Ladder of Divine Ascent

We just learned about the Lavra caves for monks.

Another part of the life of monks was a writing called the Ladder of Divine Ascent.

This was a book that gave people some rules and ideas about things they should do to be better servants of God.

There were 30 steps to the ladder, and they covered things like obeying God, asking for forgiveness, not doing bad things, not thinking you are better than other people, and inner peace.

Many monks read these words and tried to follow them to be better servants.


(from: wikipedia - ladder of divine ascent)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Abel

Arc de Triomphe - Cortot

We just learned about the Rococo or Rocaille sculpture Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship by Duplessis in Paris 1757.

In art history, after Rococo came a type of art called NeoClassicism, which tried to make simple and pleasing all around.

One of the most famous Neoclassical sculptures is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France in 1806 by sculptor Jean-Pierre Cortot.

This arch was built to honor the people who fought and died for France.
The names of hundreds of soldiers are engraved all around the arch.

There are many sculptures all around the arch, like the four very detailed groups of sculptures on the pillars.
The sides have six relief sculptures, the arches have detailed sculptures, and even the ceiling of the arch has 21 sculpted roses.

The arch is in the middle of a part of the city with many roads leading to it.





(from: wikipedia - arc de triomphe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Archangel Ivory

Greek - Hello and Goodbye

We've now learned a whole year of ASL!
Wow!

Let's try another language now, how about Greek?

Greek is very different from the other written languages we know, because it's letters are very different.
Some of them are like English, like A and B, but others are very different, like Θ or Ξ!

Let's try to learn some words, and along the way we'll try to learn how to pronounce the letters too.

First let's learn how to say hello and goodbye.
There are a few ways to say Hello.

Hi - Γειά σου (Geiá sou) - Sounds like Yah-soo
This is like saying Hi to your friends.
It means "To your health", so you can say this for goodbye also.

Hello - Χαίρετε (Chairete) - Sounds like Hee-ay-day-tay
This is like saying hello to a grownup.
It means "Be happy", so you can say this for goodbye also.

Bye - Αντίο (Antío) - Sounds like Ah-dee-oh

The letters for these words are:

Γ (Gamma) ε (Epsilon) ι (Iota) ά (Alpha) σ (Sigma) ο (Omicron) υ (Upsilon)

Χ (Chi) α (Alpha) ί (Iota) ρ (Rho) ε (Epsilon) τ (Tau) ε (Epsilon)

Α (Alpha) ν (Nu) τ (Tau) ί (Iota) ο (Omicron)


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: Hello and Goodbye

Italian: Ciao, arrivederci

German: Hallo, Auf Wiedersehen

Spanish: Hola! Adiós!

French: Bonjour! Au Revoir!

Aftershock

We just learned about the Foreshock and Mainshock of an earthquake.

After the Mainshock comes the Aftershock.

When the earthquake passes it's strongest part of the mainshock, any of the other quakes or ground shaking is part of the aftershock.

Separating the earthquake into the three parts (Foreshock, Mainshock and Aftershock) helps earthquake scientists study each part of the quake, and learn about why the earth acts the way it does.


(from: wikipedia - earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Punching

Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog

We just learned about the Bornean Eared Frog.

Another type of frog is the Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog, also called the Amazon milk frog or blue milk frog.

This frog lives in the Amazon rainforest in South America.
They are about 4 inches long, with light grey and black bands on them.

The "milk" in their name comes from the milky liquid that comes off of their bodies when they get scared.
This gooey milk can help them slip away from an animal that is trying to eat them!


(from: wikipedia - mission golden-eyed tree frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Vietnamese Long Nosed Snake

Supraspinous ligament

We just learned about the Xiphoid Process in the chest.

Another two important pieces of connective tissue are the Supraspinous ligament and Nuchal ligament.

These ligaments are on the outside of the back of your spine, covering the bony part of the back of your spine.
The nuchal ligament goes from your head to the middle of your back, and the supraspinous ligament goes from your back all the way to the bottom of your spine.


(from: wikipedia - nuchal ligament)



(from: wikipedia - supraspinous ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Somatic Nervous System

Chiapas

We just learned about the Mexico state of Guanajuato.

Another Mexico state is Chiapas.
This state borders the Pacific Ocean, and the country of Guatemala.


(from: wikipedia - chiapas)

The coat of arms of Chiapas is a shield with a red background, for the dangers of the past.
There are two cliffs, with the Grijalva river in the middle, for the justice of the state.
On the left cliff there is a lion with a castle, for heroism and strength.
On the right cliff is a lion and a palm tree, for victory and protection.


(from: wikipedia - chiapas)

There are ancient ruins from over 1,000 years ago in a place called Palenque.


(from: wikipedia - palenque)

Chiapas has some of the oldest fossils found in North America, with one building uncovered from 700 BC, over 2,700 years ago!

(from: wikipedia - chiapa de corzo (mesoamerican site))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Alaska Range