Author: Lisa Mungovan

The United States is experiencing some frigid temperatures this week, but the Minnesota Ice Festival doesn’t mind. It helps keep the world’s largest ice maze, from melting. The maze has 8-foot-high walls created from 3,452 blocks of ice, weighing 425 pounds each. It covers18,148 square feet, so dress warmly in case you get lost.

Do you ever wonder how animals like alligators and turtles survive freezing temperatures, in ponds and swamp? Alligators brumate in cold weather, which is kind of like hibernation for reptiles. They can stay submerged in water under a layer of ice, with only their snouts sticking out. They’ll sleep until it warms up!

Meow-meowey meow-meow-meow. I think that means, “No, you can’t use my beanbag as a litter box just because it’s softer.” Today is Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day, so when your cat meows at you, answer back! It’s also Hot Sauce Day, so if your cat asks to have a taste, warn him it’s spicy!

Taking photos of yourself can be entertaining, but today is meant for more studious selfies. It’s Library Shelfie Day. Arrange all your favorite books on shelves behind you, and then pose with them. You could even visit an actual library, and get a group shot with your favorite author’s books. Smile and say “Reed!”

Today is Polka Dot Day. It was created to celebrate Minnie Mouse, who’s famous for her dotted dresses. It’s also Blonde Brownie Day. Sometimes called blondies, they use a recipe similar to brownies, but replace the cocoa with brown sugar. Give your blondies polka dots, made of white chocolate, butterscotch chips, or nuts.

It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day! Over 200 squirrel species fit into 3 different types. There are ground, tree, and flying squirrels. The African pygmy squirrel is only 3 inches long, while the Laotian giant flying squirrel is 3 1/2 feet long! Squirrels are great reforesters. They plant thousands of trees every year by forgetting where they buried their nuts!

The Google Arts and Culture App, will find your art double. After you upload a selfie, the app compares your face to paintings in museums worldwide until it finds one that looks like you. It’s the perfect way, to celebrate Museum Selfie Day. Then visit a museum, and pose with your favorite exhibit.

It’s Hugging Day! Hug your parents, your pet, or your pesky brother. It’s also Playdate Day, so invite a friend over, or meet at a park. Make sure you snack on some granola bars, to celebrate Granola Bar Day. Nuts and grains will give you energy, to play for hours!

If you watched this year’s Rose Parade in California, you couldn’t miss the giant seahorse featured on a U P S float. Guinness World Records confirmed, that it’s the world’s largest animatronic fish. The seahorse’s wire frame, which is 28 feet tall, was covered in roses, mushrooms, kumquats, lentils, and orange slices.

Back in 1980, someone checked out a book named The Incredible Journey, from a library in California. 46 years later, it has finally been returned, with a note saying, “Sorry this is so late!” The book was returned anonymously, but the borrower needn’t have worried. The library no longer charges overdue fines.