Author: Lisa Mungovan

Soccer players feel a lot of pressure, when they take a penalty shot. It’s just them against the goalie. An emergency medical technician in Wales, got plenty of practice for that big moment, by taking 2,075 penalty shots, in 24 hours. Stephen Ford was raising money for the Welsh Ambulance Service, by breaking the world record.

Have you always wanted your own dinosaur? A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, will soon be auctioned off in New York. It’s named Stan, after the amateur paleontologist that found it in 19 87. The 188 bones add up to a 13-foot-high, 40-foot-long model, and is expected to sell for 6 to $8,000,000. How much is in your piggy bank?

Sunflowers bring people joy, with their big happy faces. The bright yellow flowers make a perfect photo backdrop, for visitors enjoying a farm in Wisconsin. The Thompson Strawberry Farm wanted to give people a reason to get out of the city, so they planted 2,000,000 sunflowers. Soaking up some sunshine among the flowers, sounds wonderful!

Today is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The Constitution of the newly formed United States, defined citizens and their rights, in 17 87. As things changed, amendments were added. Native Americans were already there, and many people were brought unwillingly as slaves. Everyone else settled as immigrants. How did your ancestors start out in your country?

Have you ever tried a pawpaw? It’s the largest edible fruit in North America, and grows in forests. Some people call it the Hillbilly Mango, or the Kentucky Banana, because it has a tropical taste. The custard-like fruit has a hint of pineapple, banana, and mango flavor. Try one today for Pawpaw Day!

Today is Apple Dumpling Day! Peeled and cored apples filled with butter, cinnamon and sugar, are wrapped in dough. After they bake in the oven, they’re like balls of delicious apple pie! It’s also Locate An Old Friend Day. Ask your parents about your first playdate, then say hi to your oldest friend!

When the rice paddies in Thailand get overrun with insects, it’s time to call in the special forces. An army of 10,000 ducks waddled onto a rice farm, to clean up after the harvest. They’ll live there for 5 months, eating bugs and snails that could harm the plants. It’s the organic way to control pests!

Manta ray babies have rarely been seen in the wild, but scientists may get a better chance to study them. A manta ray nursery has been discovered, near the Florida coast. Manta rays only have 1 or 2 pups every few years, so the juveniles gather in safe places for protection. They’ll grow to weigh 2000 pounds!

Your body doesn’t like it, when you don’t get enough sleep. Lack of sleep makes it easier for you to get sick. A new study shows, it also sucks the joy out of life. People who didn’t get a full night’s rest, didn’t receive as much happiness from positive events. Don’t stay up late!

Scientists may have found evidence, that there’s life on Venus. Earth’s neighbor is closer to the sun, with a temperature near 900 degrees Fahrenheit. It would seem nothing could survive that heat, but phosphine gas has been discovered in Venus’s atmosphere. On Earth, microorganisms that live in oxygen-free environments, produce phosphine.