Author: Lisa Mungovan

On January 27th 1888, a group was founded for “the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge.” It’s National Geographic Day, so grab the magazine with the yellow border, and learn something about the world around you. You should celebrate their 134th birthday with a piece of chocolate cake, since it’s also Chocolate Cake Day! Yum!

London Underground trains came across an obstacle in the tracks, causing delays and cancellations. The object, was a stubborn swan. The big bird refused to move, for over an hour. Wildlife rescuers said the swan was disoriented and too weak to fly, so they kept him safe overnight, before returning him to his flock.

In many communities, glass is no longer recycled. In New Orleans Louisiana, some college seniors decided to start recycling glass on their own, and grinding it down to make sand. They call their non-profit organization Glass Half Full. The sand gets used for things like disaster relief, and rebuilding the shoreline.

If you ever have to choose a standoff between a grizzly bear or a hippo, choose the bear. Hippos are more dangerous! They can also run 30 miles-per-hour, and spray poop to keep strangers away. Researchers found that playing the sound of an unknown hippo wheeze-honking, caused hippos to fling poop, marking their territory.

Taking photos of yourself can be entertaining, but today is meant for more studious selfies. It’s Library Shelfie Day. Arrange all your favorite books on shelves behind you, and then pose with them. You could even visit an actual library, and get a group shot with your favorite author’s books. Smile and say “Reed!”

Today is Green Juice Day. Smoothies made with spinach or kale, green grapes, and other fruits and vegetables, might surprise you with their deliciousness! It’s also Peanut Brittle Day. The buttery hard candy is full of peanuts, and can stick in your teeth, so you can wash it down with your healthy green juice!

19-year-old Zara Rutherford, has set a new record. She’s the youngest woman, to fly solo around the world. Zara flew for 155 days in an ultralight aircraft, for a total of 32,000 miles. She ended her journey in Belgium, after crossing 41 countries. She wants to inspire more girls to become pilots.

When Carl Stanojevic got a text from his neighbor in Australia, asking him to take his trash bin out, he decided to have fun. He treated his neighbor’s garbage can, to a day out. Carl took the bin to a beach, surf club, and restaurant, followed by a relaxing massage, and a new tattoo.

The James Webb Space Telescope launched 1 month ago. Yesterday, it reached its final destination, almost 1,000,000 miles away. The gigantic telescope will orbit in an area of space called a Lagrange point, where the gravitational pull of Earth and the Sun are balanced out. The mission to study cosmic history, is going smoothly.

Today is Plan For Vacation Day. If you’re a 4th grader, you can make your summer vacation a little cheaper for your family. You can get into any US National Park for free! The Every Kid Outdoors program, lets you print a free annual pass, good for everyone in the car, at Every-Kid-Outdoors.gov.