Myelin Sheath

We just learned about the Axon.

Another part of the neuron in the nervous system is the Myelin Sheath.

This is a fatty covering over the axon, so it can protect the messages getting sent over from the soma.
It's kind of like the rubber covering on an electrical cord, keeping all the electricity in and protecting it from escaping.


(from: wikipedia - myelin)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Myocardium

Transverse Ranges

We just learned about the Central California Coast Ranges.

Another group of mountain ranges in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera is the Transverse Ranges.

These ranges are different, because they go east to west, instead of north to south like the other ranges in the Pacific Coast Belt.

They were created by the San Andreas Fault, which is where parts of the earth way underground ran are pushing against each other, and forced the ground above to go up, creating the mountains.

They are a very popular place to live, as the city of Los Angeles is right by the San Monica Mountains. The famous "Hollywood" sign is in Mount Lee in that mountain range.


(from: wikipedia - hollywood sign)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lake Balkhash

Ruth

We just learned about the person from the Bible Samson.

Another person from the Bible was Ruth.

There once was a woman named Naomi, who had two sons.
Her sons married girls named Ruth and Orpah.
One day her husband and sons all died, and she was left with no family except Ruth and Orpah.
She told the two girls to go back to their homelands, but Ruth refused.
She stayed with Naomi to take care of her.

They moved to another land where a rich man named Boaz lived.
Ruth asked if she could work in the fields and pick up just the last little bits of crops that were left behind after everyone was done.
She did that over and over, and everyone saw how hard she worked to help gather small bits of crops so she could take care of her mother in law Naomi.
One day Boaz saw how hard Ruth worked, and he married her.
Boaz and Ruth had children, and Ruth was the Great Grandmother of David who would be King of Israel.


(from: wikipedia - book of ruth)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Epiphany

Prophet Jeremiah at Mosaic Abbey

We just learned about the Last Judgement Tympanum by Gislebertus.

Another example of Romanesque sculpture is the Prophet Jeremiah at Mosaic Abbey.

This is a sculpture of Jeremiah on a pillar at a monestary in France.
Because this sculpture was part of a pillar holding up the building, the sculptor had to try and make it in a way that it would fit on the small space on the column.
It could not be a large statue of Jeremiah with his hands out, or with large flowing robes, it had to be smaller and squeezed in to fit on the pillar.


(from: wikipedia - mosaic abbey)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gundestrup Cauldron

ASL - You are sad

Last time we learned how to say I am happy in ASL.

Let's learn how to say You are sad in ASL.

To say You you just point your finger at someone.

For Sad, start with your two hands open and fingers spread out, hands pointed up with your palms toward your face.
Keeping your palms toward your body, move your hands downward, inward and toward each other.

Remember it's important to make sure your face is showing that you are sad, to match your hands.
Here is a helpful video showing these signs:


American Sign Language Emotion Words : American Sign Language: Happy & Sad - expertvillage




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: Sei triste

German: Sie sind traurig

Spanish: Estas triste

French: Vous êtes triste

Metal Lathe

We just learned about the blacksmithing fuel Coke.

We've learned a lot about the old fashioned ways of working with metal.
Let's learn about some of the newer things people do with tools.

One tool for working with metals is called a metal lathe.
This is a tool that takes a piece of metal and spins it around quickly, so that someone can cut or shape the metal easily.

(from: wikipedia - metal lathe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: F1 Tornado

Edible Frog

We just learned about the Panamanian Golden Frog.

Another type of frog is the Edible Frog.

This type of frog is trapped and then served as frog legs for food in places like France.


(from: wikipedia - edible frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Schnauzer

Axon

We just learned about the Dendrite.

Another part of the neuron is the Axon.

The axon takes messages from the main body of the neuron and sends them off to other neurons.
It's like the long highway that the messages go on to leave the neuron.


(from: wikipedia - axon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Heart Wall - Endocardium

Central California Coast Ranges

We just learned about the Northern Coast Ranges in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera.

Another group of mountain ranges in this belt is the Central California Coast Ranges.

The mountains ranges in this group are the Santa Cruz Mountains, Diablo Range, Gabilan Range, Santa Lucia Range, Temblor Range and Caliente Range.

The Santa Lucia Range is the highest coastal mountain in the lower 48 US states, and has a house called "Hearst's Castle" and also a Zen Mountain center where people go to relax.


(from: wikipedia - santa lucia range)


(from: wikipedia - hearst castle)


(from: wikipedia - tassajara zen mountain center)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lake Ladoga

Samson

We just learned about Gideon.

