Microsoft Windows

We just learned about the Operating System.

One type of Operating System is called Microsoft Windows.

This is a program made by a company called Microsoft, that has their headquarters building in Redmond Seattle.
If you have a windows computer, when you turn it on it will start up Windows and let you do things like go to the internet on your web browser, work on spreadsheets, watch videos or listen to music.
The idea of "Windows" is that each of those different programs is in it's own little window space, and you can open or close as many windows as you want.

Windows first came out in 1985 with Windows 1.0.
Every year or two they make changes to Windows to try and make it faster or better, and come out with another Windows with a new name.
Sometimes they call it Windows and then a number that keeps going up, like Windows 1, Windows 2, Windows 3.11.
Other times they name it after the year it comes out, like Windows 95 because it came out in the year 1995.
And then some other times they give it a special name like Windows NT, Windows XP, or Windows Vista.

Whatever the name is, every time they came out with a new Windows they would give it a new name and add some new things it could do.





(from: wikipedia - microsoft windows)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tappet

Chinese Ferret-Badger

We just learned about the European Badger.

Another type of animal in the same family is the Chinese Ferret-Badger, also called the small-toothed ferret-badger or Melogale moschata.

This animal lives mostly in India and China, and grows to be about 40 centimeters long and weigh around 2 kilograms. Just like other badgers they have a face mask, and strong sharp claws, but they have a fuzzy tail.

These badgers are usually calm and quiet around humans and will sometimes live in wood or rock piles near houses, but if they get scared or feel threatened they will let out a very bad smell, almost like a skunk!


(from: wikipedia - chinese ferret-badger)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Patas Monkey

Choana

We just learned about the Vomeronasal Cartilage.

Another part of the nose is the Choana, also called the posterior nasal apertures or internal nostrils.

This is the part of the nose that is behind the nostrils, where the nose meets the throat.
You can breath through either your nose or your mouth, meaning that your throat or trachea is connected to both your nose and mouth.

The spot where the throat meets the nose area is the choana.


(from: wikipedia - choana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Turks and Caicos Islands

We just learned about the country of Martinique

Let's learn a little about the country of Turks and Caicos Islands!

This is a territory owned by Britain in the Caribbean Sea, and is southeast of Florida.
There are about 30 islands, with Caicos being the biggest ones and Turks the smaller ones.
They make up about 1,000 square kilometers, and about 57,000 people live there.
The people in this country speak either English, Creole or Spanish.


(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)

The flag of Turks and Caicos Islands has a blue background, with the British flag on the top left, and the coat of arms of Turks and Caicos on the right.
The coat of arms has a yellow shield with a conch shell, lobster and Melocactus.

The Melocactus that is found on the island has a red top that looks like a Turkish hat called a fez, which is where the island got the name Turks.


(from: wikipedia - flag of the turks and caicos islands)

To eat in this country you might have conch fritters.


(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)

Visiting this country you might go to one of the beautiful beaches on the island, like Columbus Landfall Beach, which was named this because some people think this is where Columbus first landed when he crossed the ocean.

(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)

There is a statue of the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the island, because after it went into outer space, it came down and splashed into the ocean right next to the Turks and Caicos islands and was brought to the island.

(from: wikipedia - turks and caicos islands)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Moldova

Up on the Housetop

We just learned about the Christmas Song Here Comes Santa Claus.

Another famous Christmas song is Up on the Housetop.

This song was writen in America by Benjamin Hanby in 1864.
It is the oldest Christmas song that is about Santa Claus.

This song was written right after the book "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" came out, which told the story about Santa landing up on someone's roof with the reindeer.
So people think that Hanby came up with the idea for his song from the story in the book.


(from: wikipedia - up on the housetop)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Amish

The Punishment of Haman - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We've learned about two of the corner stories from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings: David Slaying Goliath, and The Brazen Serpent.

Another of the corner pictures is The Punishment of Haman.

In the Bible book of Esther chapter 3, a man named Haman is trying to get the king to have all of God's Hebrew people killed.
Esther is the king's wife and she tells the king about it, and Haman is put to the death.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Street Crossing - George Segal

The chair is small

We just learned that in Hindi this house is big is यह घर बड़ा है (yah ghar bada hai).

Let's learn about more things we see every day.

To say The chair is small, we say कुर्सी छोटी है (kursee chhotee hai).

chair - कुर्सी (kursee) - sounds like k-er-see - 文A

small - छोटी (chhotee) - sounds like ch-hoh-tee - 文A

is - है (hai) - sounds like hay - 文A

So all together कुर्सी छोटी है (kursee chhotee hai) sounds like k-er-see ch-hoh-tee hay.


(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: Mwenyekiti ni mdogo

Russian: Стул маленький (Stul malen'kiy)

Norwegian: Stolen er liten

Greek: Η καρέκλα είναι μικρή

ASL: This chair is small

Italian: La sedia è piccolo

German: Der Stuhl ist klein

Spanish: La silla es pequeña

French: La chaise est petit