Electric eel

We just learned a little about the Octopus.

There is an animal in the water called the electric eel that can shock you with real electricity!

Their shock is five times stronger than if you got electrocuted from a plug in your house!

(from: wikipedia - eletric eel)

Even though it's called an electric eel, it's really a type of fish called a knifefish and not actually a type of eel.

Electric eels have sodium and potassium chemicals in their body that store up electricity, almost like a battery, or like a static shock before you zap someone.
When they are ready to zap their enemy, they mix up another chemical in their body that causes the electricity to zap whoever is close enough or touching them.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cheetah

Tongue

We just learned about the Plantar Foot Muscles.

Your tongue is also a muscle!

There are eight different muscles in your tongue, with big long names:
genioglossus, hyoglossus, styloglossus, palatoglossus, superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, verticalis and transversus.

Your tongue is the most flexible parts of your body, all because of so many muscles.

You can move your tongue up, down, left and right. Stick it out or pull it in.
Some people can curl it back on top or bottom, fold it in half, turn it sideways, or even make it round or flat!

It's such an important muscle that we use every day!

(from: wikipedia - tongue)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hand Bones - Metacarpals

Israel

Israel is a small country in Asia.
It is right on the border of the continent of Africa, and it is the only country in Asia that touches Africa where it borders against the country of Egypt.
So if you wanted to drive from Asia to Africa, you'd have to drive through Israel!

(from: wikipedia - israel)

For lunch in Israel, you might have a felafel pita, kind of like a sandwich.

(from: wikipedia - israeli cuisine)

A very famous city in Israel is Jerusalem, which is very old and has a lot of history in the Bible.

(from: wikipedia - tourism in israel)

Natalie Portman is a famous actress from Israel.
She played Queen Amidala in the Star Wars movies.

(from: wikipedia - queen amidala)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Africa Continent

Jesus' Apostles - Matthew

We've learned about 6 apostles so far:
Fishermen Andrew and Simon Peter
Fishermen James and John who were brothers and sons of Zebedee.
Philip and Bartholomew who were from the same town as the others.

In another town, Jesus called a man named Matthew who was a tax collector.
In Jesus days tax collectors were usually not very good people, they cheated and stole from people when they collected taxes.
So when Jesus called on Matthew a lot of people were upset because they thought he was bad.
Jesus told them that he didn't come to help the people who were perfect, he came to help out the sinners.

(from: wikipedia - calling of matthew)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tenth Commandment

Moon Rille

We've learned so far about the lunar highlands and maria.

There are long deep marks like grooves on the moon that are called rilles.

(from: wikipedia - rille)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sputnik

Spanish - Do you speak Spanish?

To ask if someone speaks Spanish, you say hablas español /?/

It sounds like ah-blah-s ess-pan-yoh-l.

To say yes, you would say si, sounds like see.
Or no, which sounds just like the way you say it in English.


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
parlez-vous français

Pillow Lava

We just learned about Igneous Rocks that are made from lava.

Sometimes volcanoes can be underwater!

When they erupt, they make what is called pillow lava, because the lava rocks end up looking like pillows.

(from: wikipedia - pillow lava)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sound Waves

Octopus

The octopus is a strange looking animal, mostly because it has no bones!
The only hard part is their beak which they use to eat with.

The octopus has three hearts, two for their gills and one for the rest of their bodies.


(from: wikipedia - octopus)

Octopuses are very good at hiding and getting away from danger.
They can squeeze into small spaces since they don't have bones, spit out ink to confuse their enemies, change colors, and if an enemy grabs one of their legs they can even let it get ripped off!

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wild Turkey Snood

Plantar foot muscles

We just learned about the dorsal foot muscles, that are mostly responsible for lifting your toes up.

The foot muscles you use for scrunching your toes down are called the plantar foot muscles.
There are ten of them, with really big long names!

The big one that moves your big toe is called the abductor hallucis.


(from: wikipedia - abductor hallucis)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wrist bones - carpals

Japan

Japan is an island nation that is east of the big Asian continent.
It is made up of four large islands, and over 6,000 small ones!


(from: wikipedia - japan)

For dinner in Japan, you might have some sushi!

(from: wikipedia - sushi)

Mount Fuji is Japan's highest mountain, and it is also a volcano!

(from: wikipedia - mount fuji)

Ninjas and Samurais were ancient warriors from Japan.

(from: wikipedia - ninja)

(from: wikipedia - samurai)

Tokyo is the largest city in Japan, and the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 64 million people!

