Author: Lisa Mungovan

Did you know it’s Curious Events Day? Celebrate all the strange things in the world, like how it’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open, or historical events, like when meat fell from the sky in Kentucky. It’s also World Post Day, so send someone a postcard or letter. Don’t forget an interesting stamp!

Did you know, that not all penguins live where it’s cold? Now you know, for International African Penguin Awareness Day. The Cape or South African penguin, lives in Africa. They lay their eggs in burrows, to protect them from the heat. The holes are also handy, for hiding from leopards!

Today is World Octopus Day! Octopuses have 3 hearts, and 8 arms, not tentacles. Tentacles only have suckers at the tips. Octopuses are extremely intelligent, masters of camouflage, and escape artists! Today is also Touch Tag Day. An octopus would be great at water tag! My favorite version is freeze tag. Tag, you’re it!

Did you dress up for Halloween last year? Is your costume sad because you never wore it again? Make your costume happy, by having a costume swap! Everyone gets a new costume for free. You don’t have to wait for Halloween to dress up. You can wear your costumes anytime. Happy Costume Swap Day!

Have you ever had a peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff sandwich? It’s called a Fluffernutter, and today is Fluffernutter Day! Have one for lunch, but celebrate Pierogie Day for dinner. The delicious dumplings are pockets of dough, often filled with mashed potatoes and cheese, or cabbage, but usually not Fluffernut.

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.

You weren’t dreaming, if you saw a unicorn running the London Marathon recently. Jeremie Maillard dressed in a unicorn costume to run the race, and set a new world record. He ran the fastest marathon dressed as a mythical creature, by finishing in 3 hours, 26 minutes. He broke Bigfoot’s record by 18 minutes.

The Smithsonian Zoo’s Conservation Biology Institute, welcomed 2 new cheetah cubs this week. Mom Amani, and dad Asante, are first-time parents. The cubs are strong and active. You can watch them online, on the cheetah-cam. There are only around 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild, so zoo breeding programs help to save the species.

Every autumn, people in Polk County Oregon, get to see a huge smile from Mother Nature. The Hampton Lumber company helped a little, by planting larch trees in the shape of a giant smiley face. The larch trees are surrounded by evergreens, so when the leaves turn yellow, they really stand out!

Do you ever get a great idea, while you’re in the shower? Researchers say it’s because your mind is getting a chance to wander, while doing something that’s not too boring. Going for a walk, or working in the garden, can have the same effect. Let your brain have some freedom to roam.