Author: Lisa Mungovan

Did you know there are planets, as light and fluffy as cotton candy? WASP-193b is 50% bigger than Jupiter, but only 1% of Earth’s density, and has been compared to a dandelion puff. The giant planet orbits very close to its star, making one revolution every 6.25 days. That’s a really short year!

The endangered Mary River turtle, is also known as the bum-breathing punk. The algae on its head looks like a punk-rock hair-do, and it can breathe through its cloaca, allowing it to stay submerged underwater for 3 days. Residents of Tiaro Australia, have worked hard to repopulate the Mary River, with its namesake turtles.

Did you know, it’s Take Your Parents To The Playground Day? Gather some snacks from the kitchen, and a ball or frisbee, then surprise them with your plans for a picnic at the park! Be sure to push them on the swings, and catch them when they come down the slide, haha!

Today is No Dirty Dishes Day. First things first: clean all the dishes in the sink! Then don’t use any dishes, utensils, or cookware all day. Try cooking things on a stick, over a fire. It’s also Museum Day. Whether you like history, toilet seat art, airplanes, or mustard, it’s in a museum somewhere!

Some people have small families, and some people have tons of relatives. Since today is Visit Your Relatives Day, have some family fun. It’s also World Baking Day, so maybe everyone could bring a favorite recipe, and bake cookies , pies, and bread together. I’m sure taste-testers will be needed too!

Today is Pack Rat Day! Do you pick up shiny objects and cool trinkets to save forever in your house? You’re just like a packrat! They collect treasures for their nests, or middens. Packrat middens are valuable to paleobiologists because they can preserve plants, pollen, and artifacts for 50,000 years. Will they study your midden someday?

For people who can’t swim, water can be scary. A type of wetsuit, called the Floater, keeps the whole body buoyant, so people with a fear of water can finally learn to swim. It also helps people with disabilities enjoy the water. Time for a nice relaxing float, on Learn To Swim Day!

Today is Mushroom Hunting Day. Explore in the woods, to see how many different mushrooms you can find. Take photos, and learn to identify them. Don’t eat any, unless you have a mycologist with you, which is someone who studies fungi. They know which mushrooms can kill you, and which ones are delicious.

Today is Cherry Cobbler Day, and Walnut Day, so celebrate by baking a cherry cobbler, and add some healthy and delicious walnuts. Then call your friends, to celebrate World Telecommunications Day. You can tell them about your delicious baked goods, and make their mouths water. Better yet, have a video chat picnic!

Get out your violins, because it’s World Fiddle Day! When you’re playing Irish, bluegrass, or folk music on your violin, it’s more commonly called a fiddle. It’s also Plant a Lemon Tree Day! If you play your fiddle under a lemon tree, you can blame any sour notes on the lemons!