(from: wikipedia - tokyo)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Equator

Jesus' Apostles - Philip and Bartholomew

After Jesus had called Andrew, Simon Peter, James and John Zebedee he called two more apostles, Philip and Bartholomew.

They were also from the town of Bethsaida, same as Andrew and Peter.


(from: wikipedia - commissioning of the twelve apostles)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ninth Commandment

Moon - Maria

Let's keep learning about the Moon.

Last time we learned that the bright markings are called lunar highlands.

The dark markings are called the lunar maria.

The maria are darker because the ground there is made up of cooled lava from a long time ago.


(from: wikipedia - geology of the moon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hubble Space Telescope

Spanish - dog, cat

To say dog in Spanish, you say perro and it sounds like ped-er-oh /?/

To say cat in Spanish, you say gato and it sounds like gah-toe /?/


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
chien, chat

Igneous Rocks

We just learned about Volcanic Ash that comes out of volcanoes.

When hot lava cools down and turns into rock,
that type of rock is called igneous rock.


(from: wikipedia - igneous rock)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Batteries - Positive & Negative

Hyena

We just learned about the Aardvark.

Hyenas are known for living in the desert, and their laughing bark sound.

Many people think hyenas only eat dead animals and never hunt themselves,
but most hyenas really do go out and hunt their own prey!

(from: wikipedia - hyena)

When we see hyenas, we mostly think they act like dogs,
but in many ways they are actually more like cats.

They clean themselves with their tongues like cats do,
and they have a rough tongue like a cat does.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Polar Bear Skin

Dorsal Foot Muscles

We just learned about the Palmar Interossei Hand Muscles.

There are a lot of muscles in the foot, just to help you walk and keep your balance!

The first group of foot muscles we'll talk about are the dorsal foot muscles.

They have really fancy names extensor digitorum brevis and extensor hallucis brevis,
but you can just call them dorsal muscles.

They are used to help you straighten your toes, or lift them up toward your face.

(from: wikipedia - extensor digitorum brevis muscle)


(from: wikipedia - extensor hallucis brevis muscle)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Radius & Ulna

India

India is a very large country in Asia southwest of China.

(from: wikipedia - india)

For dinner in India, you might have tandoori chicken

(from: wikipedia - indian cuisine)

A great leader in India named Gandhi helped people by showing them how to fight back
against others without hurting anyone, called non-violence.

(from: wikipedia - mohandas karamchand gandhi)

One of the most famous buildings in the world is the Taj Mahal.
It was built by an emperor as a tomb for his wife after she died.

(from: wikipedia - tourism in india)

The third highest mountain in the world is in India, called the Kangchenjunga.

(from: wikipedia - tourism in india)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: South America

Jesus' Apostles - James and John Zebedee

After Jesus called Andrew and Simon Peter, he called two more apostles, James and John, sons of Zebedee.

They were also fishermen, and when Jesus called them they left their fishing boats and followed him.

(from: wikipedia - matthew 4:21)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Eighth Commandment

Moon - Highlands

We just learned about the Cat's Eye Nebula.

Let's learn a little more about the Moon!

We've already learned that the moon orbits the earth every 27 days or so.

And we learned about the first moon spacecrafts Luna 2 and Ranger 4 as well as the first people to walk on the moon in the Apollo 11 mission.

But what about the moon itself?

If you look at the moon you'll see that it has bright and dark markings on it.
The bright areas are called the lunar highlands, or terrae.

(from: wikipedia - geology of the moon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Big & Little Dipper

Spanish - Do you speak Spanish?

To ask if someone speaks Spanish, you say hablas español?.

It sounds like ah-blah-ss ess-pan-yole /?/
.


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
parlez-vous français

Volcanic Ash

We just learned about the rocks that are thrown from volcanoes called Tephra

Volcanic Ash is the smoky cloud that comes up from a volcano when it erupts.
Even though it just looks like smoke or steam,
the ash is actually made up of tiny bits of rock that are floating through the air.


(from: wikipedia - volcanic ash)

Volcanic Ash isn't like lava where it will melt everything in it's path,
but it can shoot out and cover areas for almost a thousand miles.
It can make animals or people sick, and just make a big mess covering everything up in a black mush.

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: USB

Aardvark

We just learned a little about the Flamingo.

Aardvarks kind of look like a cross between an anteater and a pig.
They have the pig nose, but it's a long nose with a tongue in it used to eat ants and termites.

They are so good at finding ants and termites that they can dig 2 feet deep in 15 seconds,
and they can eat as many as 50,000 of them in one night!

(from: wikipedia - aardvark)

Anteaters only eat one type of fruit, and because of that it's nicknamed the aardvark cucumber!

