Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is Cousins Day. The kids of your mom and dad’s brothers and sisters, are your cousins, but you might also have step-cousins and half-cousins. You could have cousins once-removed, like your cousin’s kid, or second cousins, like your dad’s cousin’s kid. Confuse yourself, by figuring out who would be your 3rd cousin, twice-removed.

Knock knock. Who’s there? Boo. Boo who? Aw, don’t cry! It’s just Tell An Old Joke Day. Ask grown-ups to tell you their favorite old jokes, so they get passed on to the next generation. It’s also Drive-Thru Day. Be lazy and order dinner from the car! And tell the cashier an old joke!

Cars need antifreeze, to keep the systems from freezing during the winter. In Antarctica, some marine worms survive, by having a natural kind of antifreeze in their bodies. A type of bacteria lives inside the worms, secreting a substance that protects them from the icy water temperature. They help each other stay alive.

Did you know there are cotton candy planets? They don’t exist in our Solar System, but they’ve been spotted around other stars. Also called super-puffs, the objects are very young planets that are gigantic like Jupiter, but with a light and airy density like cotton candy. They probably wouldn’t taste very good.

Today is Peanut Butter And Chocolate Day, Vanilla Ice Cream Day, and Sprinkle Day, so those can be your ingredients for the perfect dessert! Make an extra ice cream concoction, covered in colorful sprinkles, and give it away for Gorgeous Grandma Day! Grandmas everywhere will approve, and they’ll love that you made it yourself!

Don’t be alarmed if you see a squirrel, stretched out flat on the ground. It’s just trying to stay cool. On hot days, squirrels and other animals sploot on cool surfaces, to dump heat. Many mammals have less fur on their bellies, so the cooler temperatures of a shaded rock feels refreshing.

If you visit a National Park this summer, you might see wild animals. No matter how cute they look, remember they can be dangerous. Wild ponies, bison, moose, deer, or bears, can cause serious damage. Remember also to never feed wild animals like ducks or chipmunks. It makes them depend on humans for food.

Welcome to Moth Week, a citizen scientist project to study moths. The biggest moth in the world, is the Atlas moth, with a 12-inch wingspan. Smaller ones are also easy to find, by leaving a porch light on at night. Look closely, to find moths camouflaged on trees. Report your findings at NationalMothWeek.org.

Is it going to be another hot day where you live? Forget about exerting yourself, and just spend the day relaxing in a hammock. It’s Hammock Day, as well as Mango Day. Slice up a sweet chilled mango, to eat while you’re hanging around. Make sure everyone gets a turn!

The Galapagos Conservancy reported great progress last year, with its conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands. They reintroduced more than 300 endangered Galapagos tortoises, to their native habitat. They also helped albatrosses, by building 50 landing strips on the islands. The large birds need space to take off and land, like planes need runways.