Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

We just learned about the Down to the River to Pray.

Another famous African American spiritual is Michael, Row the Boat Ashore.

During the Civil War the Union troops of the north were fighting to end slavery, and the Confederates of the south were fighting to keep it.
When the northern Union troops came down to South Carolina, they freed the slaves and the southern Confederates ran away.

On one of the islands in South Carolina called Saint Helena Island, there was an old farm where people that used to be slaves were still working to keep the farm going.
When a man named Charles Pickard Ware came down to see how the freed slaves were living, he was in a boat with them and they were singing this song.
He wrote it down and shared it with others to show that the slaves were good Christian people and should never have been made slaves.

The song talks about Michael, which most people think is supposed to be the angel Michael that the Bible talks about.
Michael is rowing the boat ashore, and the song is about woring to a great place with milk and honey on the other side, which is supposed to be heaven.

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah. Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah.
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
The River Jordan is chilly and cold, hallelujah. Chills the body but not the soul, hallelujah.
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
The river is deep and the river is wide, hallelujah. Milk and honey on the other side, hallelujah.
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah. Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.


(from: wikipedia - michael, row the boat ashore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: It Is Well With My Soul

Sagrestia Nuova - Medici Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting of The Last Judgement.

Another famous work of art by Michelangelo is the Sagrestia Nuova that he made for the Medici Chapel in Florence Italy, in 1524.

The Medici family was very rich, and also really liked sculptures, so before they died they paid Michelangelo to make sculptures for them in a church.
He made the Sagrestia Nuova, which means New Sacristy, which is a name for a room in a church.

In the church he made statues of people that were supposed to be for Day and Night, Dawn and Dusk.
This was because he wanted people to think about how time passes by from day to night and dawn to dusk.


(from: wikipedia - medici chapel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Circles of Time - Alan Sonfist

Hindi - Saturday, Sunday

We just learned that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Hindi is सोमवार (somavaar), मंगलवार (mangalavaar), बुधवार (budhavaar), and Thursday, Friday is गुरूवार (guroovaar), शुक्रवार (shukravaar).

Let's keep learning the days of the week!

Saturday - शनिवार (shanivaar) - sounds like shah-ee-vah-r 文A

Sunday - रविवार (ravivaar) - sounds like rah-vee-vah-r - 文A



(from: wikipedia - devanagari)

Swahili: Jumamosi, Jumapili

Russian: Суббота (Subbota), Воскресенье (Voskresen'ye)

Norwegian: Lørdag, Søndag

Greek: Σάββατο (Sávvato), Κυριακή (Kyriakí)

ASL: Saturday, Sunday

Italian: Sabato, Domenica

German: Samstag, Sonntag

Spanish: Sabado, Domingo

French: Samedi, Dimanche

Crude Oil

We just started to learn about Making Oil, which is also called petroleum.

One part of making oil is Crude Oil.

Before oil can be used in car engines or used to make things like plastics, it has to be cleaned up.
Almost like drinking water from a river might have a bunch of dirty things in it, oil can be the same way.

Crude oil means oil that is just found underground, and has to be cleaned up.
Sometimes it is floating above some water and below some gas, and doesn't need much cleaning.
Other times it is mixed up with sand and has to be filtered out. This is called bitumen or asphalt.
Other times it is thick almost like jelly and has to be made into more of a liquid. This is called heavy oil.


(from: wikipedia - petroleum)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Carburetor

Sea Otter

We just learned about the Asian Small-Clawed Otter.

Another animal in the same family is the Sea Otter, also called Enhydra lutris.

Just like you would think from their name, these otters spend most of their lives living in the sea.
They are able to go walk on land, but they are so good in the water they can just live there without ever going on land, even for sleeping!

Sea Otters live in the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean.
They are about 1 meter long, weigh about 30 kilograms, and are the heaviest of any of the animals in the weasel family.
They eat a lot of things like clams that they need to break open, so they have learned to take rocks and smash them on the shells to break them.

Most of the animals that spend time in the cold ocean waters have thick fat called blubber in their body, but these animals just have the thickest fur of any animal in the world, and that helps keep them warm.
Sea Otters can close up their noses and ears to keep water from getting in while they are swimming around.
Even when they are not swimming they can float, and sometimes they will snuggle up together with bunches of other otters and that is called a "raft" of otters!
They can hold their breath for five minutes, and sometimes to keep from floating away they will wrap themselves in kelp.



(from: wikipedia - sea otter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Collared Mangabey

Olfactory Bulb

We just learned about the Olfactory Receptor Neuron.

Another part of how noses work is the Olfactory Bulb.

This is a part of the brain right in the front that takes the messages from the Olfactory Receptor Neuron.
The neuron sends messages to the bulb, and the bulb figures out what the smells mean and sends those messages to the rest of the brain so you know what you are smelling.


(from: wikipedia - olfactory bulb)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Limitless Replication

Montserrat

We just learned about the country of British Virgin Islands

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

This country is in Caribbean.
It is about 102 square kilometers, and about 4,600 people live there.
The people in this country speak English and Irish.


(from: wikipedia - )

The flag of Montserrat is blue, with the British flag in the upper left. On the right is a woman named Erin who stands for Ireland, holding a harp and a cross to honor the Irish people who moved there.


(from: wikipedia - flag of montserrat)

To eat in this country you might have goat water, which is a type of stew made with goat meat and spices.


(from: wikipedia - goat water)

Visiting this country you might go see Soufrière Hills, which is an active volcano that has erupted many times and destroyed many parts of the island.


(from: wikipedia - soufrière hills)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wales