The cucumber needs the aardvark to eat it so that it's seeds will come out in the aardvark poop and grow somewhere else.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Corgis

Palmar interossei hand muscles

We just learned abou the Dorsal Interossei hand muscles.

The palmar interossei muscles in your hand are the muscles in between the metacarpal finger bones that are part of your hand.

They are used to squeeze your fingers together.

(from: wikipedia - palmar interossei)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Humerus

China

We've learned about a lot of countries in Europe, so let's move on to the continent of Asia!

We've already learned about Russia and Turkey that are both considered part of Europe and Asia.

The country with the most people in the entire world is China, they have over a billion people!
For every 1 person in the US, there are 3 people in China, wow!

China is a big country South of Russia.
It is the second largest country in the world.

(from: wikipedia - china)

For dinner in China, you might have a bowl of fried rice.

(from: wikipedia - chinese cuisine)

Shanghai is the largest city in the whole world, with over 23 million people.

(from: wikipedia - shanghai)

Over 2,000 years ago, an emperor in China decided to build a big wall to protect the land.
It's called the Great Wall of China, and it's over 5,000 miles long.

(from: wikipedia - great wall of china)

The tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest, and it is located partly in China.
(from: wikipedia - mount everest)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctica

Jesus' Apostles - Andrew and Simon Peter

When Jesus began visiting towns and teaching, he met two brothers.
They were fishermen named Andrew and Simon Peter.

Jesus told them that he would teach them to fish for men,
so that they could help spread the word of God and help people understand Jesus' teachings!


(from: wikipedia - andrew the apostle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Seventh Commandment

Cat's Eye Nebula

We've learned about the planetary nebula, and the clownface nebula.

There are even more cool things in space like this!

The Cat's Eye Nebula is actually a planetary nebula with a star inside of it!


(from: wikipedia - cat's eye nebula)

It's over 3,000 light years away, and is part of the constellation of Draco.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: North Star

Spanish - Please, You're welcome

Remember that to say thank you in Spanish, you say gracias.

To say please in Spanish is por favor.
It sounds like poh-d fah voh-d /?/.

And to say you're welcome, you say de nada and it sounds like day nah-dah /?/.


(from: wikipedia - Association of Spanish Language Academies)

Do you remember how to say it in French?
S'il vous plait, de rien

Tephra

We just learned about volcano Lava Domes.

When volcanoes erupt, sometimes they shoot out pieces of rock in the air.

These rocks are called tephra.


(from: wikipedia - tephra)

Sometimes volcanoes can shoot rocks almost a mile away from the eruption!



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Text Messages

Flamingo

We just learned about the birds called the Albatross.

Flamingos are pretty pink birds who like to stand on one leg.

Why do they stand on one leg?

Scientists think it's because their feet get cold!
Flamingos spend a lot of time standing in the water eating shrimp,
and if they just stand on one foot then the other foot can warm up.


(from: wikipedia - flamingo)

But why are grownup flamingos pink, when babies are white?
Scientists discovered that it's because flamingos eat lots of shrimp.
The shrimp have something called beta carotine in their bodies,
and that is what turns the flamingos pink.


(from: wikipedia - flamingo)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Deer

Dorsal interossei hand muscles

We just learned a little about the Lumbrical Hand Muscles.

The dorsal interossei muscles in your hand are the muscles in between the metacarpal finger bones that are part of your hand.

They are used to spread your fingers apart.

(from: wikipedia - dorsal interossei)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: False Ribs

Europe - Many nations

We just learned about the country of Switzerland.

Even though we've covered 23 different countries in Europe,
we're not even half way through all of them!

There are some very small countries that are just the size of a city!

Here is a list of 50 countries in Europe! Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (Scotland, England), Vatican City.

Wow! So many countries for an area of land that is smaller than most other continents!

(from: wikipedia - europe)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Australia

Jesus tested

We just learned about Jesus as a young boy.

Let's learn more about when Jesus was tested.

Some time after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, he was led out into the wilderness.

When he was out there, the devil tried to trick him into disobeying God.

Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days without eating or drinking, so he was very hungry!
The devil knew he was hungry, so he told him to use his power as the Son of God to turn stones into bread.
Jesus told him that he did not live just by eating bread, but on the word of God.

Then the devil said if he really was Jesus, that he should be able to jump off a cliff and have angels rescue him.
Jesus told him that you should not put God to the test like that.

Next the devil offered him all of the kingdoms in the whole world!
Jesus told him that he would only worship the Lord God.

After that the devil left him and Jesus left the wilderness.


(from: wikipedia - temptation of christ)



Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sixth Commandment