Driving Wheel

We just learned about the Leaf Spring.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Driving Wheel.

When the steam power moves the pistons, it is connected to rods that turn the wheels.
Only some of the wheels are connected to these rods, and they are called the driving wheels.
The other wheels are just holding up the train and they turn just because the driving wheels are pulling the train along.

This is the same for most other things with wheels too, like the pedals on a bicycle usually only turn the back wheel of the bike.


(from: wikipedia - driving wheel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gasket

Egyptian Mau

We just learned about the Asian Semi-longhair.

Another type of cat is the Egyptian Mau.

These cats can be lots of different colors, like grey, black, brown, yellow, or even blue.
They all have green eyes, spots on their fur, and a long black line that goes down their back.
On their head they can either have the M shape like a tabby cat, or a shape that some people think looks like a scarab beetle.

Egyptian Maus are one of the oldest types of cats, and many people think they are where other house cats came from.
They have long back legs, which helps them run fast.
These are the fastest cats in the world, running over 30 miles per hour!





(from: wikipedia - egyptian mau)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Amebocyte

Pathogen

We just learned about the Thymus.

All of these parts of the lymphatic system help fight against bad things called Pathogens.

A pathogen is a living thing that can cause you to get sick.
It could be a virus, bacteria or other type of living thing that can get into your body.

The different types of cells in the lymphatic system like T cells or all work together to fight these pathogens, and keep your body healthy.

The science of these living things is called a microbioly, and the science for how these living things can hurt the body is called pathology.
(from: wikipedia - pathogen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eye Movement

Cyprus

We just learned about the country of Croatia

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

This country is an island that is in the Mediterranean sea, off the southern coast of Turkey.

A little over a million people live in Cyprus, and it is only about 3,500 square miles.

The people living on this island are mostly either Greek or Turkish.
In Greek, the name for the island was Kupros, and there was so much copper on the island, that the word "copper" we use comes from the name of the island.

A person living on this island would be called a Cypriot.


(from: wikipedia - cyprus)

~ The flag of Cyprus has the shape of the island in orange, the color of copper that is mined in Cyprus.
It also has olive branches, for the peace they want to have between the Greek and Turkish people.

(from: wikipedia - flag of cyprus)

To eat in Cyprus you might have haloumi, which is a type of cheese made from goat and sheep's milk.

(from: wikipedia - cypriot cuisine)

One of the oldest schools still in use in the world is the Pancyprian Gymnasium made in 1812.


(from: wikipedia - pancyprian gymnasium)

Another famous place in Cyprus is the Church of Christ Antiphonitis, that was built before 1200 AD.

(from: wikipedia - antiphonitis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mount Erebus

Ninety-Five Theses

We just learned about the Swiss Guard.

Another part of early Christianity is the Ninety-Five Theses.

In the year 1517, a man named Martin Luther who was a monk and a priest disagreed with some of the things that the Catholic Church was doing.

In those days if someone sinned, they had to ask for forgiveness, but also pay money to the church, and this was called an indulgence.
Luther did not think it was right for people to pay money for sins, so he wrote a paper with his ideas as to why it was wrong, and called it his 95 theses.

He took them to the church and nailed them to the door, which was what people usually did when they wanted to talk about a problem.
His paper caused a lot of people to fight about his ideas, and many people were very upset with him for writing this paper, and demanded that he take it back.
He did not, and that caused a lot of changes in the future of the church.


(from: wikipedia - ninety-five theses)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saint David

Winged Man - Richard Hunt

We just learned about the Dogon Mother and Child by Jerry Harris.

Another famous American sculpture is Winged Man - Richard Hunt.

Hunt was born in Chicago, and grew up learning about art.
He started making sculptures in the 1960s when it was a difficult time for African American people to be allowed to make public sculptures.

There are many of his sculptures all over Chicago and the US, like the Winged Man sculpture made in 1987 in Chicago.


(from: wikipedia - richard hunt (sculptor))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Charles Sumner - Thomas Ball

Swahili Alphabet

We just learned how to Count to ten in Swahili.

The Swahili alphabet looks pretty much like the English one, but there are some letters missing, and some grouped letters that sound different.

Swahili does not use the letters q or x, and the letter c is always grouped with the letter h for a ch sound like in the word chew.

The grouped letters are ch, dh, gh, kh, ng', ny, sh, th and ts.

ch - like "ch" in chew
dh - like "th" in they.
gh - like the French "r" letter, which is made by almost closing up the back of your throat and then making a sound.
kh - like a cat hissing sound with the back of the throat.
ng' - like "ng" in ringer.
ny - like saying nyah nyah.
sh - like "sh" in shed.
th - like "th" in thumb.



(from: wikipedia - swahili language)

The Russian alphabet: Аа, Бб, Вв, Гг, Дд, Ее, Ёё, Жж, Зз, Ии, Йй, Кк, Лл, Мм, Нн, Оо, Пп, Рр, Сс, Тт, Уу, Фф, Хх, Цц, Чч, Шш, Щщ, Ыы, Ээ, Юю, Яя

The Norwegian 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, Æ, Ø, Å 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