Author: Lisa Mungovan

If your name is May or Ray, this day is extra-special for you. As for everyone else, get outside in the sunshine and catch some rays! It’s May Ray Day! It’s also Devil’s Food Cake Day. Do you know how the chocolate cake gets so moist? The recipe calls for hot or boiling water.

Have you ever seen pictures of the famous Starry Night painting, by Van Gogh? Now you can reproduce the image of a swirling sky over a town, with Legos. The Starry Night Lego set has 1500 bricks, and creates a 3D mosaic, for your wall. It even comes with a Vincent Van Gogh mini-figure.

Solar cells turn the Sun’s rays into power. This gives people electricity during the day, but without battery storage, they’re left in the dark at night. Researchers in Australia, have developed a new photovoltaic cell, that turns the heat escaping from cooling solar cells, back into energy. It’s like solar power in reverse.

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, so take a virtual tour online, of an art gallery or natural history museum.

One of the hardest things during the coronavirus lockdown, was not being able to see all your relatives. As more people get vaccinated, it’s safer to visit. Since today is Visit Your Relatives Day, have a reunion in person, video chat using Facetime or Zoom, or just call them on the phone!

Today is Numeracy Day. People that love mathematics can make today all about numbers. If you struggle with math, you can find fun games online to help you learn. It’s also Juice Slush Day. Crush fruits and ice in a blender, or stick your favorite juice in the freezer until it gets slushy.

A great dane in Texas, is officially the world’s tallest dog. Zeus is only 2 years old, but he’s more than 3 feet 5 inches tall at the shoulders. Is he taller than you? Zeus is a good boy, except when he steals babies’ pacifiers. His best friend is Zeb, a miniature Australian shepherd.

Scientists have discovered tiny organisms, inside an 830,000,000-year-old rock. Incredibly, the procaryotes could even be alive. The single-cell organisms are trapped in halite crystals, known as rock salt. Pockets of fluid inside the crystals, could have provided a microhabitat for the ancient life. I think they’re overdue, for a birthday party.

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 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?