Thursday, November 27, 2014

Weather Fronts


We just learned about Deposition where water vapor turns right into a solid.

We've also learned that the water vapor that makes up clouds can come from evaporation or sublimation.
That all happens near the ground, but somehow that water vapor has to get way up in the sky to make a cloud.

There are a few different ways that water vapor gets lifted up to become a cloud, and one of them is using something called weather fronts.

A weather front is how the weather on our planet changes all the time.
Cold winds blow in during the winter, hot air moves in during the summer.

The way that these fronts move around with hot and cold temperatures, and different amounts of water vapor can cause different kinds of clouds, rain and storms.

If you look at weather maps, you can usually see colored shapes on the map that show what kind of temperature and pressure is in the air, and what kind of front is coming.


(from: wikipedia - weather front)

We'll learn more about each of these types of fronts next time.

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pillow Lava

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Spider Lungs


We just learned about the Spider Esophagus.

Spider lungs are located in the abdomen part of their body.

They don't have regular lungs like we do, they have something called book lungs.

The name comes from the way the lungs look on the inside.
There are stacks of air separated by body tissue.
The stacked up lines of body tissue kind of look like a book, which is why they are called book lungs.

Spiders don't breathe like we do, their book lungs are just sitting open and air flows into them.
They have a special liquid called hemolymph that helps soak up the oxygen into their bodies.

(from: wikipedia - book lung)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Electric Eel

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pulmonary Vein


We've learned that our blood gets filled up with good oxygen in the capillaries down by the lungs.

After the tiny capillaries are filled up with good oxygen, they connect to larger tubes called veins, and the blood flows toward the heart.

The veins that connect the capillaries to the heart are called the pulmonary veins.


(from: wikipedia - pulmonary vein)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Plantar Foot Muscles

Monday, November 24, 2014

Connecticut


We just learned about the US State of Colorado.

Connecticut is a small state on the east coast of the US.
It is the third smallest state.
The state name comes from a Native American word meaning The Long Tidal River.

It has a few nicknames: The Constitution State, The Nutmeg State, The Provisions State, The Land of Steady Habits.

It's state motto is: Qui transtulit sustinet.
which means He who transplanted sustains.

(from: wikipedia - connecticut)

The flag of Connecticut has the state motto, and three grape vines, for the people who came over from Europe to live here in America.

(from: wikipedia - flag of connecticut)

The seal of Connecticut has the state motto, and grape vines just like the flag, and also the words: sigillum reipublicæ connecticutensis which means Seal of the State of Connecticut.

(from: wikipedia - seal of connecticut)

Connecticut has 21 lighthouses in the state, 14 are still active.
The oldest and tallest lighthouse is New London Harbor Light, built in 1760.

(from: wikipedia - new london harbor light)

The 43rd president of the US George Bush was born in Connecticut.

(from: wikipedia - george w. bush)

The Connecticut River is the longest river in the northeast part of the US that is sometimes called New England.

(from: wikipedia - connecticut river)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Israel

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Jesus Transfiguration


We learned that Jesus told his apostles that he was the Messiah, and that he would be killed and then raised back to life three days later.

After that he went up on to a high mountain with Peter, James and John.
When they were up there, Jesus' face shined bright like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
Jesus' went through a big change to look beautiful and holy, and we call that transfiguration.

When Jesus was up on the mountain, he talked to Moses and Elijah, who were in heaven.

A bright cloud came over them and God's voice from the cloud said This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!

Jesus told them not to tell anyone else about what had happened until after he was raised from the dead.

(from: wikipedia - transfiguration of jesus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Apostles - Philip and Bartholomew

Saturday, November 22, 2014

The Scream of Nature - Edvard Munch


We've now learned about some famous paintings: The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci and The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

Another famous painting is called The Scream and was painted by Edvard Munch.

Munch was a type of painter called an expressionist, which meant that he usually made paintings that looked wild or weird or somehow stood out in a way that made you feel a certain way.

He told the story of how he came up with the idea for this picture.
He was walking along a bridge one day and saw the sky turn blood red, and the way the sun was shining on the city it almost look like all of nature was letting out a scream.

So he used bright bold colors with wavy lines to make the painting stand out and hopefully make you feel almost like you can hear a scream from the painting.

He wrote a poem about when he came up with the idea for his painting:

I was walking along the road with two friends
the sun was setting
suddenly the sky turned blood red
I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence
there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city
my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety
and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.


(from: wikipedia - the scream)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Moon - Maria

Friday, November 21, 2014

German - Please, You're Welcome


Remember that to say thank you in German, you say danke.

To say please in German is bitte.
It sounds like bit uh /?/.

And to say you're welcome, you say bitte schön and it sounds like bit uh shoon /?/.

Goethe Institute
(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)
Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Por favor, de nada