Sleet

We just learned that hail is large ice chunks that come down from clouds.

Sometimes the pieces of ice are very small, and we call that Sleet or sometimes ice pellets.

The sleet happens when there is cold air way up high in the sky, then warm air in the middle and cold air on the bottom.
The clouds in the cold air make snow which falls down.
When it goes down into the middle of the sky where the air is warm, the snowflakes melt and turn into rain drops.
Then when the rain drops fall to the lowest part of the sky where it is cold again, they re-freeze but turn into sleet ice pellets instead of snow flakes.

(from: wikipedia - ice pellets)


There is also another type of frozen pellet that is a lot like sleet, called Graupel.

This is when there are super cold drops of water called "rime" fall onto snowflakes as they are falling down.
The super cold rime hits the snowflake and puts a coat of ice all around it.

If the rime doesn't hit a snowflake, it will instantly freeze when it hits where it lands, like a tree or on the ground.




(from: wikipedia - graupel)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pyrite

Akita Inu

We just learned about the type of dog called the Basenji

Another type of dog is called the Akita Inu
Long ago the Akita was used to hunt bear, wild boar and deer. It would go into the woods to try and push the animal to where the hunter was, and just keep the animal busy until the hunter could attack it.

The Akita dogs are very loyal to their masters.

One very famous story is about an Akita dog named Hachikō.
Every day Hachikō's master would go ride the train, and every day Hachikō would walk with him to the train station, and then wait there for him to come home.
One day his master died before he could come home, but Hachikō still waited at the train station for him.
He went home to eat and sleep, but then came back to the train station to wait for his master, and waited for him for nine years until he finally died of old age.
There is now a statue of Hachikō at that train station to honor his loyalty.


(from: wikipedia - akita (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Okapi

Popliteal Artery

After the oxygenated blood comes through the femoral artery, it goes to the popliteal artery.

This artery goes in the middle of your leg, right behind your knee.

(from: wikipedia - popliteal artery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Epiglottis

New Hampshire

We just learned about the US state of Nevada.

New Hampshire is a state in the US on the north east part of the country, right on the atlantic ocean and bordering Canada to the north.

It's nickname is The Granite State because there is a lot of granite rock in the state.
It's motto is Live Free or Die which came from the American Revolution when the colonies were fighting against the British.

(from: wikipedia - new hampshire)

The New Hampshire flag has the state seal on it in front of a blue background.
The seal shows a famous ship the USS Raleigh which was built in New Hampshire, and a wreath around the ship for fame, honor and victory.
There are nine stars because it was the ninth state in the US.
The boat is on the water at the city of Portsmouth, and the yellow land is for the hard igneous rock of granite.

(from: wikipedia - flag and seal of new hampshire)

In the town of Jefferson, there is an amusement park called Santa's village with roller coasters and water slides.

(from: wikipedia - santa's village (jefferson, new hampshire))

Eleanor Porter who who wrote the book about Pollyanna was from Littleton New Hampshire, so the town made a statue of Pollyanna, and once a year they have a Glad Day celebration in her honor.

(from: wikipedia - pollyanna)

The White Mountains go through New Hampshire, and that part of the mountains is called the presidential range

(from: wikipedia - presidential range)

Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the US was from New Hampshire, elected in the 1850s.

(from: wikipedia - franklin pierce)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Democratic Republic of Congo

Jesus Tomb - Angels

When Mary and Mary found Jesus' empty tomb there were men there in bright white clothing like snow or lightning.

These angels told them that Jesus was not there and that he had risen to heaven as he said he would.


(from: wikipedia - matthew 28:2)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount

Bethlehem Mural - Banksy

We just learned about the work of art A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet.

Another famous work of art is the wall mural in Bethlehem painted by artist Banksy in 2005.

Some artists use their skills to send a message about things they want to say to the world.
The artist Banksy has gone out to public places and painted things on walls of buildings or by streets so that people can see paintings that may change the way they think about the world.

In the Banksy mural in Bethlehem there are some children by a crack in the wall with a sunny beach on the other side.

Many of the paintings that Banksy makes are on buildings where it is against the law to spray paint things.
Spray painting pictures on someone else's property is called graffiti.
Since Graffiti is illegal, Banksy has to work in secret to keep from getting arreested.

At this time no one even knows who Banksy really is.
People don't even know if Banksy is a man or a woman, or if Banksy is even a bunch of people working together!
Whoever it is, they are very famous and they are using their art to send messages about how they feel about the world.

(from: wikipedia - banksy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Waning Crescent

German - Her hands are soft

We just learned in German our table is short is Unser Tisch ist kurz.

To say her hands are soft you would say Ihre Hände sind weich.
We can break it up into four words:
Her - Ihre - sounds like ee-uh /?/
hands - Hände - sounds like han-duh /?/
are - sind - Sounds like zint /?/
soft - weich - Sounds like vah-ee-hhk /?/


So all together Ihre Hände sind weich sounds like Ee-uh han-duh zint vah-ee-hhk.


(from: wikipedia - Goethe Institute)

Do you remember how to say it in Spanish?
Sus manos estan suaves

Do you remember how to say it in French?
Ses mains sont douces.