The Sun

We don't often think about the Sun, even though it is something that we see everyday. The surface of our Sun is about 5800 degrees and the Sun's middle is over 10 million degrees in temperature. The Sun is 93 million miles or 150 million km away from the Earth. If it were possible to drive to the Sun at 60 miles per hour, it would take 176 years to get there! If there were no Sun for light, heat and energy -- the Earth would be a dark, frozen ball. Living things could not exist without the Sun, just like eternal life is not possible without God's Son!

Elephant Facts

The elephant is one of the most unusual creatures that God made. The elephant's trunk makes him most unique. It is used not only for drinking and bathing but for smelling, breathing, feeling, and grabbing food. At the end of the trunk there is a "finger" for picking up things, such as a berry or even a branch. Elephants also use their trunk as a snorkel when crossing deep rivers. They snack on grass, fruit, leaves, branches, bark, and twigs. Because they are so large and because about 60 percent of what they eat passes through without being digested, elephants spend about 16 hours a day searching for nearly 350 pounds of food. They drink about 18 gallons of water a day and can live up to 60 years.

Bible Foods

In Bible times, bread was the basic food each day. Wheat, buckwheat, and barley could be toasted over an open fire and eaten fresh. These could also be ground into flour for baking bread on hot stones. The common man could not afford to eat meat except on special occasions, such as Passover. However, the Bible kings ate a variety of meats, such as: oxen, goats, sheep, deer and geese. Other foods that were also widely served include: hyssop, mint, thyme, eggs from wild birds, butter, honey and cheese made from sheep's milk.

The Planet Venus

Venus is called the twin to our planet Earth because they are the same in size and mass. Even though Venus is our closet neighbor of the planets, there are many differences. A day on Venus lasts for 242 Earth days and the surface temperature is 887 degrees Fahrenheit. The beautiful, thick clouds of the atmosphere cover a dry, dusty desert. It even rotates in the opposite direction than we do!

The Rainbow

The rainbow is an arch of light displaying the spectrum colors in their order. It is caused when sunlight enters a raindrop and is bent by the drop in such a way that the light appears as separate colors. In the brightest bow, often the only one seen, the colors are arranged with the red outside. There is also a second bow above the perfect bow, in which the colors are arranged in reverse order. But this bow is dimmer because of a double reflection within the drops. The first rainbow ever seen was given as a promise to Noah and his family that God would not destroy the world again by flood, (Genesis 9:13). The next time that you are blessed to see a rainbow, remember God's many promises and look closely for the bonus bow!

The Nile River

The Nile River begins in Africa and ends at the Mediterranean Sea. It is over 4,100 miles long and is the world's longest river. The Nile winds a path through swamps, mountains, and deserts, collecting particles of sand, mud, and minerals, as it flows. These black particles settle in the Nile delta and make the land of Egypt very fertile. The Nile is the main source of life for the Egyptian people. The Bible mentions the Nile many times: Moses' basket was found in it; God turned Nile's water into blood; and the plague of frogs came from it. The ancient Egyptians called the river "Hapi" and worshiped it instead of the one true God.

Koala Bears

The fully-grown koala is about 30 inches long and weighs 12-26 pounds. Yet they are only about the size of a bee, when born, and are carried in their mother's pouch until more developed. Koalas are solitary animals that do not live in families like many other animals. Koalas sleep as long as 18 hours a day. They eat a low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves and rarely drink water. In fact, the name "koala" means "no drink".

The Butterfly

Monarch butterflies go through four life stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult butterfly. The egg hatches in 5 to 10 days, when the caterpillars promptly make a snack out of their own house by eating up the eggshell! Soon they form a tiny pouch, under a leaf or twig, and "hang around" for a couple of weeks. The beautiful adult butterfly then breaks out. As cold weather approaches, this tiny creature will fly about 50 miles per day from North America to the hilltops of Mexico, where it spends the winter.

The Seahorse

The seahorse is an unusual type of fish. Its long nose and the upright position in which it swims, makes it look much like a horse and that's how it got the name. The seahorse has a long tail that can be curled around coral or seaweed and used as an anchor. A seahorse can grow up to 10 inches in length and can be black, brown, white, yellow, or red in color. They are born from eggs laid by the mother. But the eggs are actually carried in the father's pouch until birth, when the baby seahorses swim away.

Polar Bear Facts

The polar bear has a thick coat that can vary from pure white to light brown, depending on the season. Male polar bears, called boars, can weigh 770 to over 1,400 pounds. Female polar bears, called sows, weigh about 330 to 550 pounds. But the biggest polar bear ever known was a male weighing 2,209 pounds and measuring twelve feet long. These expert swimmers are kept warm in cold water by their 4-inch thick layer of blubber or fat. Their nostrils actually close up under the water and they can easily swim for many hours at a time. After a long swim, they may enjoy a meal of seal, walrus, or whale.