Lake Vostok

We just learned about the lake Lake Balkhash.

Another lake is called Lake Vostok.

This is the largest lake on the continent of Antarctica, and it is actually 13,000 feet under the ice.

Scientists used lasers to find the lake, and then drilled down through the ice to try and get some water.
They want to test that water to see if it is different, because it has been trapped under the ice for a very long time.


(from: wikipedia - lake vostok)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Maryland

Epiphany - Baptism of Our Lord

We just learned about the church season of Epiphany, celebrating the wise men coming to meet Jesus.

The next part of Epiphany is sometimes used to remember when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.


(from: wikipedia - al-maghtas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Crucifixion - Calvary

Trundholm Sun Chariot

We just learned about the ancient sculpture the Gundestrup Cauldron.

Another ancient sculpture is called the Trundholm Sun Chariot.

This sculpture was made out of bronze, with some gold parts on one side, which is called gilding.

It was made using something called lost wax casting.
This means someone started off with a sculpture made of wax, made a shell of sand, and used hot ovens to pour melted metal into the shell to make the sculpture.

The horse is pulling a circle that looks like the sun.
Long ago people did not know about how the planets and stars worked, so some people believed stories about the sun being pulled across the sky by a magical horse.


(from: wikipedia - trundholm sun chariot)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Night Watch - Rembrandt

Italian - He is angry

We just learned that I am happy in Italian is sono felice, and you are sad is Sei triste.

Now let's learn how to say He is angry.

Lui è arrabbiato

We can break it up into three words:
He - Lui - sounds like loo-ee /?/
is - è - sounds like ay /?/
angry - arrabbiato - Sounds like ah-dah-bee-ah-toh /?/


So all together Lui è arrabbiato sounds like loo-ee ay ah-dah-bee-ah-toh.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Er ist wütend

In Spanish:
Él está enojado

In French:
Il est en colère

F2 Tornado

We just learned that the F1 Tornado on the Fujita Scale is roofs peeled off, and cars are pushed off of roads.

The next level of damage is the F2 tornado - Significant damage.
This is when roofs have been torn off of houses, mobile homes have been destroyed, train boxcars have been turned over, or large trees have been snapped or uprooted.


(from: wikipedia - parameters)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Altostratus Cloud

Massasauga

We just learned about the Schnauzer and a whole lot of other types of dogs!

Now let's learn about snakes!
They can be scary and look slimy, but snakes are very important in nature, just like spiders, sharks, alligators and other scary animals.
Snakes help by eating things like mice and rats that carry diseases and eat crops.
They are also food for other larger animals like hawks and eagles!

One type of snake is the Massasauga, which is a venomous rattle snake.

These snakes can grow to be about 2 feet long, and they are grey with dark brown or black spots on their body.

They are venomous, which means their teeth let out venom to kill their prey when they bite.
Even though the venom can hurt humans, it won't kill them as long as they go to the doctor after getting bitten.

These snakes are shy and try to stay away from humans.
They would only bite a human if they were stepped on or if someone tried to pick them up.

Mostly these snakes eat mice, rats, lizards, frogs, centipedes and even smaller snakes.
Since they do not have arms to hold their prey or big teeth to chew it up, they have to bite something like a lizard, wait for it to stop moving, and then swallow it whole!


(from: wikipedia - massasauga)

The rattle on the snake's tail is made up of a bunch of little hollow hard pieces of keratin that are hooked together. When the rattle snake is feeling threatened it will shake it's tail to make a rattling sound to warn people to stay away.
Every time that the rattle snake sheds it's skin, it grows another piece for it's rattle.


(from: wikipedia - rattlesnake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spider Sheet Webs

Heart Wall - Myocardium

We just learned about the first inside part of the heart wall called the endocardium.

The next part of heart wall is the Myocardium.

This part of the heart wall has the muscles in it that squeeze together to make the heart pump the blood through the body.


(from: wikipedia - cardiac muscle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dorsal Scapular Artery