Another person from the Bible was Samson.

When Samson was growing up, he was told never to cut his hair and he would be strong.

He grew up to be so strong that he killed a lion with his bare hands, and he killed many people in a battle using just a jawbone of a donkey.

One day he got married to a woman named Delilah.
Her family did not like Samson, so they told her to find out how to beat him.

He tricked her and told her fake reasons, like that they could tie him down with seven fresh bowstrings, or new ropes, or to weave his hair and tie it with a pin.

Delilah got upset and so he finally told her that if his hair was cut he would be weak.
People came and cut his hair and then captured him and poked his eyes out.

The people that didn't like him brought him to a big palace to make fun of him.
They tied him to large pillars to watch him, and he prayed to God for strength.
God granted his wish, and he pulled on the pillars and the whole palace came crashing down on everyone.
Samson died but so did his enemies in the end.

(from: wikipedia - samson)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christmas Season

Last Judgement Tympanum - Gislebertus

We just learned about the Lewis Chessmen.

Another famous Romanesque sculpture is the Last Judgement Tympanum at Autun Cathedral in France, made by the sculptor Gislebertus in 1130.

A tympanum is a half circle or triangle shaped sculptured wall over a doorway or window.

This sculpture has Jesus Christ very large in the center, surrounded by the Virgin Mary and the apostles.
The left side shows people trying to get into Heaven, with St. Peter and angels.
The right side shows people being judged in Hell by demons and angels.
There are signs of the zodiac in the arch above the main painting.
Underneath the sculpture in the doorway it says "May this terror terrify those whom earthly error binds for the horror of the images here in this manner truly depicts what will be"

About 600 years after this sculpture was made, some people decided they did not like it.
So they covered it up with plaster, and put another piece of artwork on top of it and everybody forgot that there was even a sculpture there.
Around 70 years later, someone had chipped the plaster and they discovered the sculpture hiding underneath, so they uncovered it and cleaned it up as best they could.

The sculptor's name "Gislebertus" is carved into the side of the sculpture, which was very different for the time it was made, because people used to just make statues for the glory of God, and didn't feel like their name was important.
Gislebertus was one of the first sculptors to leave his name on sculptures, and after him a lot of other people started doing the same thing.


(from: wikipedia - autun cathedral)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Guennol Lioness

ASL - I am happy

Last time we learned about the ASL words for horse, sheep and duck.

Let's learn how to say I am happy in ASL!

With your two hands open and flat, wipe your hands upward almost like you are wiping something off of your shirt.

It's also important to make sure your face is showing that you are happy, to match your hands.
Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

eHow - Basic Sign Language Phrases : Sign Language: I'm Happy & I'm Sad




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: Sono felice

German: Ich bin glücklich

Spanish: Estoy feliz

French: Je suis heureux

Coke

We just learned about Coal.

Another fuel used for metalworking is called Coke.

Coke is made by taking coal and heating it up very very hot, sometimes over 2,000 degrees F!
It is baked and heated for a long time, sometimes for days.

When it is done, the coke is removed and then can be used as fuel for smelting, that will burn even hotter and faster than a wood fire or charcoal fire.


(from: wikipedia - coke (fuel))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: F0 Tornado

Panamanian Golden Frog

We just learned about the European Fire Bellied Toad.

Another type of frog is the Panamanian Golden Frog.

This frog is part of the true toad family.
Remember that all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.
And some frogs are called toads, and some toads are called frogs.

The people in Panama love this golden frog, and put pictures of it all over the place.
There are even stories saying that when this frog dies it will turn to gold and bring good luck.
This frog even has it's own holiday, "National Golden Frog Day" on August 14th.

The skin of this frog is poisonous, and was used long ago to make poisonous arrows.

When this frog wants to talk to other frogs, it will wave its arms around.
Scientists think this is because the frogs live close to noisy rivers and couldn't really hear each other croaking well, especially because they don't really have normal ears and can't hear well.


(from: wikipedia - panamanian golden frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pekingese

Dendrite

We just learned about the Nucleus.

Another part of the neuron in the nervous system is the Dendrite.

The dendrites are the part of the neuron that reach out like tree branches or fingers.
When the neuron wants to send a message to another neuron, it sends it out over the dendrites, and the other neuron touches dendrites and gets the message.


(from: wikipedia - dendrite)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulmonary Valve

Northern Coast Ranges

We just learned about the Klamath-Siskyou Mountains.

