Alhambra

We just learned about the Summer Palace.

Another famous castle is the Alhambra, built in 889 AD in Granada Spain.

This is the famous castle where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella met Christopher Columbus and sent him on his way to go on his trip to find America.

Poets from long ago called it a "pearl set in emeralds".
It has mountains all around it, with wildflowers and flowers around it.
The forest nearby has nightingale birds that sing at night, and many fountains around so the sounds are very relaxing.






(from: wikipedia - alhambra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sonora

Didache - The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles

We just learned about the Sabbath Day in Christianity.

Another part of early Christian history is the Didache - The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.

In the time that people were not sure what to believe or how to worship, there was a book people made with a lot of instructions, like some of the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer, and some rules about baptism or fasting.

It was called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, and sometimes called Didache which is the Greek word for Teaching.
The writings were made some time around the late 100s in AD, and were lost for almost 2000 years.



(from: wikipedia - didache)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Scholastica

Wooden Buddha - Enkū

We just learned about the Noh Masks.

Another famous ancient Japanese sculpture is the Wooden Buddha by Enkū.

In the 1600s in Japan there was a monk named Enkū who was also a poet and an artist who carved over 100,000 wooden sculptures of Buddha.

Sometimes he made these sculptures as payment for food and a place to sleep as he traveled around Japan.


(from: wikipedia - enkū)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spinning Girl - Schadow

Norwegian - Red, Orange, Yellow

We just learned about the alphabet in Norwegian.

Now let's learn some colors!

red - rød - sounds like dr-uh-ah

orange - oransje - - sounds like oo-dr-ah-n-sh-ah

yellow - gul - sounds like goo-l



(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: κόκκινο, πορτοκαλί, κίτρινο

ASL: red, orange, yellow

Italian: rosso, arancione, giallo

German: rot, orange, gelb

Spanish: rojo, naranja, amarillo

French: rouge, orange, jaune

De Laval Nozzle

We just learned about the Nell Rocket by Robert Goddard.

Another part of rocket science is the de Laval Nozzle.

When Robert Goddard was working on his rockets, he decided to use a type of nozzle that would have a pinch in the middle.
The smaller part of the nozzle puts pressure on the burning fuel, and it comes out at a supersonic speed, burning faster than the speed of sound.

The De Laval Nozzle was actually invented by a German engineer who came up with it for steam engines.



(from: wikipedia - de laval nozzle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Supershear Earthquake

Statocyst

We just learned about the Cephalopod Skin.

Another part of a squid's body is the Statocyst.

This is a sac inside the squid's head that has small hairs and a hard ball inside it.
When the squid swims around, the ball rolls around inside and moves the hairs, and the squid can tell which way it is swimming.

It also can use this statocyst to hear low sounds, when the sound is loud and the hairs are vibrating the sac.


(from: wikipedia - statocyst)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tadpoles

Gingiva

We just learned about the Periodontal Ligament.

Another part of the mouth is the Gingiva, also known as the Gums.

The gums are the soft part of the inside of the mouth, around the teeth.

The lips and cheeks have skin that moves around, but the skin of the gums stays stuck to the bones of the jaw, so they help hold the teeth in place and help protect the parts of the teeth below the gums.

Gums are supposed to be a color called "coral pink" for lighter skinned people.
If the gums are red or bleeding, it can mean that the person has bad mouth problems and needs to brush more or use mouthwash.


(from: wikipedia - gums)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Humeroradial Ligaments