Author: Lisa Mungovan

Last year, a chain of kindness grew 900 cars long. Someone paid for the order of the car behind them, at a drive-thru. That customer decided to pay it forward, by paying for the next car. People kept the generosity chain going for 3 days! Start your own chain of kindness, for Pay It Forward Day.

About 1/3 of the food produced around the world, is wasted every year. Visit grocery stores that sell ugly fruits and vegetables, or even give food away. Community refrigerators and food banks feed people with donated food. Food can be turned into fuel or fertilizer. On Stop Food Waste Day, eat all your leftovers!

Today we’re celebrating, Guide Dogs Day. Guide dogs are dogs that are trained to lead blind and visually impaired humans. They help people around obstacles. Dogs are color blind, and can’t read street signs, so they still need to be assisted by their human. Never pet or distract a guide dog. They’re working!

Today is Superhero Day. Wear your favorite superhero costume, or create your own secret identity. Don’t forget an outfit. Then read something by Shakespeare or Dr. Seuss, Maya Angelou or Shel Silverstein, or another favorite poet. It’s Great Poetry Reading Day! And we can’t forget Blueberry Pie Day! Just don’t stain your superhero costume.

Scientists studying the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, discovered something unexpected. They found mysterious trails, left by sea sponges. Sponges are living creatures, but they’re not known for their mobility. The tracks were made of small fragments from the sponges, called spicules. They could be a food source for other sponges. It’s a mystery!

Many people who get infected with COVID-19, lose their sense of smell. It can take months to recover, but smell training can help speed it up. Smell training is sniffing different strong odors, like coffee, lemon, rose, or eucalyptus, and focusing on memories while you smell them. I wonder if sniffing dirty socks works.

Once upon a time, there were hundreds of thousands of whales in the ocean. People started hunting them, and the oceans got more polluted, causing them to become endangered. How will the story end? You can decide, for Tell A Story Day. Since it’s also Marine Mammal Rescue Day, I hope it’s a happy ending!

Today is World Tapir Day. Tapirs are animals that look kind of like a pig, with a short trunk like an elephant. There are 4 different types, living in South and Central America, and in Southeast Asia. Tapirs are herbivores, and use their prehensile snouts to pick leaves and berries. That’s a talented nose!

Dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot. That’s the code for SOS, the international signal for help. It’s Morse Code Day. Morse code assigned a pattern of short and long taps to each letter, to communicate by telegraph before telephones were invented. Use it to send messages by flashlight, or tapping on your desk.

When you lose your sunglasses while skydiving, you’re not likely to ever get them back. That’s why Tuba Turkseve was so surprised, while she was paragliding over the sea in Turkey. Her sunglasses fell of during an acrobatic spin, but landed back in her lap 10 seconds later. What a lucky catch!