Another group of mountains in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera are the Northern Coast Ranges in California.

This range has the King Range, Mendocino Range, Klamath Mountains, Mayacamas Mountains and Marin Hills.

These ranges have many different types of plants and animals, and some of them are endangered so the wildlife in this area is protected.

(from: wikipedia - king range (california))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lake Ontario

Gideon

We just learned about the Joshua.

Another person from the Bible was Gideon.

After Joshua died, the Israelites did not have a good leader, and many people started making other idols to worship.
God called on Gideon to go smash those idols and make an altar to God.

Later, the Israelites had to battle a bunch of people, and God wanted Gideon to lead the battle.
There were over 30,000 people in the army, but God told him to only take 300 so that everyone would know that it was God who had won the battle for them.
Gideon took the 300, gave them horns, jars and torches and had them blow the horns, smash the jars, hold up the torches and shout "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"
They did it, and the thousands and thousands of soldiers ran away scared, and even fought against each other, and the Israelites won the battle.


(from: wikipedia - gideon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Advent Season

Lewis Chessmen

We just learned about the Cloisters Cross.

Another ancient sculpture is the Lewis Chessmen.

This is a set of 78 chess pieces carved from walrus ivory tusks or whale teeth.
No one is sure exactly how old they are, but they think they were from around 900 years ago in the country of Norway.

There are some red stains on some of the pieces, so they were probably a chess set of red versus white, instead of black versus white.
All of the pieces are little people, even the knights, bishops and rooks.

The knight pieces are on little horses and are holding spears and shields.
The rooks are standing soldiers holding shields and swords.
Some of them have crazy wild eyes and are so angry they are biting their shields!




(from: wikipedia - lewis chessmen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Swimming Reindeer

ASL - Horse, Sheep, Duck

We just learned in ASL how to say dog, cat, cow, chicken and pig.
Let's learn more animals!

horse - Put your thumb up by the side of your head with your palm facing foward, and your first two fingers up almost like ears, and then wiggle them forward like a horse's ear.
sheep - Hold your left arm out in front of you across your body, and use your first two fingers of your other hand like scissors like you are cutting the wool off of the sheep.
duck - Using your thumb and your first two fingers make them like a beak opening and closing, in front of your mouth. The two fingers can be spread out a little to show that it is a big duck's beak.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

Chris Wood - ASL Lessons: Animals




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: cavallo, pecora, anatra

German: Pferd, Schaf, Ente

Spanish: caballo, oveja, pato

French: French - cheval, mouton, canard

Coal

We just learned about charcoal.

Another type of fuel used in blacksmithing is coal.

Coal is something that is mined or dug up from the ground.
It is made from old plants that turned to dirt and were buried and pressed underground for a long long time.
Blacksmiths use coal as a type of fuel to make other types of ashes that can be used to make different kinds of metal.


(from: wikipedia - coal)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fujita Scale

European Fire-Bellied Toad

We just learned about the difference between Frogs and Toads.

One type of frog is the European Fire-Bellied Toad.

Even though these are called toads, they are not part of the family of "True Toads" called Bufonidae.

These toads have a green back with black spots, and an orange or red belly with black stripes.
Their eyes have heart shaped pupils and webbed feet.

A full grown toad can be about 2 inches long.
To protect themselves, their skin makes a poison that might give you a rash if you pick one up, and would make you feel sick if you ate it.

Some frogs like this one shed their skin.
They puff themselves up big, cough to loosen the skin, then tear the old skin off and eat it!


(from: wikipedia - european fire-bellied toad)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fox Terrier

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

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

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

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

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




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: mucca, pollo, maiale

German: Kuh, Huhn, Schwein

Spanish: vaca, pollo, cerdo

French: vache, poulet, porc

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

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

Soma

We just learned about the Neuron in the nervous system that sends messages in the body.

One part of the neuron is called the Soma.

The soma is the big part of one end of the neuron that has smaller parts inside of it.
It comes from the Greek word meaning "body", so the soma is the main body of the neuron.


(from: wikipedia - soma (biology))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mitral Valve

Calapooya Mountains

We just learned about the Oregon Coast Range.

Another mountain range in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera is the Calapooya Mountains in Oregon.

These mountains have a lot of forests, and long ago they acted like a wall that people had trouble getting around, so they built the Applegate Trail to help travelers get to the gold mines that were in Northern California.


