Computer Mouse

We just learned about the Computer Keyboard Special Keys.

Another part of a computer is the Computer Mouse.

Just like the keyboard, this is part of what you use to tell the computer what you want to do.
It was called a mouse, because it looked like a little mouse with a tail, but lots of computer mice these days don't even have wires.

When you move the computer mouse around, there is a picture on the monitor usually shaped like an arrow called a cursor.
Computer mice usually have 2 buttons, and when you press the button it's called clicking.
If your mouse cursor is pointing at something like a button and you click the left button it will press the button on the screen.
The right button is usually to give you choices for things, like if you want to copy or paste some text just like you would from the keyboard.

Some mice have another spinning button called the scroll wheel that helps scroll things up or down on the monitor.


(from: wikipedia - computer mouse)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chimney

Brown Woolly Monkey

We just learned about the Red Faced Spider Monkey.

Another type of new world monkey is the Brown Woolly Monkey, also called the common woolly monkey, Humboldt's woolly monkey, or Lagothrix lagothricha.

These monkeys are larger than most other new world monkeys, growing to be about 2 feet tall, and weighing around 24 pounds.
Even though their name is brown woolly monkey, they can be grey, black or brown.

They spend most of their time in the trees, and they eat fruits, nuts, seeds and leaves, and also small bugs.


(from: wikipedia - brown woolly monkey)



Feeding Endangered Woolly Monkey in Ecuador - Matthias Pavlov


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Savannah Cat

Stapes

We just learned about the Malleus and Incus, also called the hammer and anvil.
.

Another bone in the ear is the Stapes also called the stirrup.
This is the smallest bone in the human body, at about 3 millimeters.
It gets the name stirrup because it looks like a stirrup from a saddle used to ride a horse.

Just like the malleus and incus, when these bones move they also move the stapes and it sends the vibrations on toward the inner ear.


(from: wikipedia - stapes)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eosinophil

Costa Rica

We just learned about the country of Panama

Let's learn a little about the country of Costa Rica!

This is a small country in Central America that borders Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, the Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.
It is about 19,000 square miles, and has about 5 million people living there.
In Costa Rica they speak Spanish.


(from: wikipedia - costa rica)

The flag of Coast Rica is 5 sideways strips of blue, white and red, with the coat of arms in the red stripe.
Blue is for the sky and opportunities, white is for peace and happiness, red is for blood of the people who fought for freedom.


(from: wikipedia - flag of costa rica)

To eat in Costa Rica you might have casado, which is a meal served with rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla and meat.
The word casado means "married man", and some people think the name of the meal came from people who went to restaurants and wanted a meal like they would get if they were a married man eating a home cooked meal.


(from: wikipedia - casado)

Visiting Costa Rica you might go see the Poás Volcano National Park.
This park has old volcanoes that are usually not active, and you can walk into the craters and see geysers and lava.


(from: wikipedia - poas volcano national park)

In Costa Rica there was an old ancient group of people called the Diquis, and they made some stone spheres that are still around today that people visit to study the old history.


(from: wikipedia - stone spheres of costa rica)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Azerbaijan

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

We just learned about the Christmas song Joy to the World.

Another famous Christmas song is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, also called Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

This song is very old, and has been found in song books going back before the year 1700 AD.
No one is really sure who wrote the song, but it became very famous after Charles Dickens had it as part of his book A Christmas Carol, where Ebeneezer Scrooge hears carolers singing this and chases them away.

One interesting thing about this song is that the old meaning of "God rest ye merry gentlemen" really meant something like "May God give rest and happiness to the gentlemen", but now these days we think of it more like "May God give rest to the happy gentlemen".

The difference all came when someone moved the comma in the sentence:
Old: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
New: God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen


(from: wikipedia - god rest you merry, gentlemen)



Pentatonix - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Official Video) - Pentatonix


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Italian Renaissance

Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel - The Separation of Land and Water

We just learned about Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel - The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants.

Another famous part of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is The Separation of Land and Water.

This shows God flying along with his arms stretched out as he separates the land from the water and makes the oceans and continents.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Alice in Wonderland - Jose de Creeft

Hindi - Please, You're Welcome

Remember that to say thank you in Hindi, you say Asante.

To say please in Hindi is कृपया (krpaya) - Sounds like k-ree-pee-ah. 文A

To say you're welcome, you say आपका स्वागत है (aapaka svaagat hai) - Sounds like ah-p-kah s-wah-gah-t hay. 文A




(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: tafadhali, karibu

Russian: пожалуйста (pozhaluysta)

Norwegian: Vær så snill, Værsågod

Greek: Παρακαλώ (Parakaló)

ASL: Please, You're Welcome

German: bitte, bitte schön

Spanish: Por favor, de nada

French: s'il vous plait, de rien