Kids Blog

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The story of the Phoenix comes from Ancient Egypt, where it is described as an Arabian bird. There is only ever one Phoenix at any one time. It was said to live for 500, or even 1,000 years.

When the Phoenix was reaching the end of its life span, it would collect twigs from sweet-smelling plants, and build itself a funeral pyre. The rays of the sun would set the pyre on fire, burning the Phoenix in the flames, until only ashes remained. From the ashes would emerge a new Phoenix.

Another version of this story has the Phoenix building itself a chrysalis of spices, like a caterpillar. It would then enter the chrysalis and die. A worm would then emerge from the chrysalis. It would grow wings, and become a new Phoenix.

The Phoenix is often used to symbolise resurrection and regeneration. Take a look at Questionable creatures : a bestiary to find out more.

I never thought I’d grow up to be a clown… but it’s a pretty fun job!  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a Big-Top, swing on a trapeze or balance on a tightrope?

Circus is getting to be a popular artform for adults and children alike, it’s lots of fun and it’s exercise, too!  If you want to learn, a good place to start is at Capital E, where next year they will be running courses for ages 8+ that cover the basics: Balance, trapeze and juggling!  You get a certificate at the end.

Is there anyone out there who already knows how to juggle?

I know sometimes that school can be a drag and you would rather be outside running around or watching T.V. But the next time you complain about having to do something you don’t like at school, think of the kids who had to work jobs instead. The Worst Children’s Jobs in History by Tony Robinson is full of the things that you should be glad never to even think about doing. For instance, there is being a Fuller’s Apprentice. The kid who got that lucky job had to stand in a barrel and tread wet wool to make it stronger to use. Now if doing that for 8-9 hours doesn’t sound that great, what made it wet was a disgusting combination of clay and stale urine. Yes, that’s right! Other peoples wee! Old wee too! The book has many more interesting jobs that will make you thank your mum and dad for yelling at you to get out of bed and get to school.

That you sometimes get called a pig if you eat too much – that’s because farmyard pigs will just keep on eating and eating until their stomachs burst and they die.

Why you burp when you have a fizzy drink? – It’s the carbon dioxide in the fizzy drink that makes this happen.  When we eat or drink we swallow air, and the air contains gases like nitrogen and oxygen. So a burp is just gas.

That a flea market doesn’t actually sell fleas – It’s the name of a street market that sells second-hand/used thingslanglang. That an electric eel isn’t really an eel, but a long fish that happens to be electric. The South American electric eel can electrocute and knock out a horse from 3 metres away. An earthworm has 10 hearts. Tarantula spiders can live up to 20 years. The lungfish, which lives in hot, dry deserts, can live without food or water for 4 years.

That our eyes stay the same size our whole lives, but noses and ears just keep on growing.

For more interesting facts check out ‘Everything You Need to Know about the World’, by Simon Eliot.

In Medieval times, from the 11^th – 14^th centuries, people believed in mythical and magical beasts. Monks made books called bestiaries, describing all the animals in the world. These books had descriptions of real and mythical animals, but the medieval people thought all the animals described were real.

Bestiaries were written by monks in rooms called Scriptoriums. They used a quill pen and ink, and wrote on paper called papyrus from Egypt, and later, on parchment or vellum. These books also had drawings of the animals. The books could take between three months to a few years to finish. Some of these books can be seen today in university libraries, museums, and private collections.

Bestiaries often contained descriptions of animals such as the camel, manticore, horse, bonnacon, unicorn, gryphon, crocodile, wolf, mermaid, panther, yale, serpent, hyena, satyr, elephant, tiger, phoenix and lion.

In medieval times people believed that lions ate and drank on different days, that they slept with their eyes open and were not afraid of anything except fire, the sound of wheels and white cockerels. If a lion was pursued, they believed it would hide its tracks by sweeping the ground behind it with its tail.  

 Check out Questionable Creatures: a bestiary to find out more.

I bet you have a Dr. Seuss book at home. Perhaps Green Eggs and Ham or The Cat in the Hat. Did you know that Dr Seuss’s real name was Theodor Geisel? Seuss was actually his mother’s maiden name. He also wrote under the name of Theo LeSieg which is Geisel spelt backwards. Dr. Seuss published his first book “And to think I saw it on Mulberry Street” in 1937 but only after he had previously presented it to 43 different publishers who all rejected it. He finally managed to get a friend to publish it. Dr Seuss went on to publish 48 books which have been translated into 20 different languages, making him one of the best selling authors of all time. Check out all the great Dr Seuss titles here at the library. See you next time. DJ

Next time you sit down to dinner have a look at the size of your dinner plate, and then imagine a spider sitting on it. The Goliath Bird-eating spider of South America would cover your dinner plate measuring in at 25-30 cm - that’s huge.  And yes just like it’s name suggests it does eat small birds which it drags from their nests after piercing them with their venomous fangs. Goliath will then carry it down to its burrow for a scrumptious dinner. Besides birds Goliath will eat frogs, snakes, beetles, lizards, bats and baby rats. Unlike the typical silent spider the Goliath bird-eater can make a loud hissing noise by rubbing the bristles on its legs together which is great for us because it lets us know to get up and run! If you want to find out more about Goliath and othe BIG things check out this new book Called “How Big Is It” by Ben Hillman. Talk to you soon. DJ

Have you heard of sumptuary laws? Well this is a special rule that controlled who could wear luxurious clothes and who had to dress in boring wool. Shocking! In China during the 1680’s, yellow clothes were banned for all except the emperor’s friends and family. In the 14th century only nobles in China were allowed to wear buttons because they were made out of jade. In England in 1337 King Edward III ruled that nobody less important than a knight could wear fur. Think it’s absurd? Beware! In 15th century Mexican law you were executed if you wore jewelry grander than was allowed! Craving for more fashion information? Check out the book “Would you believe…in 1500, platform shoes were outlawed?” Enjoy!

The Gryphon was said to have the body of a lion, and the top half and head of an eagle. It was believed to be bigger than eight lions, and to have the power of an hundred eagles. It was strong enough to carry a horse and its rider in its claws. The Gryphon would attack men and liked the taste of them.

The Gryphon hated horses, and fought off lions that came in hunt of the eggs it laid. It was believed to live in the mountainous caves of Southern India, and to hoard treasure in its cave lair.

Today the Gryphon represents valour and images of it can be seen in shields and emblems.