Monday Fun Fact May 8

 

The Stone of Destiny

image from The Daily Record

That big stone sitting under the throne is known as the Stone of Destiny.  It is also known as the Stone of Scone.

For centuries, this stone was associated with the crowning of Scottish kings. According to Encyclopedia Britannica,  the stone came to be encased in the seat of a royal coronation chair of Scottish kings centuries ago.  In 1296 the stone was moved to London where Edward I of England had a Coronation Chair built so that the Stone of Scone could be fitted under it.  This was to symbolize that kings of England would be crowned as kings of Scotland as well.

England's newest monarch, King Charles III will be crowned while sitting on the Coronation Chair that was built in 1307.  The chair is very old, but the Stone of Scone - the Stone of Destiny - is older!

This has been my last Fun Fact post.  I have loved sharing fascinating information with you, and I hope that you continue to search for fun facts in our fascinating world!

  

Monday Fun Fact May 1

 

Short Horned Lizard

image from iStock

The short horned lizard defends itself from predators by shooting blood out of its eyes.

This fact was given to me by Joey in 3rd grade.  Thanks, Joey!!

For a video, click here:

Lizard Defense

Monday Fun Fact Mar 20

 

Burrowing Parakeet

image from eBird

image from CNN

The burrowing parakeet can be found in Chile and Argentina's cliff faces.

image from Birds of the World

Burrowing parakeets have the same mate for several years, and they fly in flocks.

You can watch a video of other South America's birds here:

South American birds - so peaceful!

at 4:00 minutes - burrowing parakeet

Monday Fun Fact Mar 13

 Snickers Candy Bar

image from Theisen's

The Snickers candy bar was created in 1930 by Mars, Incorporated.

The candy bar is chocolate-coated peanut, caramel and nougat treat that was named after the Mars family's favorite horse. 

The candy bar was originally called Marathon bar in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but in 1990 the Mars company branded all of the bars Snickers Bars.

image from Snickers

Not all candy is made in a factory. You can watch a video of a professional candy maker here:

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/chocolatier-michael-laiskonis-chocolate-bonbons-video

Monday Fun Fact Mar 6

 The Slinky

image from iStock

The fun toy Slinky was invented by accident by Richard James in 1943.  Mr. James was trying to find ways to keep ship equipment steady while at sea, and he was experimenting with various types of springs.  He knocked over some of the spring samples, and he watched in amazement as they "walked down" instead of falling.   (Information from Museumofplay.org)

The toy began being sold in stores in 1945, and the "Slinky Song" became famous and helped to sell many of the toys.  Here is an old commercial:

Slinky Song

Slinky Manipulation became popular in 2010.  Slinky artists can twirl, spin, bounce, and jump the slinky toy in incredible ways.  Much like the yo-yo artists, the slinky artists are bringing new excitement to an old toy.  

Josh Jacobs, a Slinky manipulator, demonstrates his tricks in this video:

Slinky Manipulation

Note:  there is a brief audience reaction bleeped at 2m06s.

Monday Fun Fact Feb 27

 

Colorful Carnations

Here is a fun experiment to try with food coloring and white flowers.  The purpose of the experiment is to demonstrate "transpiration".  

Transpiration is the process through which water is pulled from the root of a plant to the stems and leaves and released into the air through tiny holes in the leaves.

When the water is released, the food coloring stays behind on the petals.

How to change flower colors

Monday Fun Fact Feb 20

 

Skipping Stones

image from Physics World

Well, we have all tried skipping stones!  Like flying a kite and riding a bike, once you learn the basics, you can usually do it.  However, it does take practice, practice, practice!  Warm weather or cold weather, if the water you trying to skip a stone on is liquid, you can try it. Kurt Steinert holds the world record for skipping a rock 88 times!  Start by finding a smooth round pebble. 

Here is a link to advice on how to skip a stone:

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-to-skip-stones-animation

Monday Fun Fact Feb 13

 

Lotería!

image from Google

Loteria is a traditional board game of chance.  It is similar to bingo, but instead of numbered ping pong balls, Loteria uses cards with images.  The player watches the card being dealt and then checks to see if the same image is one of the images on the player's gamecard.  If it is, the player gets to cover the image on the gamecard with a button or bean or token.

Loteria was originally developed in Italy and then moved to Spain and then to Mexico in the late 1760s.

Would you like to try a game?  Click on this link to play:

Loteria

Monday Fun Fact Feb 6

 

 Ramses II

King Ramses II was the third pharaoh of Egypt, and he was considered one of the most powerful of Egypt's kings.

King Ramses II was a strong military leader, and he expanded the Egyptian empire and had many temples and statues constructed.

image from World History Encyclopedia

The Abu Simbel temple, shown below, was discovered in 1813.  The temple has a unique feature:  on King Ramses II birthday, the sun shines down the passage directly onto the face of the statue of Ramses II.

image from Egypt Independent

image from Egypt Independent

Monday Fun Fact Jan 30

 

Bubble Tea

image from The Spruce Eats

Bubble Tea, also known as Boba Tea, is a drink made of tea, syrup, milk, and tapioca pearls.  This combination can include different flavors of tea and pearl, and not all of them include milk.

The drink is usually served cold, and the lid is often sealed so that the customer can shake the drink to mix up the flavors.  An oversized straw is punched into the cup to allow for the delicious "pearls" to get through.

Bubble Tea was created in Taiwan in the 1980s and spread to the US in the 1990s. 

Google created a game to play to celebrate Bubble Tea.  You can play it here:

Bubble Tea Game

Student Fun Fact!

image from Freepik

This fun fact comes from 3rd grader Joey Wandel :)

A frog uses its eyes to help swallow.

By pulling its eyeballs into the roof of its mouth, a frog can help push the food down its throat. 

Thanks for the fun fact, Joey!

Monday Fun Fact Jan 23

 

Lunar New Year

image from Daily Express

image from Woman's Day

The United States consider January 1 to be the start of the New Year.  However, for countries that follow a lunisolar calendar (a calendar based on the cycles of the moon and the sun), the Lunar New Year falls a few weeks later.  

The 2023 Lunar New Year therefore starts on January 22.

Dragon dances are performed to celebrate the new year.  These dances are performed to bring prosperity and good luck to the new year.

Here is a video of a dragon dance:

Dragon Dance

Monday Fun Fact Jan 16

 

Illusion

image from Little Passports

Is this a picture of a vase?  Or is it a picture of 2 faces?

This is an example of an optical illusion. 

An illusion is something that is wrongly perceived by our senses. An optical illusion tests what we see.

Here is another example of an optical illusion:

rooftop marbles

Monday Fun Fact Jan 9

 

Cereal Box Dominoes!

image from Adobe Stock

The Kid Should See This website came up with another awesome video:  a middle school in Long Beach, New York recorded the World Record toppling of 6,391 cereal boxes in the hallways of their school!  

The students collected boxes of cereal for local food pantries and decided to gather interest by trying to beat a Guinness World Record title before sending the boxes to the food pantry.

The students stayed after school to film, watch and cheer the event! You can watch it here:

Cereal Box Dominoes

Monday Fun Fact Jan 1

 

Light Painting

image from "The Kid Should See This"

Hannu Huhtamu is an artist who uses long exposure photography to "paint pictures" in the dark.

Hannu uses flashlights and other light sources to draw in the air.  Long exposure photography turns the light into pictures.

Here is a video about Hannu's art:

Light Painting