Author: Lisa Mungovan

Meow-meowey meow-meow-meow. I think that means, “No, you can’t use my beanbag as a litter box just because it’s softer.” Today is Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day, so when your cat meows at you, answer back! It’s also Hot Sauce Day, so if your cat asks to have a taste, warn him it’s spicy!

World-record-breaker David Rush has broken another record, with his friend Jonathan Hannon. After soaking bars of soap in water, to make them slippery, they built a tower. They were able to stack 47 bars of wet soap, in 1 minute. Rush has broken over 150 world records, to promote STEM education.

Playing ball on the beach can be risky. 10-year-old Aoife Ni Niocaill lost her soccer ball in Ireland, when a wave washed it out to sea. 7 days later, Aline Denton found the ball, while cleaning up a beach in Wales! The ball had traveled 124 miles across the Irish Sea. The ball will be returned.

The world’s oceans hold tremendous amounts of plastic pollution. Nature has its own cleanup tool, to help trap some of the plastic. Clumps of seagrass growing on the ocean floor, capture floating bits of trash, keeping animals from eating them. Researchers believe these seagrass Neptune balls, keep billions of plastic bits from circulating.

It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day! Over 200 squirrel species fit into 3 different types. There are ground, tree, and flying squirrels. The African pygmy squirrel is only 3 inches long, while the Laotian giant flying squirrel is 3 1/2 feet long! Squirrels are great reforesters. They plant thousands of trees every year by forgetting where they buried their nuts!

It’s Hugging Day! Hug your parents, your pet, or your pesky brother. It’s also Playdate Day and International Sweatpants Day! Dress casual, and have fun with friends. Stay 6 feet apart! Make sure you have some granola bars, for an after-school snack, to celebrate Granola Bar Day. They’ll give you energy, to play for hours!

Amanda Gorman will soon become the youngest Inaugural Poet, when she recites her poem at the Presidential Inauguration. The 22-year-old from California, is a National Youth Poet Laureate. Like Joe Biden, she grew up with a speech impediment, so her success is even more impressive. “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem,” is Gorman’s first book.

Today at noon, the new President of the United States, Joe Biden, will be sworn into office. Kamala Harris will become the first female Vice President. Due to the coronavirus, attendance of the Inauguration will be very limited . Over 191,000 flags in front of the Capitol will represent Americans, while we watch safely from home.

Have you ever lost a game, you thought you should’ve won? You still have to accept the referees’ calls, especially if most of the fans and even some of your team, agrees. Losing is always disappointing, but don’t storm off the field, or start a fight. Congratulate the other team with a fist-bump!

Today is Penguin Awareness Day. Emperor penguins can grow to nearly 4 feet tall, while little blue penguins only reach 16 inches. Some people knit sweaters for penguins, to protect them from oil spills. There are no penguins at the North Pole. Except for the Galapagos penguin, they all live in the Southern Hemisphere!