Croatia

We just learned about the country of Bulgaria

Let's learn a little about the country of Croatia!

Croatia is in central eastern Europe, on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is across the sea from Italy.
There are about 4 million people in Croatia, and it is about 57,000 square miles.


(from: wikipedia - croatia)

The flag of Croatia is red, white, and blue with the coat of arms of Croatia on the middle.
The colors are for the three old kingdoms of Croatia:
- Red and white - Croatia
- Blue and white - Slavonia
- Blue and yellow - Dalmatia

The coat of arms has a red and white checkerboard for the old kingdom of Croatia, and then five small shield shapes for the history of the different people that lived in Croatia: - Croatia - A gold star over a crescent moon on a blue background
- Dubrovnik - Two red stripes on a dark sheild
- Dalmatia - Three yellow crowned leopard heads
- Istria - A golden goat on a blue background
- Slavonia - A gold star over a picture of a black marten with a red and white background


(from: wikipedia - flag of croatia)

To eat in Croatia you might have pašticada, which is like beef stew with bacon, garlic, onions and spices.

(from: wikipedia - pašticada)

Diocletian's palace is an ancient palace built around 500 AD for the Roman emperor Diocletian.

(from: wikipedia - diocletian's palace)

There is an ancient Roman arena that was made around 27 BC, and is the only Roman ampitheater that still has all of its four side towers.

(from: wikipedia - pula arena)


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Swiss Guard

We just learned about the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Another part of early Christianity is the Swiss Guard.

In 1505 AD, the Pope asked for the Switzerland to send guards to help protect the Pope and where he lived.
For hundreds of years, the people that guard the Pope have been a group of soldiers from Switzerland, making up the Swiss guard.

Their uniforms are blue, red, orange and yellow, and they usually carry a long staff called a halberd, and also some other weapons.


(from: wikipedia - swiss guard)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gregorian Chant

Dogon Mother and Child - Jerry Harris

We just learned about the sculpture Bearing Witness by Martin Puryear.

Another famous American sculpture is Dogon Mother and Child by Jerry Harris.

Jerry Harris was an artist who made sculptures in abstract art, using mostly wood and metal.
He was born in Pennsylvania in 1945, and then later moved to England and Sweden to learn more about art.
When he was 53 years old he moved back to America.

His sculpture is an abstract picture of an African Dogon woman and her child.


(from: wikipedia - jerry harris (artist))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Rescue - Horatio Greenough

Swahili - Six, seven, eight, nine, ten

We learned in Swahili that 1-5 is moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano.
Now let's count up to ten!

6 sita - sounds like see-tah - 文A

7 saba - sounds sah-bah - 文A

8 nane - sounds like nah-nay - 文A

9 tisa - sounds like tee-sah - 文A

10 kumi - sounds like koo-mee - 文A



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

Do you remember how to say it in other languages?

Russian: шесть (shest'), семь (sem'), восемь (vosem'), девять (devyat'), десять (desyat')

Norwegian: seks, syv, åtte, ni, ti

Greek: έξι, εφτά, οχτώ, εννέα, δέκα

ASL: Six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Italian: sei, setto, otto, nove, dieci

German: seis, sieben, acht, neun, zehn

Spanish: seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez

French: six, sept, huit, neuf, dix

Blastpipe

We just learned about the Brake Hose.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Blastpipe.

Remember we learned about the firebox where the coal burns, and the boiler where the water heats up and makes steam.

For the fire to keep burning, it needs fresh air.
The blastpipe is connected to the boiler and the firebox and the chimney.
When the boiler lets off steam, it helps pull air through the firebox, and then all of the smoke and steam goes shooting out the chimney.


(from: wikipedia - blastpipe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Valve Seat

Cyprus Cat

We just learned about the Chantilly-Tiffany cat.

Another type of cat is the Cyprus Cat.

In the country of Cyprus there is a grave from almost 10,000 years ago with a person buried next to their pet cat.
It is the oldest grave anyone has found showing that humans kept cats as pets.

Some people say that this type of cat came from that line of original pets.

Other people think they came from in 328 AD when Saint Helen the mother of Emperor Constantine sent hundreds of cats to a monastery in Cyprus to help control the snake problem they were having.

There is even still an old monastery in the Cyprus town of Akrotiri called the Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats.

Wherever they came from, the Cyprus cats have thick hair and have lots of energy and are very good at jumping and running.
They can have different types of white or brown fur, but no spots, and their ears stick out in a V shape instead of straight up.


(from: wikipedia - cyprus cat)


(from: wikipedia - akrotiri (village))

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Phagocytosis

We just learned about the Spleen.

Another part of the lymphatic system is the Phagocytosis.

Some of the white blood cells we learned about get rid of bad things in our body in different ways.
One of the ways they do this is by using phagocytosis, which is wrapping their whole body around the bad bacteria, almost like they are eating it.
Then once the bad thing is surrounded, they break it down into pieces and get rid of it.


(from: wikipedia - phagocytosis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Photoreceptor Cells