Author: Lisa Mungovan

Do you know how to play the hydraulaphone? Maybe you’d like to take nellophone lessons. Or you could watch someone play the theremin. It’s Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day!  It’s also National Mutt Day. Purebred dogs are great, but 2 breeds mixed together is twice as great, right? So a mixed-up mutt is best of all!

Devastating wildfires in the United States, make at least one animal happy. The black-backed woodpecker finds its favorite food, black fire beetle larvae, in fire-damaged forests. The beetles lay eggs in trees that are still warm from fires. Other creatures nest in holes made by woodpeckers, and drop seeds to regrow forests.

You’ve got 2 weeks, to plan a camping trip. That would be the best time to spend a night under the stars, watching the Perseid meteor showers. August 12th-13th will be the peak, as the Earth passes through fields of comet waste. The debris burns up, causing the shooting stars in our skies.

The United Nations proclaimed July 30 as the International Day Of Friendship, to encourage the countries of the world to embrace peace. Celebrate peace and friendship in your own home by not fighting with your siblings! With all the peace and quiet, you can read a good book, in honor of Paperback Book Day!

Today is Cheesecake Day. The rich, creamy dessert is so good, that if you give someone a piece, they just might hug you! That’s okay, because it’s also Share A Hug Day. Hug your parents and pets, to show them you love them. Give air hugs to the cheesecake, so you don’t smush it.

Today is Climb A Mountain Day. Trek up the biggest mountain near you, even if it’s a pile of dirt in the backyard. If you’d prefer going down instead of up, it’s also World Snorkeling Day. Put on some goggles, and take a look underwater at the beach, a lake, or in your bathtub.

David Rush and his friend Jonathan Hannon, expert world record-breakers, have done it again. David and Jonathan popped 10 balloons between their bodies, in only 7.5 seconds. The men hold the most active world records as a duo, while David holds the most individual active world records. I wonder what they’ll try next!

Would you rather see a highway full of toothpaste, or cherries? A road in North Carolina was closed last week, after toothpaste spilled onto the surface, and mixed with sawdust. At least the slippery mess smelled minty-fresh! On Monday, a semi-truck overturned in Washington, spilling cherries across the roadway. Cars smashed them flat!

It’s International Tiger Day. The world’s largest cat, with its distinctive black stripes, is found in Asia. Unfortunately, tigers are endangered. Less than 4000 remain in the wild. There are different types of tigers, such as Bengal, Siberian and Sumatran. Did you know tigers are 10 feet long, and like to swim?