Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is World Tapas Day. The bite-sized Spanish dishes are a great way, to sample lots of different foods. It’s like a meal made of appetizers. It’s also Fudge Day, and Fresh Veggies Day. You wouldn’t think they’d go together, but I think a hot fudge salad sounds pretty yummy. Bon Appétit !

A librarian in Virginia, has a great idea for kids who want to check out library books. The libraries are still closed due to the pandemic, so a drone will fly the books to their homes! Middle school librarian Kelly Passek will work with Wing, a company who already delivers packages by drone.

Testing for COVID-19 is not perfect. There have been many cases where people who tested negative, were actually infected with the virus. French scientists discovered a new, fluffier test, that may work much better. Dogs! 8 dogs were trained to sniff out COVID-19 in human sweat, and they had a near-perfect success rate. Good doggies.

Band-Aid adhesive bandages were invented in 19 20. 100 years later, they’re finally making Band-Aids in a variety of skin-toned colors. The bandages in shades of brown, will “embrace the beauty of diverse skin.” The company will also donate $10,000,000 to Black Lives Matter, to fight systemic racism and injustice. It’s one small step towards healing racism.

On a single day last year, people in Ethiopia planted 353,000,000 trees. It was part of the Green Legacy Challenge, which added 4 billion seedlings to the country over the year. This year’s goal, is to plant 5 billion more trees. The prime minister hopes it will help, in the fight against climate change and deforestation.

Today, celebrate everyone’s not-so-secret power. It’s Smile Power Day! See how easy it is to make other people feel better, just by giving them a big smile! It’s also Nature Photography Day. Head outside with your camera or phone, and focus on a blade of grass, the moon, or that cheeky squirrel!

There’s a horizontal skyscraper in China, that stretches across the tops of 4 skyscrapers, in the Raffles City Chongqing complex. The structure, called the Crystal, has a newly-opened Exploration Deck, featuring exhibits about space travel. It includes a glass-bottomed observation deck, 820 feet off the ground! Hope you’re not afraid of heights!

Residents of Yukon Pennsylvania, at first thought they spotted a small black bear. Actually, it was a large black pig! The pig has been wandering the streets for days, and seems to be friendly, but no one has claimed him yet. Meanwhile, the big pig is having fun, rooting through people’s gardens!

Archaeologists working at the Ytre Fosse site in Norway, have uncovered a nearly complete ancient board game. It’s a version of the Roman game called ludus latrunculorum, from 1700 years ago. They found 19 pieces made of bone, including elongated dice. The game was probably a challenge of military tactics, similar to chess or backgammon.

Over 2200 years ago, the Greek mathematician, Archimedes, discovered that an object’s volume could be measured by submerging it in water. He had this revelation while taking a bath, so we celebrate International Bath Day. Today is also National Pop Goes The Weasel Day. Learn the words, and find a jack-in-the-box to play along with you.