Lake Nicaragua

We just learned about Lake Titicaca.

The next biggest lake is Lake Nicaragua.

It is the biggest lake in Central America.


(from: wikipedia - lake nicaragua)

This is a freshwater lake that has a river going out to the Pacific Ocean.
Even though it is freshwater, some sharks have found a way to live in this lake!
They swim up the river from the ocean and into the lake, and then back out to the ocean.

Sharks can't live in northern lakes because it gets too cold, and because they need to eat a lot of food to survive and there aren't enough big fish for them to eat in the northern lakes.

(from: wikipedia - lake nicaragua)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Minnesota

Fat Tuesday

We just learned about the season of Lent.

The Lenten season begins on a Wednesday, and the day right before that is sometimes called Fat Tuesday.

It's called that because during lent many people give up eating some types of meat or food with lots of fat in it as a way to remember Jesus living in the desert for 40 days.

So on Fat Tuesday people eat big meals and foods with lots of fat since it's the last chance they will have to eat that food, and some of the food might go bad before lent is over.

One celebration is called Paczki Day which comes from Poland, where people would make big donuts filled with jelly to use up the last of the dough before lent.


(from: wikipedia - pączki)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - Father forgive them

Lyres of Ur

We just learned about the Copper Bull sculpture.

Another ancient sculpture is the Bull's Lyre, a bull's head sculpture that was part of three ancient lyres (also known as harps) discovered that were over 4,000 years old.

These lyres are believed to be the oldest stringed instruments still intact.

The sculpture of the bull's head is made of gold, with eyes made of mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli.
Other parts of the bull's body were made of wood but they did not survive after the thousands of years it was buried.


(from: wikipedia - lyres of ur)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Little Dancer of Fourteen Years

Italian - This house is big

We just learned that in Italian, We are surprised is somo sorpresi.

Let's learn about some of the things we see every day.

To say this house is big in Italian you say Questa casa è grande.


We can break it up into four words:
This - Questa - sounds like koo-ay-stah /?/
house - casa - sounds like kah-sah /?/
is - è - Sounds like ay-ee /?/
big - grande - Sounds like g-dah-n-day /?/


So all together Questa casa è grande sounds like Koo-ay-stah kah-sah ay-ee g-dah-n-day.


(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
Das Haus ist groß

In Spanish:
Esta casa es grande

In French:
Cette maison est grande

F5 Tornado

We just learned that the F4 Tornado on the Fujita Scale is houses totally blown down, small buildings blown away and cars thrown through the air.

The highest level of damage is the F5 tornado - Incredible damage.

This is when houses are lifted up and carried away, large cars are flying through the air, and large steel and concrete buildings are badly damaged.


(from: wikipedia - fujita scale)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stratocumulus Clouds

Southern hognose snake

We just learned about the type of snake the Green Vine Snake.

Another type of snake is the Southern Hog-Nosed Snake.

This type of snake lives in the southeastern US.
They eat mostly toads and are not dangerous to humans.

These snakes won't bite people, but when they are scared they will try to pretend like they are dangerous, puffing up their body, hissing, and even pretending to strike.
If that doesn't work they will play dead like a possum!
They roll over onto their back and hang their tongue out of their mouth.
Sometimes even if they are picked up, and rolled over, they'll roll their head back, trying to prove that they really are dead.



(from: wikipedia - southern hognose snake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Siberian Husky

Nervous System

We learned last time about the Heart Wall - Pericardium.

We've learned about the skeletal system (bones), the digestive system (eating & drinking), the respiratory system (breathing) and the circulatory system (blood & heart).

Let's learn about the Nervous System!

The nervous system is what controls your body and sends messages all over telling it what to do.

Your brain is part of your nervous system, and there are things called nerves that go all through your body that are almost like electric wires.

The brain sends out a message over these nerves to something like your hand, and your hand moves.
If you get hurt, the nerves send messages to the brain saying OUCH!

Everything from getting hungry to feeling tired to telling your legs when to jump is controlled by your nervous sytem.


(from: wikipedia - nervous system)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Radial & Ulnar Arteries