Author: Lisa Mungovan

12-year-old Caleb Anderson, wants to work at NASA or SpaceX, and go to Mars, when he grows up. He’s already been accepted to Georgia Tech, to study aerospace engineering next fall. He’ll finish high school this year, while also taking college courses. What’s Caleb’s advice for success? Learn to fail, and always try.

Hunters in the Czech Republic had better watch out. A man who was out hunting deer, had the tables turned, when a startled deer ran into him. The deer snagged the strap of the man’s rifle, and he bolted into the woods with the gun caught in his antlers. Now it’s a fair fight!

There’s a Santa Claus in California that’s looking a little green, but it’s not because he’s sick. He’s a giant green Tyrannosaurus rex, that’s wearing a Santa suit! You can visit the 65-foot-tall dinosaur sculpture, at Cabazon Dinosaurs. Santa Claws Rex also has a sleigh, pulled by a Velociraptor. Shouldn’t he use a Pterodactyl?

Today is Throw Out Your Leftovers Day. I think what it really means, is throw the leftover food in your mouth, and eat it, before it gets moldy in the fridge. You can always combine leftovers, into a big pot of soup. Save room for dessert, because it’s also Lemon Cream Pie Day.

Clear out a big space and get 7 more people, because today is Square Dancing Day! 4 couples form a square, then perform the moves that a caller calls out. Bough to your partner, doe-see-doe, then eat a box of candy for Chocolates Day! It’s not a square dance move, but it will be yummy!

The Canadian Army, has a new Master Corporal. She’s big and white-haired, although she’s only 5 years old. Her name is Juno, and she’s a polar bear! Juno received the honorary promotion for her 5th birthday, on Remembrance Day. Along with the other polar bears at the Toronto Zoo, she educates visitors about climate change.

Palm oil is an ingredient in many foods, cosmetics, and fuels., but he palm oil industry is a major cause of deforestation. It destroys the rainforest habitat, of orangutans and other endangered species. Canadian scientists have found an eco-friendly replacement, that could help companies stop depending on palm oil. The orangutans say hooray!

American Girl dolls aren’t usually dressed in extravagant clothes, but 3 special dolls have custom gowns, covered in 5000 Swarovski crystals. The dolls were auctioned off for charity, to raise money for the First Responders Children’s Foundation. Their Toy Express Program gives toys to kids, whose parents work on the front line, saving lives.

Today is Red Planet Day, named for the planet Mars. It looks like a reddish-orange star in the night sky. Mars is red because the surface is full of iron oxide. It’s rusty! We’ve sent multiple rovers to its surface, to explore and take pictures. Someday, humans might live on Mars!

Today is French Toast Day. Some people call them bread-eggs, because you make them by soaking slices of bread, in a milk and egg mixture, before cooking them on a skillet. It’s also Make Your Own Head Day. Sculpt a replica of your head, using clay, paper mache, or maybe even french toast!