Desert Fathers

We just learned about the monk Macarius of Egypt.

The monks that lived in the desert, trying to survive on very little food, and studying God's wisdom were known as Desert Fathers.

Anthony the Great and Macarius of Egypt were both in the group, and people would write down some of the wise sayings that the Desert Fathers told people, and they made a book of them called "Sayings of the Fathers".


(from: wikipedia - desert fathers)


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

Saint Andrew - Duquesnoy

We just learned about the Annunciantion of the Virgin by the Angel by Francesco Mochi.

Another baroque art sculpture is the statue of Saint Andrew by Belgian François Duquesnoy.

This sculpture shows the Apostle Andrew, holding the cross that he would be crucified on.
The story is that when Andrew was going to be crucified for being a Christian, he said he did not deserve to be on the same type of cross as Jesus had been crucified on, the one shaped like a T.
So he asked them to shape it like an X for him, and on flags, an X like that is known as Saint Andrew's Cross.


(from: wikipedia - françois duquesnoy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Houses at L'Estaque - Braque

ASL - Counting to Ninety Nine

We counted to 89 in ASL, let's keep going!

To do the sign for 90, make the hand sign for 9, holding your pointer finger down with your thumb, and your other fingers up, with your palm facing away from you.
Then close your fingers together all pointed forward away from you, for zero.

For 91 through 99, just do the sign for 9, and then the sign for the number 1-9.

Here is a helpful video to show how these signs are done.


ASL Numbers 30-100 in Sign Language - My Smart Hands



(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: novanta, novantuno, novantadoue, novantatre, novantaquattro, novantacinque, novantasei, novantasette, novantotto, novantanove

German: neunzig, einundneunzig, zweiundneunzig, dreiundneunzig, vierundneunzig, fünfundneunzig, sechsundneunzig, siebenundneunzig, achtundneunzig, neunundneunzig

Spanish: noventa, noventa y uno, noventa y dos, noventa y tres, noventa y cuatro, noventa y cinco, noventa y seis, noventa y siete, noventa y ocho, noventa y nueve

French: quatre-vingts dix, quatre-vingt onze, quatre-vingt douze, quatre-vingt treize, quatre-vingt quatorze, quatre-vingt quinze, quatre-vingt seize, quatre-vingt dix sept, quatre-vingt dix huit, quatre-vingt dix neuf

Dip-slip Fault

We just learned about the Strike-slip fault.

Another type of earthquake fault is the Dip-slip fault.

This happens when the tectonic plates hit each other, and one of them slips down and the other slips up.


(from: wikipedia - fault (geology))



(from: wikipedia - fault (geology))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fuller

Wyoming Toad

We just learned about the Vietnamese Mossy Frog.

Another type of frog is the Wyoming Toad.

These are true toads, and they are on the Endangered Species list.
At one time, people thought they were all gone, but then they found 25 of them in the wild, so they collected them and brought them to zoos and other places so they could save them and try to bring the numbers of toads back up.

There are still almost none of these toads in the wild, so the zoos are working hard to bring them back.
These toads have problems with certain types of fungus that grows in the wild, as well as some types of pesticides used to kill mosquitos.


(from: wikipedia - wyoming toad)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bushmaster

Dense Connective Tissue

We just learned about Sharpey's Fibres.

The tendons and ligaments we've learned about are examples of what is called Dense Connective Tissue.

This tissue is usually made up of the collagen we learned about, and dense connective tissue is also found in the dermis part of the skin that we learned about.



(from: wikipedia - dense irregular connective tissue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dorsal Root

State of Mexico

Let's keep learning about Mexico States.

The most populated state in Mexico is actually called the State of Mexico, or "Estado de México" in Spanish.

So you could live in Mexico State and Mexico Country.

This state has the most people in it, and it is also the most densely populated, which means it is the most crowded, with 16 million people living there.
If this was a state in the US, it would be the 5th most populated state.
It surrounds Mexico City, which is it's own state.


(from: wikipedia - state of mexico)

The flag is just the seal with a white background.
The seal has the words "Patria, Libertad, Trabajo y Cultura" which means (Homeland, Liberty, Work and Culture).
Each word has pictures to show it's meaning.
Homeland: The Nevado de Toluca volcano, Pyramid of the sun in Teotihuacan, and a person dressed like an Aztec.
Liberty: A cannon with two crosses on it, for the Battle of Monte de las Cruces.
Work and culture: An open book for knowledge, with farms, a gear, sickle, shovel and flask to show the hard working people.


(from: wikipedia - state of mexico)

The Aztec people lived in the Valley of Mexico, where the State of Mexico is now, and there are many ancient pyramids and buildings from their time, in cities like Teotihuacan.


(from: wikipedia - teotihuacan)

One famous church from when the Spanish people came in and took over the land is the Cathedral of Tepotzotlan.


(from: wikipedia - tepotzotlan)

The highest point in the state is the Popocatépetl volcano, which is still active and still sometimes erupts!


(from: wikipedia - popocatépetl)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pamir Mountains