Author: Lisa Mungovan

Macadamia trees are evergreens native to Australia, that produce nuts. The shells are so hard to open, that the only Australian animals who can get into them are cockatoos! Luckily, humans can open them with tools, because they’re delicious! Macadamia nuts are poisonous to dogs, so celebrate Macadamia Nut Day with your human friends.

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in England, is home to a fabulous singer. Chico is a yellow-crowned Amazon parrot, that sings songs by Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Gnarls Barkley. You can hear him belt out “If I Were A Boy,” on his Instagram page, chicoparrot.

What kind of face mask do you have? Some people use disposable masks from a box, while others make masks from fun fabrics. One company, will even print a picture of your pet’s mouth on a mask. An Etsy shop called Dogs And Dorks, makes the personalized masks. You can look like your dog!

The Timber Festival in the UK was cancelled because of the pandemic, so the organizers found another way, to bring people together. They created a Sounds of the Forest map. People around the world can record the sounds of their woodlands. Go to the map at Timberfestival.org.uk, and listen to forests everywhere.

Scientists unexpectedly found hematite, which is an oxidized form of iron, on the Moon. Hematite usually needs air and water to form, like rust. Water ice could be mixed into the surface regolith. If an impact melted the ice, and solar wind blew the Earth’s atmosphere to the Moon, it could create the right conditions.

Today is Skyscraper Day! What’s the tallest building in your city? The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It’s 2,717 feet tall, which is over half-a-mile! Have you heard of plyscrapers? They’re made from wood! Strong cross-laminated timber, or CLT, is produced in Riddle Oregon, by gluing wood together. Neat!

Dogs on the beach, love to chase seagulls. One pooch in Wales was so determined to catch a gull, that he chased them into the water, and started swimming out to sea! The Rhyl Coastguard Rescue Team had to take a boat out to retrieve the dog, before he got stranded.

The city of Helsinki Finland, is rewarding people who protect the environment. Residents who use the CitiCAP app, can track their carbon emissions, when they travel around town. If they walk, bike, or take a bus, they use less carbon, and earn virtual money for things like bus tickets, pool passes, or cake.

Fiontann Hughes got a metal detector for his 10th birthday. He tried it out for the first time, on the banks of the River Blackwater, near his home in Northern Ireland. Maybe it was beginner’s luck, that helped him find a 300-year-old sword! It probably belonged to an English officer in the 1700’s.

Clever squirrels will do anything, to raid a bird feeder. Woodworker Michael Dutko, built the squirrels their own feeder, shaped like a bar. The Nutty Bar has 7 types of nuts on tap, like Pecan Porter, Pistachio Pale Ale, and Walnut Stout. The bathroom doors are labeled “Nuts” and “No Nuts.”