Author: Lisa Mungovan

Winter’s over now, but have you wondered how turtles can breathe underwater, when a pond freezes? They get oxygen from the water, as it passes over parts of the body, that have the most blood vessels. Like the turtle’s butt! This is called cloacal respiration, but it’s more fun to call it butt breathing.

Today is Lost Sock Memorial Day. After taking one last look behind the dryer, have a memorial service to thank them and say goodbye. Use their left-behind mates for sock puppets, or dry-erase board cleaners. Or you could just wear mismatched socks. There’s no law saying socks have to match!

Today is Mother’s Day in much of the world. Did you forget? Quick, go make your mom a card! Thank you to all the women, who act as our mothers. It’s also Butterscotch Brownie Day. Blondies are made with brown sugar, and no chocolate. That might be a good gift for Mom!

Lego has produced thousands of different sets, from Marvel Superheroes, to Star Wars, to Harry Potter sets. People have used Lego bricks to build cars, construct houses, and create art. But 12-year-old Anthony Hartman, used his Lego Mindstorm EV3 robotics kit, to build a working ventilator. He calls his medical device, the EVentilator 2020.

Today is World Donkey Day. Did you know male donkeys are called jacks, and females are jennies? Wild donkeys are only found in North America, although domesticated donkeys live worldwide. Donkeys can use their long ears, to hear other donkeys 60 miles away! They can remember donkeys they’ve met, and places they’ve visited, 25 years later!

The Global Big Day is here. People all over the world are recording their observations on eBird online, or using the eBird Mobile app. Have you spotted any birds today? The Merlin Bird ID app is a great help, to identify birds. Spend some time watching, to see which birds visit your yard.

Are all your favorite socks dirty? Who cares! It’s No Socks Day! Make sure you have clean feet. Take a walk and try to find some iris flowers blooming, for Iris Day. It’s also Coconut Cream Pie Day, and Have A Coke Day. Sounds like a super sweet snack!

Today is Bellydance Day. Watch a bellydancing tutorial, then give it a try. It’s also Train Day. Take a train ride, or count the graffiti-covered cars on a passing train. Give your best train-whistle, and say, “All aboard!” Then celebrate Windmill Day, by making your own pinwheel, and taking it outside for a spin.

Have you ever gotten a McDonald’s Happy Meal, or a Burger King Kids Meal? Do you still have the toy that came with it? A man in the Philippines, has collected 20,000 fast-food toys. Percival Lugue earned the world record for most fast-food toys in 2014, when he reached 10,000 items. Since then, his collection has doubled.

Wandering around the streets of Brooklyn New York, is a special superhero. Taylor Mali, also known as Plastic Bagman, uses his powerful Snatchelator, to pull plastic trash out of trees. He modified a 21-foot pole, adding metal pieces to the end, in order to snag derelict bags tangled in branches. Thanks Plastic Bagman!