Xylophones and X-Rays - Blogging from A to Z Challenge

This year for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I'm focusing on going through my homeschooling files that I've created from the time that Sophia and Olivia were in preschool.

Some of the files are still relevant while others I will be decluttering and recycling in the process. Each day during April, I will pick one of the files to focus on - either doing a hands-on activity or sharing some information from one of the files.

For the 24th day - Letter X - I am focusing on Xylophones and X-Rays.

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X-Rays

X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation, just like visible light.

An x-ray machine sends individual x-ray particles through the body. The images are recorded on film or a computer.

Structures that are dense (such as bone) will block most of the x-ray particles, and will appear white.

Olivia at the Minnesota Zoo by an x-ray of a shark.

There was a children's room where

there were x-rays of various animals.

(Taken on January 31, 2008.)

Metal and contrast media (special dye used to highlight areas of the body) will also appear white.

Sophia's ankle injury and x-ray.

She ended up needing to wear a cast for three weeks.

(Taken on February 7, 2008.)

Structures containing air will be black, and muscle, fat, and fluid will appear as shades of gray.

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Xylophone

The word xylophone comes from the Greek words xylon meaning "wood" and phōnē, meaning "sound or voice." Together the words mean "wooden sound."

Sophia playing a large xylophone at the Science Museum.

(Taken on March 31, 2007.)

The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. It may be used generally, to include all such instruments such as the marimba, balafon, and semantron.

Sophia playing a wrench xylophone at the Minnesota History Museum.

(Taken on September 19, 2007.)

However, in the orchestra, the term xylophone refers specifically to an instrument that has a somewhat higher pitch range and drier timbre than the marimba. So, these two instruments should not be confused.

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In the process of going through the files that began with "X," I recycled 1/4 of a bag of papers. This brings the total up to 18 1/2 bags of recycling!