Bigfin Reef Squid

We just learned about the Flamboyant Cuttlefish.

Another type of cephalopod is the Bigfin Reef Squid.

These squids get their name from the big fin on their mantle that goes all the way around it.
With their shape and the way they swim, sometimes people think they are cuttlefish.

They grow to around 13 inches in just a few months, and they only live for less than a year.

Their body has a lot of different colors, and can be white, yellow, pink, brown or purple.
Sometimes when light is shined on them their body will reflect white, green or red, but they do not glow in the dark like some other cephalopods.

Because these squids grow very fast, there are people out there who try to have squid farms in the ocean, almost like cows, chicken or pigs.



(from: wikipedia - bigfin reef squid)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Golden Poison Frog

Distal Intertarsal Ligaments

We just learned about the Transverse Tarsal Ligaments.

Another group of ligaments in the foot is the Distal Intertarsal Ligaments.

Just like the transverse tarsal ligaments, these connect the foot bones in your foot together.
Even though your foot is not that big, there are seven bones from your heel to the middle of your foot, and that doesn't even include the longer bones in your foot that connect to your toes!

The distal intertarsal ligaments connect the bones that are past your heel and your main foot bone. The 3 cuneiform bones, the navicular bone and the cuboid bone are the smaller bones right before the longer metatarsal bones in your foot.

They are named for plantar (bottom), dorsal (top) or inter/interosseous (in between).
Cuneonavicular - Connects your cuneiform to navicular. (plantar and dorsal)
Cuboideonavicular - Connects your cuboid to navicular. (plantar and dorsal)
Intercuneiform - Connects your 3 cuneiform bones together. (plantar, dorsal and interosseous)


(from: wikipedia - plantar calcaneonavicular)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hypodermis

Neuschwanstein Castle

We just learned about all 31 Mexico states and Mexico city!.

Let's learn about some of the awesome castles all over the world.

One of the most famous castles in the world is Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria Germany, built in the late 1800s.

This castle was started by the king of Bavaria named Ludwig II.
Ludwig was fascinated by art, music and buildings, and so he decided to build an amazing castle.

When Ludwig II was growing up, there were two castles next to each other with a river in between, but they had mostly fallen apart.
After he became king at age 18, he spent most of his money for about 20 years paying hundreds of workers to make this castle.
It is over 213 feet tall, and has over 65,000 square feet of space on the inside.

The Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland was made to look like the Neuschwanstein Castle.

During World War II, the Nazis had stolen a lot of famous artwork from other countries, and they were using this castle to store thousands of paintings, sculptures and other works of art.
Toward the end of the war when the Nazis were losing, the Nazis made a plan to blow up the whole castle and destroy all the artwork.
Luckily the Allied forces showed up before they were able to destroy it, and they saved the castle and all the artwork.





(from: wikipedia - neuschwanstein castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: U.S. Interior Highlands

Nicanor

We just learned about Prochorus, one of the Seventy Disciples.

Another of the seventy was Nicanor.

Just like Prochorus and Stephen, Nicanor was one of the seven people that the Apostles chose to help watch over the poor people of Jerusalem.


(from: wikipedia - nicanor the deacon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Esther

Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng

We just learned about the Leshan Giant Buddha.

Another ancient Chinese sculpture is the Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng.

This is a group of 64 bells called bianzhong, made of bronze.
These bells are hung into eight groups, and split up on three levels.

The biggest bell is over 60 inches tall and weighs over 400 pounds.
The smallest bell is 8 inches tall and weighs about 5 pounds.

The musicians who play these bells use wooden hammers to hit them to make sounds.

The Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng were found in 1978, in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, a ruler from around 400 BC.



(from: wikipedia - bianzhong)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Virgin and Child from the Sainte-Chapelle

Greek - Our table is short

We just learned in Greek:
this chair is small is Η καρέκλα είναι μικρή (I karékla eínai mikrí),
my drink is cold is Το ποτό μου είναι κρύο (To potó mou eínai krýo),
your food is hot is Το φαγητό είναι ζεστό (To fagitó eínai zestó),
and their car is tall is Το αυτοκίνητό τους είναι ψηλό (To aftokínitó tous eínai psiló).

To say our table is short you would say Το τραπέζι μας είναι σύντομο (To trapézi mas eínai sýntomo).

This is really saying the table ours is short.

We can break it up like this:

The - Το (To) - sounds like toh
table - τραπέζι (trapézi) - sounds like t-dah-PAY-zee
ours - μας (mas) - Sounds like mah-ss
is - είναι (eínai) - Sounds like EE-nay
short - σύντομο (sýntomo) - Sounds like SEE-n-toh-moh

So all together To say our table is short you would say Το τραπέζι μας είναι σύντομο (To trapézi mas eínai sýntomo) sounds like toh t-dah-PAY-zee mah-ss EE-nay SEE-n-toh-moh.


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: Our table is short

Italian: Il nostro tavolo è breve

German: Unser Tisch ist kurz

Spanish: Nuestra mesa es bajo

French: Notre table est courte

Liquid Rocket Propellants

We just learned about the Solid Rocket Propellants.

Another type of propellant is Liquid Rocket Propellants.

These can be made up of liquids like gasoline, kerosene or alcohol that are liquids at regular temperatures.
They can also be things that are liquids at really cold temperatures like liquid oxygen, or liquid hydrogen.

The good thing about liquid propellants is that they are lighter than solid ones, so a rocket doesn't have to try as hard to push itself along.
The bad thing is that sometimes they have to be stored very cold in a very high pressure container, and sometimes the liquids can cause problems and eat away at the metals and rubbers that they are stored in.

The first person to make a liquid fueled rocket was Robert H. Goddard, who used gasoline and liquid oxygen to launch a rocket in 1926 in Massachusetts.


(from: wikipedia - robert h. goddard)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Threading