Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is Banana Split Day, so here’s what you need to do: scoop 3 flavors of ice cream into your bowl, slice a banana lengthwise and put half on each side, then add chocolate, pineapple, and strawberry sauces, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. Now eat it all up! The banana makes it healthy!

In California, Adina Baidoo had just finished buying groceries, when she nearly ran into a bear with her shopping cart! He was rummaging through a trash can. I guess the bear didn’t find anything good, because he wandered into the store, grabbed a bag of Tostitos tortilla chips, and left. Adina filmed it all!

There’s a new American Girl Doll, based on ambulance worker, April O’Quinn. Her niece Lacey, nominated April for the Heroes With Heart contest, and she was one of 5 winners. American Girl created one-of-a-kind dolls for each winner, and gave them gift cards, so the doll won’t have to wear her uniform all the time!

20 20 keeps getting crazier. There’s an asteroid headed towards Earth, reaching us right before election day in the United States. Luckily, there’s no need to worry! Asteroid 2018VP1 is close, but it’s only about 7 feet in diameter. It will burn up in the atmosphere, before reaching the ground. It sounds sensational, but it’s harmless.

On Pluto Demoted Day, we remember when Pluto was officially downgraded in 2006. Its status was changed to dwarf planet. Now the 8 planets in our Solar System are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, while the 5 known dwarf planets are Pluto, Ceres, Makemake, Haumea, and Eris. We still love you Pluto!

Today is Vesuvius Day. Mount Vesuvius is the volcano in Italy, that destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD. Create your own volcano and make it erupt, while listening to unusual music for International Strange Music Day! You can make music from anything. Today is also Waffle Day. What’s your favorite flavor, blueberry or chocolate chip?

The Dutch company Urban Senses, has a solution for the problem of wild peeing in the Netherlands. They’ve installed GreenPee urinals, around Amsterdam. Instead of urinating in alleys or canals, people looking for a convenient place to pee, can use hemp-filled planters. It waters the plants, and the green spaces make bees happy.

Someone left a mysterious safe, on Kirk Mathe’s farm in New York. The 5-to-600-pound locked box, appeared with a note saying, “If you can open this, you can have what’s inside.” A crowd was trying to bash it open with a sledgehammer, but Kirk has decided to move it, and leave it a mystery.

In Santiago Chile, a real-life superhero is delivering food to the city’s homeless population. Someone dressed as Batman, has been distributing hot meals and encouragement, to those who need it most. Solidarity Batman wears 2 masks; one conceals his identity, and the other protects himself and others from COVID. He’s a Batman who cares.

There’s a house for sale in Australia, that looks like a pile of bubbles. The spheres contain round rooms, with tubes connecting some of them. Even the windows are circular, with shutters that close like an eye’s iris. If you could design a house, what would it look like? Draw your dream-house for fun!