Half Tower

We just learned about the Caltrop spikes in the ground.

Another type of fortification is a Half Tower.

This is a tower in a castle that is open in the back or on the sides.
It is usually open to the inside of the castle so that people can get in and out easily, but still be protected from the outside.


(from: wikipedia - half tower)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mortizburg Castle

Pentarchy

We just learned about the Baptism of Clovis I.

Another part of early Christianity is the Pentarchy.

We've already learned that the head of the big churches were called Bishops, and that the Bishop of the church in Rome is called the Pope.

In the old days there were 5 churches in the Roman empire that were seen as the most important:

Rome - in what is now Italy
Constantinople - in what is now Turkey, and renamed Istanbul
Alexandria - in what is now Egypt
Antioch - in what is now Turkey, renamed Antakya
Jerusalem - in what is now Israel

There were other churches, but the leaders of these churches were put in charge, so if there as disagreement between all of the many churches around these leaders would decide what to do.

It was the start of the churches really getting organized and turning into a really big group instead of a bunch of small churches spread around that argued with each other.


(from: wikipedia - pentarchy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christianity after Jesus

Xicalcoliuhqui

We just learned about the San Martin Pajapan Monument I.

Another type of Mesoamerican art is Xicalcoliuhqui.

This word means "twisted gourd" and is something that is seen on a lot of art from the Mesoamerican areas from long ago.

It is made up of some small steps that are then connected to a spiral.
Ancient sculptures and paintings used this on buildings, clothing or other works of art.


(from: wikipedia - xicalcoliuhqui)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Byodoin Amitaabha - Jōchō

Russian - Very good thanks, and you?

We just learned to say How are you? in Russian, Как дела? (kak dela)

and Very good thanks is Спасибо Хорошо (Spasibo khorosho)

To be polite you should also ask how the other person is doing.

In Russian sometimes you use different words if the person is a friend or a stranger, or a teacher or someone you are showing respect to.

If you are talking to a friend, you say:

And you? - А вы? (A vy?) - sounds like ah-vee - 文A

If you are talking to a stranger or a teacher you might say:

And you? - А ты? (A ty?) - sounds like ah-tee - 文A


(from: wikipedia - russian academy of sciences)

Norwegian: Veldig bra takk. Og du?

Greek: Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ. εσύ? (Polý kalá, efcharistó)

ASL: Very Good Thanks, and You?

Italian: Molto bene, grazie.

German: Sehr gut, danke. Und Sie?

Spanish: Muy bien gracias. ¿Y tú?

French: Très bien, merci. Et vous?

Valve Body

We just learned about the Valve.

There are a lot of parts to a valve that make it work.
Most of the parts of the valve inside of it that you can't see are all together called the Valve Body.

Inside the valve body are the parts of the valve that open and close to let gas or liquid through.


(from: wikipedia - valve)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mysorean Rockets

Jellyfish Stomach

We just learned about the Nematocysts.

Another part of a jellyfish is the Jellyfish Stomach.

We learned before about the oral arms that bring the food to the stomach, and the manubrium which is both the way a jellyfish eats and also gets rid of waste.

When a jellyfish gets food into it's stomach, it uses things called enzymes to slowly digest the food until it is all liquid, and then it sends it off to all the parts of the jellyfish's body.

After the good parts of the food are all used up by the jellyfish's body, the liquid is sent back to the jellyfish's stomach, and then pushed out of the manubrium so it is empty again.


(from: wikipedia - jellyfish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cuttlebone

Choroid

We just learned about the Ciliary Body.

Another part of the human eye is the Choroid.

Remember we learned that the sclera is the white part of the outside of the eye, and the retina is the inside of the eye in the back.

The choroid is a layer in between the sclera and retina.
It helps give blood to the retina, helps hold things together, and also it is dark and helps make sure the retina picks up the light coming in from the pupil.


(from: wikipedia - choroid)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tooth Buds