(from: wikipedia - calapooya mountains)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lake Erie

Aaron

We just learned about Moses.

Another person from the Bible is Aaron.

Aaron was the brother of Moses, and helped Moses lead the Isrealites.
Moses was nervous speaking to people, so when Moses had to go talk to Pharaoh, he had Aaron do the talking.
He also helped Moses lead the people through the desert.
Because Aaron was such a good speaker, he was made as the first High Priest.


(from: wikipedia - aaron)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Acts

Bernward Doors

We just learned about the Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church, Liège.

Another Romanesque sculpture is the Bernward Doors made in 1015 for the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany.

These metal doors were made mostly of copper, and have 16 different pieces, each one made with it's own picture.
Each picture is a relief, meaning the sculpture stands out above the background.
The 8 pictures on the left are from the book of Genesis, telling the story of Adam and Even and Cain and Abel.
The 8 pictures on the right are from the Gospel, telling the story of Jesus from the angels visiting Mary to going up to heaven.


(from: wikipedia - bernward doors)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Metz & Co showroom - van der Leck

ASL - Black, White, Brown, Gray

We just learned in ASL how to sign red, yellow, orange and green, blue, purple, pink.

Let's learn some more colors!


black - Hold up just your right pointer finger pointing to the left at your forehead, almost like a salute. Pull your arm backwards like it is drawing a black line on your forehead.

white - With your open hand, put your fingertips on your chest, and then close your fingers together with your fingers still all straight, and pull your hand out away from your chest.

brown - Using the hand shape for the letter B, put your hand up next to your face with your palm facing outward and your fingertips pointed up. Move your hand downward, keeping the pointer finger by your face.

gray - With both hands open, arms out and your palms facing toward your chest and your thumbs pointed up, move your hands back and forth, alternating either hand. So when your right hand is going forward, your left hand is going backward.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

Colors - Mrs. Rodriguez's ASL Classes




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: nero, bianco, marrone, grigio

German: schwarz, weiß, braun, grau

Spanish: negro, blanco, marrón, gris

French: noir, blanc, brun, gris

Flux

We just learned about Gangue.

Another part of smelting is something called flux.

When blacksmith has iron ore, they want to turn it into iron, and get rid of the gangue and turn it into slag.

Sometimes the only way to get rid of the gangue ore is to use another chemical called a flux.
There are a few different types of fluxes, but one that was used a lot is limestone.

When the iron ore is heated up in the blast furnace, the limestone melts and sticks to the gangue, and it all melts off and turns into slag, just leaving the iron behind.



(from: wikipedia - limestone)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tornado Family

Snake - Venom

We just learned about the Snake Fangs.

Another part of the snake is the venom.

The saliva or spit in our mouth is what snakes use in their mouth for venom.

There are different types of venom that can do different things to the body.

Neurotoxins attack the nervous system, and can cause hallucinations (seeing things that aren't real), muscle spasms (muscles move without control), muscle paralysis (can't move), and numbness (can't feel anything).

Cytotoxins attack the cells in the body, and can eat away at skin, fat, muscles, blood or bodily organs.

When the snake bites their prey, they squirt the venom into the prey's body.
The blood in the prey's body then carries that venom all over the body and the snake can eat their prey.


(from: wikipedia - snake venom)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jack Russell Terrier

Neuron

We just learned about the Enteric Nervous System.

All of the parts of the nervous system are made up of smaller things called neurons.

Neurons are like tiny little computers in the body that send and receive messages to other neurons all over the body.


(from: wikipedia - neuron)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tricuspid Valve

Oregon Coast Range

We just learned about the Cascade Range.

Another mountain range in the Pacific Coast Belt in the North American Cordillera is the Oregon Coast Range.

There are many forests in this mountain range, and many people use this area to get trees to be used for houses and buildings.


(from: wikipedia - oregon coast range)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Great Slave Lake

Moses

We just learned about the Joseph.

Another person from the Bible is Moses.

Moses was one of the most important people in the Bible.
His name is mentioned more in the Old Testament than anyone else.
Moses did many amazing things in his life.

When he was born, there was a law to kill Hebrew boys that were born, so his mother put him in a basket by the river. He was found by the Pharaoh's daughter and she saved him.

He grew up and saw that the Hebrews were slaves, so he ran away from Egypt to become a shepherd.
When he was a shepherd, God appeared to him as a burning bush, and told him to go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to free the Hebrew people.

