Author Archives: Cris

Hiccups

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Hic, Hic, Hic – got the hiccups ey?

  • Hiccups are known as ‘Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter’ or ‘singultus’ in medical terms.
  • Hiccups or singultus comes from the Latin word ‘singult’ which means ‘the act of catching ones breath while one is sobbing’.
  • Hiccuping can be caused by quick eating, soft drinks, alcohol, dry breads, some spicy foods and laughing.
  • Hiccups repeat many times a minute.
  • The hiccups can be self-cured easily.

Sound Clip: Hiccup 

Sound courtesy of Mike Koenig /Sound Bible
  • American Charles Osborne had hiccups for 68 years (1922- February 1990) and won a Guinness World Record.
  • Only mammals can have hiccups.
  • Hiccups are also commonly known as hiccoughs.
  • An arc reflex involving the diaphragm and glottis make the ‘hic’ noise.
  • Hiccups are normally only treated for long, continuous durations.
Bibliography:
Hiccup 12 November 2012 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiccup>

Monster Truck

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Monster Truck

Big, no huge, no enormous, no GIGANTIC!

  • The first monster trucks were pickup trucks with large wheels and suspension.
  • Lots of monster truck competitions and shows contain doughnut, jumping, and crushing cars performances.
  • The first monster trucks were invented around the late 1970s.
  • The modern monster truck looks like and literally is a four wheel drive dune buggy.
  • The first trucks were made to claim the title of the ‘Worlds Biggest Truck’ competition.

Monster Truck, Supercross, Superx, Devil's Taxi, Ten Random Facts

  • At the competition, the monster trucks ‘Bearfoot’, ‘King Kong’ and ‘Bigfoot’ gained the most attention.
  • Monster trucks have steering mechanisms at the front and the rear so they can turn sharper corners.
  • Drivers must wear fire suits, safety harnesses and helmets, as well as head and neck restraints.
  • Monster trucks have three switches which can cut off  its electricity and engine if anything goes bad.
  • The most famous and most popular monster trucks are ‘Bigfoot’ and ‘Grave Digger’.
Bibliography:
Monster Truck 20 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_truck>

Wool

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Wool

Fluffy or thin, heavy or light, all wool is different as well as all these facts.

  • Wool is the coat of a sheep which is shorn off usually once a year.
  • There are over 1 081.8 million wool bearing sheep in the world and all the sheep put together produce approximately 1.27 million tonnes (1.3 million tons) per year.
  • Wool is transported in approximately 200 kg (440 lbs) bags, or bales.
  • Pure wool can be cream, grey, brown or black in colour.
  • The merino is the best sheep for wool breeding since it produces heavy, good quality, fine wool.Brown Cream Grey Wool in a basket, Ten Random Facts 
  • Australia is the biggest producer of wool in the world, followed by New Zealand, and China.
  • Wool is excellent at keeping heat in and cold out, is flame resistant and can be woven into cloth and yarn.
  • Wool can absorb liquids up to 1/3 of its own weight.
  • To make wool ready for retail sale, it is scoured, combed, dyed, spun, woven and finished.
  • As well as clothes and rugs, wool can be used in pianos and stereo speakers.
Bibliography:
Watson, T & Watson, J 1980, Wool, Wayland Publishers, England

Potato

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Potato

Potatoes are a very interesting plants with a oval shape.

  • Potatoes are grown underground, in the soil and are categorised as a tuber.
  • Potatoes mostly contain a carbohydrate called starch.
  • The potato is believed to be first grown by the Incas.
  • There are over 100 different types of potato.
  • Potatoes come in a variety of colours including brown, green, yellow, red and purple.

Washed white potato, Ten Random Facts, Stub

  • Stubs, or newly harvested potatoes, can shoot and grow into a new potato plant.
  • Potatoes were the first vegetable to be grown in space.
  • When food was short in World War I and II, potatoes were commonly eaten as they were easily grown.
  • Potato plants are usually sprayed with chemicals after harvest, to kill remaining foliage.
  • Potatoes are rich in fibre and vitamins and contain barely no fat.
Bibliography:
Bentley, J 2005, Potatoes, Chrysalis Children’s Books, United Kingdom

Dr Seuss

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Dr Seuss

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant. Ten Facts are faithful one-hundred percent!” ― Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg.

  • Dr Seuss (pen name), or Theodor Seuss Geisel (full name) was a writer, illustrator, poet and cartoonist.
  •  As well as Dr Seuss, Seuss also wrote under pen names of Theo Leseig and Rosetta Stone.
  • Dr Seuss was born on 2nd March, 1904 and died at the age of 87 on 24th September, 1991 due to throat cancer.
  • Dr Seuss wrote over 60 books, 46 of them children books.
  • Dr Seuss was a perfectionist, meaning he could spend a whole year on a single book.

Dr Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Theo Leseig, Rosetta Stone, The Cat in the Hat, Author, Cartoonist, Ten Random Facts, Photobucket

Dr Seuss
Image courtesy of Photobucket
  • Dr Seuss was married to his first wife, Helen Palmer in 1927, a fellow author and never had children of his own.
  • In 1943 Dr Seuss joined the army as a captain, and was the commander of the Animation Department.
  • In 2009 alone, Dr Seuss’  books Green Eggs and Ham sold 540,366 copies, The Cat in the Hat sold 452, 258 copies and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish sold 409, 068 copies – which were more copies sold than most of newly published children books at that time.
  • Dr Seuss used the pen name Theo Lesieg when he wrote a book but didn’t illustrate it.
  • Much of Dr Seuss’ work, including some of his children’s books, had a more political theme. 
Bibliography:
Dr Seuss 30 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss>

Amazon:     
                    Dr Seuss Books

Archery

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Archery

Steady… aim… FIRE… the arrow.

  • Archery is the practise of shooting arrows using bows made from flexible materials.
  •  The word ‘archery’ comes from the Latin word ‘arcus’ which means bow or arc.
  • Ancient Egyptians practised archery and used it commonly in battle.
  • The arrows are normally made from either wood, fibreglass, aluminium alloy, or carbon fibre, and the bow string, from dacron or kevla.
  • Traditionally bows were made from sap wood, however, today they are usually made from layers of composite materials, including fibreglass, wood and carbon.
Target Archery, Arrows, Ten Random Facts, Hay bales, Target, Multiple, Colour, Many, Free Digital Photos
Target Archery
Image courtesy of Kongsky/ Free Digital Photos
  • Archers use special equipment (a bracer, finger tab and thumb ring), to protect the bow and arrows and the archer’s body.
  • When shooting a bow, you should be perpendicular with your target and your feet should be a shoulder’s width apart.
  • These days, archery is mostly used for hunting and target shooting, and is normally done in a standing position or mounted on a horse.
  • Archers compete in competitions that test accuracy including the Olympic games, where it was introduced in the program for the first time in 1900.
  • In the United States, approximately 9 million people practise archery every year, according to surveys from the Archery Trade Association.
Bibliogaphy:
Archery 2 November 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archery>

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