Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Nucleus


We just learned about the Soma.

Another part of the neuron is the Nucleus.

The nucleus is in the middle of the Soma, and is the part of the neuron that is in control.
It is like the brain that tells the rest of the neuron what to do.


(from: wikipedia - soma (biology))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Aortic Valve

Monday, January 23, 2017

Klamath-Siskyou Mountains


We just learned about the Calapooya Mountains.

Another group of mountain ranges in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera are the Klamath-Siskyou Mountains in Oregon and California.

In this group there are the Klamath, Siskiyou, Trinity Alps, Salmon and Yolla Bolly mountains.
The Yolla Bolly mountains get their name from the Wintu Native American words for "snowy peak" since it's one of the only mountain areas that gets snow.

There are a lot of protected forests in this area, over 7 million acres, including a 400 mile trail called the "Bigfoot Trail".

(from: wikipedia - klamath mountains (ecoregion))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lake Winnipeg

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Joshua


We just learned about the Bible person Aaron.

Another person from the Bible is Joshua.

After Moses led the people of Israel across the desert, he put Joshua in charge.
Joshua went on to many other lands, and with God's army he took over many of the lands.

One of the places was called Jericho, where there were large walls around the city.
God told Joshua that he would help them take over the city, and make the walls fall down.
He told them to march around the city for six days, and then on the seventh day to blow their horns and shout at the wall and it will come crashing down, and they could go take over the city.

The book of Joshua in the Bible has a very famous saying, from when he told his people that they had to make a choice to follow God or not.

Joshua 24:15 "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."


(from: wikipedia - joshua)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Church Calendar

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Cloisters Cross


We just learned about the Bernward Doors.

Another ancient Romanesque sculpture is the Cloisters Cross.

This cross is almost 2 feet tall, and is carved out of walrus tusks (called ivory).

Even though the cross is not very big, it has 92 carvings and 98 inscriptions.
The carvings are pictures showing stories from the Bible.


(from: wikipedia - cloisters cross)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel

Friday, January 20, 2017

ASL - Cow, Chicken, Pig


We already learned how to say dog and cat in ASL.

Now let's learn about some farm animals!

cow - With your thumb by your head, your pinky sticking out, and your other three fingers closed, wave your hand forward and back like a cow's horn.

chicken - With your right hand fingers in the G shape and your left hand flat, use your right hand like you are pecking seeds from your left hand.

pig - With your right hand under your chin and your fingers pointing to the left, wiggle your fingers.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

tannerpetrella - Sign Language Snippets week 5-Farm Animals



ASL
(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: mucca, pollo, maiale

German: Kuh, Huhn, Schwein

Spanish: vaca, pollo, cerdo

French: vache, poulet, porc

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Charcoal


We just learned about Flux.

Another thing used in blacksmithing is charcoal.

When the blacksmith is making a fire in the blast furnace or the forge, they need something to burn very hot, very fast.
Charcoal is something that is made after burning up some fuel like wood, but not burning it up all the way.

After some of the water and other parts of the wood are burned up, the left over blackened pieces of wood chips are saved after being cooled, and then used later in large piles to burn up very fast and hot.


(from: wikipedia - charcoal)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wall Cloud

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Frogs and Toads


We've learned a whole lot about snakes, now let's learn about frogs!

Frogs and toads are all part of the same group of animals in nature, called the "Anura" order.
Anura comes from an old Greek word meaning "without tail".

There is a smaller group of animals that is part of the Anura order, called the "Bufonidae" family, or sometimes called the "True toad" family.
But even in that family, some of those animals are still named frogs, like the harlequin frog which is a true toad!

So all toads are frogs (Anura), but not all frogs are toads (Anura Bufonidae).

A lot of times people think of frogs as the ones that go into water or are wet all the time, and toads as the ones with warts that are dry and live on land.

That's not always true either!
The European fire-bellied toad isn't a true toad even though it's called a toad, and it lives in the water.
And the Panamanian golden frog which is a true toad even though it's called a frog has smooth skin and lives in the water.

There are about 4,800 types of Anura, and only a few hundred of them are true toads.
So really most of them are frogs, even if we call them toads.

True toads don't have any teeth, and they have glands to spit poison from their skin, and they sometimes are warty but not always.
To really tell if it is a toad, you have to know about its skeleton, skin, mouth, glands and a lot of other things that you can't tell without a lot of research!


(from: wikipedia - frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Boston Terrier