Conwy Castle

We just learned about the Château de Chambord.

Another ancient castle is Conwy Castle in Wales, built around 1283.

This castle was used as by king Richard II for a while during a war, and survived many battles.

It is built right up against the shore of the River Conwy, and there was an old secret entrance that went down to the water where people could sneak in and out or get food and other supplies.

It has eight large towers, two main areas called the inner and outer wards, and two small areas for protection called barbicans.

A barbican is like a wall or gateway with small towers that was used to help defend the castle.





(from: wikipedia - conwy castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Queretaro

Tetramorph

We just learned about Biblical Canon.

Another part of early Christianity is the Tetramorph.
This word comes from the Greek words "tetra" which means four, and "morph" which means shape.

When people started to put together the writings of the apostles, there were the writings we call the Gospel, that told about Jesus life.

The four books of the Gospel we know are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

In the Old Testament in the book of Ezekiel, he writes about a vision God gave him showing some creatures that had 4 different faces.
The face of a human, a lion, an ox and an eagle.

Some people believe that those four faces are for the four gospels, and so sometimes in art the four writers of the gospel are shown either sitting next to those animals, or sometimes even with animal heads on human bodies.
Matthew is shown as the human, Mark as the lion, Luke as the Ox, and John as the Eagle.

This way of showing the four writers of the gospel was called the Tetramorph, and it also became a way to talk about the four gospels.





(from: wikipedia - tetramorph)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Carmelite Nuns

Ellora - Buddhist Caves

We just learned about the Sanchi Capital of Ashoka.

Another part of Indian sculpture is the Ellora - Buddhist Caves, in Maharashtra India.

These caves have artwork from thousands of years ago, and there are over 100 caves, with sculptures and artwork for different people with different beliefs.

There are 12 caves called the Buddhist caves, because they all have artwork about Buddha.
They were carved around 600 or 700 AD.

Eleven of these caves are called "viharas", which are monastaries with prayer halls.
These viharas had places for people to live, sleep, cook food and pray.
Cave number 11 was three stories high and had many rooms.

Inside some of the rooms were sculptures of Buddha or other statues that people would worship.




(from: wikipedia - ellora caves)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lion Capital of Ashoka

Norwegian - Horse, sheep, duck

We know that in Norwegian, dog is hund and cat is katt,
cow is ku, chicken is kylling, and pig is gris.

Let's learn more animals!

horse - hest - sounds like h-eh-st
sheep - sau - sounds like ss-ah-oh
duck - and - sounds like ah-n-d

Also in Norwegian sheep say bae, and ducks say kvakk-kvakk.



(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: άλογο, πρόβατα, πάπια

ASL: horse, sheep, duck

German: Pferd, Schaf, Ente

Spanish:caballo, oveja, pato

French:French - cheval, mouton, canard

Bell X-1

We just learned about the World War II Rocket Weapons.

Another famous part of rocket history was the Bell X-1.

The Bell X-1 was actually a rocket powered airplane, that was built to go faster than the speed of sound, over 700 miles per hour!
It was made to be shaped kind of like a bullet, and with wings going straight out, not tilted back like most airplanes.

In 1947, pilot Chuck Yeager flew the X-1 to 700 miles per hour and broke the sound barrier.
The plane was carried up into the sky from another bigger plane called the B-29, and dropped so that it didn't have to launch itself.

The rocket engine on the back of the X-1 was the XLR11, the first liquid propellant rocket engine made in the US to be used in an aircraft.

It used ethyl alcohol and liquid oxygen as propellants, and had four combustion chambers.



(from: wikipedia - bell x-1)



Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier -- X-1 -- 1947 - Motherboard


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Induced Seismicity

Purple Striped Jelly

We just started learning about Jellyfish.

One kind of jellyfish is the Purple Striped Jelly, also called the Chrysaora colorata or the mauve stinger.

This jellyfish lives mostly in the Pacific ocean near California.

The main big body of a jellyfish is called a "bell".
This animal's bell is a little over two feet wide, and usually has stripes going out from the middle, almost like spokes on a bicycle.

Sometimes small crabs called cancer crabs live in the jellyfish, and eat tiny little parasites called amphipods that hurt the jellyfish.

They usually have about eight long skinny dark arms and four frilly oral arms.
These jellies use their long arms to sting their prey, and then bring it over to the frilly oral arms.
The oral arms help to hold on to the prey, and bring it up to the jellyfish's mouth so they can eat it.



(from: wikipedia - chrysaora colorata)


Purple Striped Jelly Montage, Chrysaora Colorata, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, USA - Jim Gateley


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Common Octopus

Specialized Mucosa

We just learned about the Lining Mucosa.

Another part of the mouth is the Specialized Mucosa.

This is the skin on the top of the tongue that makes up the taste buds that tell you what something tastes like!


(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Intercarpal Ligaments