Author: Lisa Mungovan

Yesterday in Vienna Austria, Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge has done the nearly impossible. He ran a marathon in less than 2 hours! No one had ever broken the 2 hour barrier before. Kipchoge ran a 26.2 mile course in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds. Okay all you runners, see if you can beat that record!

Today is Train Your Brain Day. Everyone knows exercise helps to keep your body healthy, but brains need exercise too! Try doing sudoku or crossword puzzles, brainteasers, play trivia games, or learn to say hello in every language. Your brain gets bored when you don’t use it. Entertain your brain!

Piles of dog poop in Springfield Missouri have been getting extra attention, thanks to little flags. The city has been marking the abandoned droppings with flags, containing slogans like, “this is a nudge to pick up the fudge,” or “drop in the trash, not in the grass.” Nobody wants to step in dog poo!

Many lives are saved because of blood transfusions. Helpful humans donate blood so that hospitals always have a ready supply, but did you know that pets can donate blood too? There are only a few states in the US that have blood banks for dogs and cats, so ask your pet’s veterinarian about it.

LEGO Replay is a new program, that helps people give their old LEGO pieces to less fortunate kids. You can put all the loose bricks in a box, print out a free shipping label at the lego.com website, and have them picked up. They’ll be cleaned and given to schools, clubs, and kids!

Did you dress up for Halloween last year? Your costume is probably sad because you’re going to wear a different one this year. Make your costume happy, by having a costume swap! Everyone can find a new costume for free, and re-using materials is better for the planet. Happy Costume Swap Day!

Today is Chess Day. Learn how to play this classic game, and you’ll soon be saying, “Checkmate!” It’s I Love Yarn Day too. You could play with a yarn-ball like a kitten, or learn to knit or crochet! Then, if your chess partner is taking too long to move, you could knit a scarf.

A power plant in Denmark produces more than power. It’s also a source for fun! The building, called Copenhill, looks like a green mountain. It has ski-lifts on the outside, so people can ski down the wrap-around course! It also has glass elevators inside, so people can watch their trash transform into electricity!

The University of Lincoln in England, has installed unusual vending machines. They dispense short stories on a receipt, for free! Students can print out a random 1, 3, or 5 minute story based on how long they feel like reading. They can also submit stories, to be added to the 100,000 stories already in the database.

It’s October, and many people are planning their Halloween costumes. Even the moon will dress up, but it will celebrate early. On Sunday, the Full Hunter’s Moon will be in the sky all night long. Keep watch for when it first rises around sunset, because it will look huge and orange!