Author: Lisa Mungovan

One downside of electric vehicles, is that the batteries wear out. A company in California, is giving those batteries new life, by using them to store excess solar and wind energy. When the sun’s not shining, and the wind stops blowing, the batteries supply renewable energy back to the power grid.

Today is Cabbage Day. It’s a good day to try cabbage soup, fried cabbage, or coleslaw. Think about growing cabbage in your garden. You can start the seedlings inside, and plant after the last frost. Maybe your cabbage will beat the world record, held by Alaska’s Scott Robb. His green cabbage weighed 138 pounds!

Get your smiles ready, because it’s Random Acts Of Kindness Day. Give someone a flower or a compliment, or help out around the house without being asked. Write a nice note to a friend, or hold the door open for a stranger. It’s so easy to be kind. Let’s just do it every day!

You can call today Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. The day before Ash Wednesday, the start of a Christian period of fasting called Lent, is a good excuse for parties and overindulgence. Huge parades and celebrations, occur in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Venice, Nice France, or Goa India.

Xīn nián kuài lè! That means “Happy new year” in Chinese. The Chinese Lunar New Year starts today, and it’s the Year of the Horse. The Spring Festival begins 15 days of parties, fireworks, feasts and parades. It’s traditional to wear red and avoid sweeping. You’d sweep out good luck that the new year brought!

Today is Innovation Day, so make an effort to do something inventive. Create an interesting recipe, figure out a new way to do something, or just rearrange the furniture. You’ll have a new and improved bedroom! It’s also Almond Day. What innovative ways can you think of, to eat this delicious nut?

Do you know someone that’s always kind of grumpy? Do something nice for them, because it’s Do A Grouch A Favor Day. Maybe it’ll make them less grouchy! It’s also Tim Tam Day. The biscuits covered in chocolate are a favorite in Australia, but the rest of us might have to buy them online.

In the United States, today is Presidents Day. It honors the first president, George Washington, and the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. They were both born in February, so their birthdays are celebrated right between the 2. Is your birthday in February? If you become president, we’ll celebrate you on Presidents Day also.

Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? More than 3,500 athletes from 95 countries are competing for 195 medals, in events like skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, hockey, curling, bobsleighing, and luging. Which sports are your favorites? Every athlete has trained for years to reach the top, so cheer them all on!

Eagles all over North America are busy fixing their nests, and starting to lay eggs. Eagle pairs add to the same nest year after year, building them up to 8 feet deep and 9 feet wide! Online sites like outdoorchannel.com, have eaglecams so you can watch eggs hatch, and parents feed their growing eaglets.