Category: Kids News

Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily, has been blowing smoke rings. Called volcanic vortex rings, the huge circles are actually made up of gas and water vapor. The rings shoot up from a newly-formed crater, and float through the air for about 10 minutes, before dissipating. Locals nicknamed Etna, the Lady of the Rings.

Poudre Libraries in Colorado, had a long-overdue book returned. Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, had been checked out in 1919! Luckily, the library no longer charges late fees. At the 1919 late fee rate of 2 cents per day, the fine would have added up to $760!

Chemical engineers are working on a way, to turn harmful carbon dioxide in the air, into a useful bioplastic. Bacteria eat the CO2, after it’s converted from gas into a formate. The bacteria then produce a polyester that can be extracted. It’s a less harmful way to make plastic, while also cleaning the air.

Today is Cheese Fondue Day. Get a pot of melted cheese, some hunks of bread or vegetables on sticks, and dive right in! It’s also Submarine Day, so pretend your snack-on-a-stick, is sneaking up on the enemy. The US Navy’s first sub was named Alligator. An earlier Revolutionary War submarine, was named Turtle.

Barbershop quartets, are groups that sing in 4-part harmony. Celebrate Barbershop Quartet Day, by singing with your pets, because it’s also Pet Day. Your dog can bark the base line, while kitty-cat meows the tenor. If you recorded your song on an 8-track tape, you’d be celebrating 19 60’s technology, for 8-Track Tape Day. Groovy!

Scientists have discovered a surprising thing, about some salt-water marshes in the US. The sediments that are deposited during floods, help build up soil in wetlands. As sea levels rise, coastal marshes are keeping up, with a rising land level. As long as the sediment doesn’t wash away, it’s saving the marsh.

If you like exciting baseball games, there’s one good thing about global warming. Researchers found, that there are more home runs hit, on warm days. Since warm air is less dense than cold air, the ball can fly farther. Major League Baseball has seen an increase in home runs, as the temperature rises.

Today is the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. After a month of eating only after dark, millions of Muslims around the world begin a 3-day celebration, filled with prayer, visiting relatives, giving gifts to children, and eating lots of sweet foods. Eid Mubarak!

Today is Encourage A Young Writer Day, so I’m encouraging you, yes you, to write a story! Use your imagination, to make it as silly, scary, or realistic as you like. It’s also Farm Animals Day, so you could add a talking cow, or a chicken that wears a tutu. Anything is possible!

Today is Siblings Day, so thank your brothers and sisters for being born! You might not always get along, but you can always love each other. It’s also International Safety Pin Day. In 1849, Walter Hunt sold the rights to his amazing little invention, the safety pin, to the W R Grace Company for only $400!