Saturday, December 22, 2018

Noh Masks


We just learned about the The Great Buddha of Kamakura.

Another old Japanese sculpture was the Noh Mask.

For a while some of the people who followed Buddha did not really like sculptures of Buddha, so there were not a lot of sculptures made.

During this time there was a type of musical theater called Noh, where people wore masks and fancy outfits.

There are many Noh masks carved with different types of faces for happy, sad or angry.


(from: wikipedia - noh)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jane Brown Memorial - Flaxman

Friday, December 21, 2018

Norwegian Alphabet

We just learned how to Count to ten in Norwegian.

The Norwegian alphabet is just like the English one, except for three extra letters:

Æ, - sounds like the a in the word "bad".
Ø - sounds like the i in the word "bird".
Å - sounds like the aw in the word "yawn".


norwegian language
(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

The Greek alphabet: Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε, Ζ, Η, Θ, Ι, Κ, Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ, Ο, Π, Ρ, Σ, Τ, Υ, Φ, Χ, Ψ, Ω

ASL alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

The Italian alphabet looks the same as the English alphabet.

The German alphabet has the letters ä, ö, ü, ß

The Spanish alphabet:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G H, I, J, K, L, LL, M, N, Ñ O, P, Q, R, RR, S, T, U V, W, X, Y, Z

The French alphabet:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G H, I, J, K, L, M, N O, P, Q, R, S, T, U V, W, X, Y, Z

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Nell Rocket - Robert Goddard


We just learned about the L'Astronautique by Robert Esnault-Pelterie.

Another famous rocket was Nell made by Robert Goddard.

Goddard was a famous inventor who read about rockets in the books by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, and came up with the very first rocket that used liquid fuel.
He named it "Nell" and launched it in 1926.
His team launched 34 rockets, going over a mile and a half in the sky, and over 500 miles per hour.

The work he did with rockets helped get people interested in space travel and rockets.




(from: wikipedia - robert h. goddard)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Submarine Earthquake

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Cephalopod - Skin


We just learned about the Cephalopod - Cirrus.

Another interesting thing is the Cephalopod Skin.

Cephalods like the octopus or cuttlefish can change their skin color, or if their skin is bumpy or smooth.
A fancy word for this is polyphenism.

Their skin is made up of an outside layer that has gooey mucous and sensors to tell when it is being touched.

Underneath that top layer is a layer made of collagen, which is like a fatty cell that holds skin together.
There are also cells in that layer for changing the color of the skin.

Most of an octopuses body is made up of soft tissue like collagen, and their squishy body makes it so they can get through really small holes.
They don't have any hard parts of their body except the beak, so even a big octopus can squeeze through a 1 inch hole!


(from: wikipedia - cuttlefish)


Watch The Octopus Squeezing Through Very Tiny Spaces - Animals R Us


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Frogspawn

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Periodontal Ligament


We just learned about the Alveolar Process.

Another part of the mouth is the Periodontal Ligament, sometimes just called the PDL.

We learned that the tooth sits into the tooth socket bone.
The Periodontal Ligaments is a soft tissue that helps hold the tooth in place, and goes between the tooth cementum and the tooth socket.


(from: wikipedia - periodontal fiber)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Glenohumeral Ligaments

Monday, December 17, 2018

Mysore Palace


We just learned about the Pena Palace.

Another famous castle is Mysore Palace, in Karnataka India in 1912 AD.

There are actually seven palaces in Mysore, but the biggest one is called Mysore Palace.

The special way the building looks is called Indo-Saracenic, which means it mixes together different construction styles, like Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic.
It is three stories high and has a 145 foot high tower.

There are three main entrances to the palace, and also many secret tunnels going between the palaces.
On top of one of the buildings is a statue of the Hindu Goddess Gajalakshmi that stands for wealth and fortune.





(from: wikipedia - mysore palace)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Coahuila

Sunday, December 16, 2018

The Great Fire of Rome


We just learned about the Ante Nicene Period.

Another part of early Christianity is the Great Fire of Rome.

In 62 AD there was a big fire that burned for 6 days, and burned down many parts of the city of Rome.
No one is sure how the fire started, but after it was done the Roman Emperor Nemo blamed the fire on the Christian people living in Rome.

After that a lot of Christians were treated very badly, and sometimes even killed.


(from: wikipedia - category:great fire of rome)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Desert Mothers