The Pharaoh did not listen to Moses, so God made really bad things called plagues happen to the Egyptians.
Water turned to blood, swarms of pests like flies took over the land, and farm animals died.
The last plague was the death of all firstborn children, and after that the Pharaoh let the Hebrews go.
After they left, Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after them, but Moses parted the Red Sea and the Hebrews went across but the Egyptian army drowned trying to follow them.

Moses took his people to Mt. Sinai and God gave him the Ten Commandments.
He built the Ark of the Covenant to put the stone tablets into.

Moses lead his people through the desert for 40 years, and in that time God gave him over 600 laws to tell his followers so they could be safe living in the desert.


(from: wikipedia - moses)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Revelation

Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church, Liège

We just learned about the Reliquary of St. Maurus.

Another famous sculpture is the Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church, Liège made in 1107 in Belgium.

It is made of bronze, and the sculptures are in high relief.
High relief means that the parts of the sculpture stick out very far from the background.

The pictures on this sculpture are of the people that wrote the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
These people are sometimes called the Four Evangelists.

This is a baptismal font, which is a tub that gets filled with water for people to get baptized in.
It is still used even today.


(from: wikipedia - baptismal font at st bartholomew's church, liège)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Composition VII - van Doesburg

ASL - Green, Blue, Purple, Pink

We just the ASL signs for red, orange and yellow.

Let's learn more colors!

green - Make the hand sign for the letter G, and twist your hand back and forth.

blue - Make the hand sign for the letter B, and twist your hand back and forth.

purple - Make the hand sign for the letter P, and twist your hand back and forth.

pink - Make the hand sign for the letter P, and put your tall finger up to your chin and pull it down, sort of like the sign for red, but using your tall finger.

Here is a helpful video showing these signs:

Learn ASL colors with Fireese - Fun show for kids - My Smart Hands




(from: wikipedia - american sign language)

Italian: verde, blu, viola, rosa

German: grün, blau, lila, rosa

Spanish: verde, azul, morado, rosa

French: vert, bleu, violet, rose

Gangue

We just learned about slag.

The glassy chemicals that the blacksmith tries to remove from the iron ore are called Gangue.

One kind of gangue that is seen a lot is the rock Quartz.


(from: wikipedia - gangue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Steam Devil

Snake - Fangs

We just learned about the Snake Skull.

Another interesting thing about snakes is their fangs.

Some snakes have fangs that point straight down or almost a little forward, so they can poke people with their fangs.
Other snakes have fangs in the front of their mouth, but they curve backwards, so they can only bite something if they can get it into their mouth, but they will be able to hang on and not lose their bite.
There are even snakes with fangs in the very back of their mouth, so they really aren't able to bite much, but if they have managed to really get a deep bite on their prey they can use their venom.

The snakes fangs are all hollow, and fill up with venom that they get from inside their mouth, just like the saliva or spit that is in a human's mouth.


(from: wikipedia - snake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Yorkshire Terrier

Enteric Nervous System

We just learned about the Parasympathetic Nervous System.

Another part of the Autonomic Nervous System in the Peripheral Nervous System is the Enteric Nervous System.

This part of the nervous system is mostly in control of the body's digestion.


(from: wikipedia - enteric nervous system)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Heart Valves

Cascade Range

We just learned about the Olympic Mountains in the Pacific Coast Belt of the North American Cordillera.

Another mountain range in the belt is the Cascade Range which goes from British Columbia Canada, through Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

There are a lot of volcanoes in this mountain range, and for the last 200 years all of the volcanoes that have erupted in the lower US states were in the Cascades.

The most famous eruption was Mount St. Helens in 1980.

The famous people Lewis and Clark came through the Cascades mapping their way across the US.




(from: wikipedia - cascade range)


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Joseph

We just learned about the person from the Bible Leah.

Another person from the Bible is Joseph.

Joseph was the favorite of Jacob's 12 sons, and he had given Joseph a nice coat with lots of colors.
His brothers were so jealous of him being the favorite that they kidnapped him and sold him to some travelers.
The traveler went to Egypt, where Joseph worked for him for a long time and did very well.

Joseph helped the Pharaoh of Egypt understand some of his dreams, and the Pharaoh was so happy he made Joseph very powerful, almost like a prince that was more powerful than anyone but the Pharaoh himself.

A great famine came long where no one could grow food in their farms, and Joseph had been wise and saved up food to help people survive.
His family came to visit him, and he gave them food and a new home to stay in so they would be protected from the famine.


(from: wikipedia - joseph (genesis))


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