Fun Friday Fact

A long time ago, people thought pumpkins could cure freckles!  You mixed mashed pumpkin and honey and smeared it over your face.

I see no reason to get rid of freckles. Freckles are super adorable. But if you really don't like your freckles, smearing pumpkin all over your face can hid them, but then your face will be covered with pumpkin!

Fun Friday Fact + give away

While we are in the midst of a huge winter storm that is predicted to leave record snow fall, it got me to wondering. What was the largest amount of snow fall recorded in 24 hrs?

Yeah, I really do wonder about stuff like that.

Turns out to have been 76 inches recorded in Colorado in 1921. That is over 6 feet of snow in one day!

I will have a prize for someone who leaves a comment asking another snow or blizzard related comment. Leave your question in a comment box below and I will choose a winner at random on Monday 2/11/13.

Fun Friday Fact

Fireflies are the state insect of Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

Ok so that is really totally fun, so here's another one:

Female fireflies of the Photuris genus mimic other firefly species flash patterns so that when a male from another species responds, she eats him.

Anybody know what the state insect is of Massachusetts?

Fun Friday Fact

Ready for this... Watermelons are vegetables. 

Really!

They are in the Curcubitaceae family and are related to cucumbers. 

Fun Friday Bubble Factoids

Bubbles are round. Molecules are lazy and round is the least energetic form for them to be in.

Ok, now I am pretty sure I've told you that before but I want to share some of my very favorite bubbly websites. There are many places on the web to find other bubble fans - most are way beyond the average preschooler and a few are even beyond the most avid lay science geek {blush}. I love, LOVE that super smart physicists love bubbles too.

For your reading and bubble blowing pleasure, click away...
Learning Express - basic bubble info that you know if you hang out with me
Soap Bubbles - for the lay science geeks, check out the When Bubble Meets Bubble photos
Education.com - some alternative recipes for bouncy bubbles, {sigh} few pictures but good content
Steve Spangler - he is my new science crush - not much on the page but links - follow them to bubbly goodness and fun - I want to make the swimming pool bubbles this summer.

Fun Friday Fact

Footprints on the moon will last forever - well at least as long as the moon since there is no erosion. No atmosphere means that there will be no wind or rain to destroy them.

Fun Friday Fact

September is National Honey Month. Yay bees!

Did you notice that I said, Yay bees and not Yay honeybees? Honeybees are not the only bees that make honey. Bumble bees make honey too. They don't have big colonies and don't produce extra so they only have small amounts for their babies.

Fun Friday Fact

Bull frogs gulp their dinner in mid leap. They open their mouths and can grab prey as they jump.

Bull frogs were named because their call sounds a bit like a cow.

Fun Friday Fact

Chipmunks can store up to 8 lbs of food in their burrows.

Not bad for a critter that weights between 1 and 2 oz.

Fun Friday Fact

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Really! They have taste receptors on their feet so when they land on a flower, they can tell if will be delicious.

Fun Friday Fact

If a worm gets chopped in two, the head end can regenerate into a fresh worm.

One other cool fact is that worms are hermaphrodites - that means they have male and female reproductive organs. They still mate with other worms by lining up next to each other so the opposite organs match up.

Happy Earth Day!

Fun Friday Fact

Chickens are the closest living relative of the T. Rex.

Puts a whole new spin on chickens!

Fun Friday Fact

A group of frogs is called an Army of Frogs!

And most frogs are already in camouflage. How cool is that?

Fun Friday Fact

If you turn an alligator over on its back, it will fall asleep.

Really! I've seen it with my own eyes.

Fun Friday Fact

Squirrels have a sweet tooth.

Red squirrels will bite the bark of sugar maples in the spring and lick the sap. Yum.

Fun Friday Fact

Could dinosaurs spit?

In the movie Jurassic Park, a Dilophosaurs spits venom in a man's face. Alas, there is no physical evidence that dinosaurs could spit. It takes a lot of muscle to spit and that probably would have left marks on the skeletons of dinosaurs.

There are snakes such as the Spitting Cobra that appear to spit venom, but they really just spray their venom. The have large muscles that allow them to eject venom quite accurately.

Check out this video of a spitting cobra, well spitting. It is under two minutes and very well done.

Fun Friday Fact

Polar bear fur isn't white. Honest! Polar bear fur is made up of clear hollow tubes that help to insulate the bears and keep them warm. Their skin is black and it is a combination of their fur, skin and a thick layer of blubber or fat under the skin that all work to keep the bears toasty in the cold arctic home.

Now before anyone starts correcting their teachers (and getting ME in trouble) and saying that polar bears aren't white, they -look- white because the clear fur reflects the light from the snow and ice of the area. They look yellowish sometimes from the oils in the foods they eat.

Check out more facts about polar bear here.

Friday Fun Fact

Turtles breath through their butts in the winter.

No, really, I'm not kidding.

Some reptiles bury themselves in the mud and go into a torpor - where they are dormant - others like turtles are active in winter. Turtles are not as active in the winter because the temperature is lower, but they do feed and swim around.

Reptiles breath air just like we mammals do. But in the winter with ice covering the surface of most fresh water, s0 they cannot come to the surface. Turtles have sacs in their cloacas (the science word for reptile butt) with lots of blood vessels so they can take the oxygen directly into their blood from the water.

If you don't believe me, check this more detailed explanation.