeling in your skin.


(from: wikipedia - intercostal nerves)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Radial and Ulnar Veins

North American Cordillera

We just learned about the Saint Elias Mountains in Alaska.

Most of the mountain ranges we've learned about have been in Asia, as those are the highest mountains in the world.

In North America, there are mountain ranges that are part of a group of mountain ranges.
The word cordillera means a group of different mountain ranges.

The North American Cordillera is a group of five different areas called belts that all have mountain ranges in them.


(from: wikipedia - north american cordillera)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: US Virgin Islands

Noah

We just learned about Abel.

Adam and Eve had another child named Seth, who had many children.

The Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandson of Seth was Noah.

God told Noah to go build a giant boat called an ark that was 300 cubits long, which is about 1 and a half times as long as a football field.
He told Noah to bring animals on the ark, and then the flood came and flooded everything for 150 days.
After 150 days the waters started to go down, and the ark landed on a mountain.
Noah sent out a dove to go see if there was land.

After 40 days the water had gone down enough, and Noah and his family came out of the ark and built an altar to God.
God was happy, and promised to never flood the earth again.

The Bible tells the story of Noah in Genesis Chapters 5 - 9.


(from: wikipedia - noah)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's Second Letter to Timothy

Golden Madonna of Essen

We just learned about the Archangel Ivory.

Another ancient statue is the Golden Madonna of Essen.

This is a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus.
The Virgin Mary is sometimes called the Madonna.

It has a wooden sculpture inside, and is wrapped in gold leaf, which is thin sheets of gold.
The eyes are made from a type of colored glass.

It was made around the year 980, so it is over 2,000 years old.
It is the oldest known sculpture of the the Madonna.


(from: wikipedia - golden madonna of essen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Le Bal élégant, La Danse à la campagne - Laurencin