Saturday, July 2, 2016

Statue of Zeus at Olympia - Phidias


We just learned about the Elgin Marbles.

Another famous sculpture is the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.

This statue was so famous that it was listed as one of the seven wonders of the world.
There are drawings of the sculpture, and writings about it, but it was destroyed in a fire over a thousand years ago.
Because it was so famous, some people have tried to make copies of what they thought it looked like back then.
It was also made by Phidias, the famous Greek sculptor.


(from: wikipedia - statue of zeus at olympia)


(from: wikipedia - statue of zeus at olympia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Landscape in Graubünden with Sun Rays - Kirchner

Friday, July 1, 2016

Italian - November, December


Let's keep learning about the months of the year in Italian!

We already learned that January, February is Gennaio, Febbraio,
March, April is Marzo, Aprile,
May, June is Maggio, Giugno,
July, August is Luglio, Agosto.
and September, October is Settembre, Ottobre.

Let's keep going!

November - Novembre - sounds like noh-vem-b-day /?/
December - Dicembre - sounds like dee-chem-b-day /?/

academy of the bran
(from: wikipedia - accademia della crusca)

In German:
November, Dezember

In Spanish:
Noviembre, Diciembre

In French:
Novembre, Décembre

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Anvil - Horn


We just learned about the anvil - face.

Another part of the anvil is the horn.

This is the long part that sticks out like a nose, or almost like an animal horn.

A blacksmith can use this rounded horn to help make a rounded piece of metal by shaping while it is hot using a hammer.


(from: wikipedia - anvil)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lightning - Return Stroke

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Aruba island rattlesnake


We just learned about the Mexican Lance-Headed Rattlesnake.

Another type of snake is the Aruba island rattlesnake also known as crotalus durissus unicolor.

This snake only lives on the small island named Aruba, which is in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela.

It is an endangered species, with only around 250 of these snakes left in the whole world.
The area they live in is very small, and humans keep moving closer and closer to where they live.
It is also illegal to take them out of the country, so they can't go live somewhere else.
Many zoos are working together to help bring back more of these snakes.


(from: wikipedia - crotalus durissus unicolor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Golden Retriever

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Hindbrain


We just learned about the medulla oblongata.

The medulla oblongata, together with the pons and cerebellum make up what is called the hindbrain or the rhombencephalon.


(from: wikipedia - hindbrain)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Microcirculation

Monday, June 27, 2016

Manaslu


We just learned about the mountain peak of Dhaulagiri.

The next highest mountain peak is Manaslu in Nepal.
It's name means mountain of the spirit.

This mountain is home to many different types of animals, including some endangered species like pandas, and snow leopards.

(from: wikipedia - manaslu)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pennsylvania

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Ichthys


We just learned about the christian symbol of the crucifix.

Another symbol is the ichthys, pronounced ick-thes.

The word ichthys is Greek for fish, and was used as an acronym to mean Jesus.

Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for "Jesus".
Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστός), Greek for "anointed."
Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for "God's", the genitive case of Θεóς, Theos," Greek for "God."
Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios[5] (Υἱός), Greek for "Son".
Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for "Savior."

Long ago there were some people that really did not like Christians, and so they had to find ways to hide who they were, and to send messages to each other.
So they would draw a picture of the fish as a secret way to mean Jesus.


(from: wikipedia - ichthys)


(from: wikipedia - ichthys)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peter Heals a Lame Beggar