Ivory Coast

We just learned about the African country of Cameroon.

Another African country is Ivory Coast.

The Ivory Coast is a country on the West coast of Africa, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - ivory coast)

The flag of the Ivory Coast is three vertical stripes. Orange for the land, white for peace, and green for hope and the forest.

This flag is interesting, because it is just like the flag of Ireland, except Irelands is green-white-orange instead of orange-white-green.
(from: wikipedia - flag of ivory coast)

To eat in the Ivory Coast, you might have yassa, which is a spicy food cooked with onions and lemons.

(from: wikipedia - yassa (food))

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is a huge church in the town of Yamoussoukro.

(from: wikipedia - basilica of our lady of peace of yamoussoukro)

The Ivory Coast was given it's name because they used to sell lots of ivory there. Ivory is made from the tusks of elephants and other animals.
In the past many things were made from ivory, like piano keys. We now have new ways to make piano keys, and we know that killing elephants for their tusks is wrong, so it is against the law to kill elephants for their tusks.

(from: wikipedia - elephant)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Norway

Treasures in Heaven

We just learned about Jesus telling people to Love their enemies

In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount he tells his followers not to store up treasures for themselves here on earth, but to store them in Heaven.


(from: wikipedia - treasure)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Isaiah

Sunspots

Sometimes if you look at the sun with the right kind of telescope, you can see dark spots on the sun.

This is caused by the magnetic field around the sun causing problems on the photosphere.

It creates some cold spots no the sun.
The normal temperature of the photosphere is over 10,000 degrees F, and the temperature of the sunspots can get below 5,000 degrees F.

That's still way hotter than Earth, but the difference in temperature makes a dark spot on the sun, and we call that a sunspot.

(from: wikipedia - sunspot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Canopus

Spanish - September, October

Let's keep learning the months of the year in Spanish!

We've learned that January, February is Enero, Febrero, March, April are Marzo, Abril, May, June is Mayo, Junio and July, August is Julio, Agosto.

September - Septiembre - sounds like sep-tee-em-b-day /?/

October - Octubre - sounds like oh-k-too-b-day /?/


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
French - Septembre, Octobre

Gold

We just learned about the weird liquid metal called Mercury

Another chemical element is Gold, called "Au" for short (from the latin word "aurum") on the Periodic Table.

Gold is a very valuable metal, and we use it a lot in jewelry because it is shiny and pretty.

One of the reasons it works so well in jewelry is because it is the most malleable of all metal.
That means you can smash it with a hammer and it won't break into pieces, it will just flatten or change shape, kind of like a really hard piece of clay.

Gold also does not change when it is out in the air or when it gets wet, like the way that copper turns green unless it is polished all the time.

It is also a very good conductor of electricity, so it is used in computers and circuits a lot.

Because gold has so many uses and is so pretty, it has been used as money in the past.
People still will pay lots of money for gold no matter where in the world you are.

(from: wikipedia - gold)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Electrical Conductivity

Butterfly Eggs

We just learned about Mosquito Larvae

Let's learn about something pretty like butterflies!

Butterflies are beautiful creatures, and we know they come from caterpillars, but how?

Butterflies lay eggs on to a leaf, and the eggs stick to the leaf with a special glue. The eggs are protected by a hard outer shell called the chorion, and they are made waterproof with some wax.

The eggs usually hatch in a few weeks. If the eggs are laid close to winter time, they will hatch in the spring.

(from: wikipedia - butterfly)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rooster Comb

Stomach - Pylorus

After the food is all mushed up into chyme, it slowly goes out of your stomach into a tube called the pylorus.

Your stomach's job of mushing up all the food is done, so now it's time for your body to do something with all that mushed up food and it sends it down the tube.

(from: wikipedia - pylorus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Triceps