First Apology

We just learned about the Decian Persecution.

Another part of early Christian history is the First Apology.

The word apology used in this way comes from Greek, where it means a speech in defense.

There was a man named Justin Martyr who was a Christian long ago, and when Christians were being treated badly by the Roman empire, he wrote a letter called the First Apology.

It was a letter trying to explain that Christians were not bad people, and that the Roman empire should not treat them badly.

People did not like Christians because they thought they did not want to be part of the Roman empire, and wanted to start their own kingdom.
Justin wrote that they wanted to be in God's kingdom, but that was after they were in heaven.

There were some people that said Christians were bad people and caused lots of crimes.
He wrote that those people should be put in jail for their crimes, but not because they called themselves Christians, just because they did bad things.

He also used the word Logos which means something like "Word" or "talking with reason" to talk about Jesus and tell people about the Word of God.
People used the word Logos to say that someone was speaking with good reason.
So if Jesus was with Logos then he had to be good.


(from: wikipedia - justin martyr)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cleopas

Rajagopuram

We just learned about the Elephanta Caves.

Another famous Indian sculpture is the Rajagopuram Gopuram.

A gopuram is a tower with a lot of sculptures all over it, that is at the entrance of a Hindu temple.
The sculptures are usually telling Hindu stories, and have hundreds of sculptures all over them.

There are many gopurams all over India at different temples, but the tallest one is at the Ranganathaswamy Temple, in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India.

This temple area has 21 different gopurams around it that have been built over time for hundreds of years.
The tallest one in the temple is the Rajagopuram, which is 240 feet high was built in 1987.


(from: wikipedia - ranganathaswamy temple, srirangam)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya

Norwegian - They are excited

We just learned that in Norwegian I am happy is jeg er glad,
you are sad is Du er lei deg, and he is angry is Han er sint.

Let's learn how to say they are excited.

De er begeistret

They - De - Sounds like day

are - er - Sounds like ah-r

excited - begeistret - Sounds like bay-gay-s-treh-t

So all together De er begeistret sounds like day ah-r bay-gay-s-treh-t.


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: Είναι ενθουσιασμένοι

ASL: They are excited

Italian: Sono eccitati

German: Sie sind aufgeregt

Spanish: Ellos estan emocionados

French: Ils sont excité

SM-65 Atlas

We just learned about the R-7 Rockets.

Another famous rocket in history is the SM-65 Atlas.

After the Russians had developed missiles that could go from one continent to another, the USA worked to try and do the same so they could have the same kinds of weapons.

The SM-65 Atlas was the first rocket that the US made that was an ICBM, meaning it could fly all the way to another continent.

It was made in 1959, was over 75 feet tall, and weighed over 260,000 pounds.
The rocket fuel was liquid oxygen, held in thin stainless steel tanks that were held in place by the pressure of being full of fuel like a balloon.
It used radio guidance to keep it's path, and vernier rockets to help make small steering changes.

This rocket type was used for many years, and was the one used for the Mercury space program that launched American astronauts into orbit.


(from: wikipedia - sm-65 atlas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Richter Magnitude Scale

Flower Hat Jelly

We just learned about the Crystal Jelly.

Another type of Jellyfish is the Flower Hat Jelly.

These jellies live in the Pacific ocean near Japan and South Korea.
The grownup jellies only live for a few months.

They rest on the bottom of the ocean during the day, then at night they float up to catch their prey, like small fish.
It's bell is mostly clear with a few darker stripes on it.
Around the bell it has tentacles around the rim of their bell that it can use to sting prey.
If a person gets stung by a flower hat jelly they will usually just get a painful rash.

A full grown jelly can grow to be about 6 inches wide.
When they are just starting to grow up, they are usually less than 1 inch wide.




(from: wikipedia - flower hat jelly)


Welcoming Flower-hat Jellies! - Tennessee Aquarium


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Coconut Octopus

Fungiform Papillae

We just learned about the Filiform Papillae.

Another type of lingual papillae is the Fungiform Papillae.

Remember the lingual papillae are the bumps on the top of your tongue, and there are a few different types.

The fungiform papillae are shaped like a club, and are usually red.
They are mixed in along with all of the filiform papillae, but they are mostly found on the tip and sides of the tongue.

These bumps have taste buds, and can sense the five different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami.



(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Knee Ligaments

Castillo de Colomares

We just learned about the Chillon Castle.

Another famous castle is Castillo de Colomares, in Benalmádena, Spain in 1987 by an American doctor named Dr Esteban Martín Martín.

This is actually a monument, not really a castle.
It was built to honor the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus.

At a size of 1,500 square meters it is the largest monument to Christopher Columbus, but it also has a tiny church inside that is only 1.96 square meters.

It was made in a way to try and look like some of the different building and castle styles from when Columbus made his journey.
There are also parts of the monument shaped like a boat, for the trip he made across the ocean.






(from: wikipedia - castillo de colomares)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Zacatecas