Apps For Kids

If you have a telescope, you may be able to see an asteroid on April 29th. There’s a mile-long asteroid passing near the Earth. Don’t worry, Asteroid 1988 OR2, will still be 3.9 million miles away. NASA considers anything passing within 30,000,000 miles, to be a Near-Earth object. For comparison, the Moon is 238,900 miles away.

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.

The Premier Inn, in Warrington England, has been closed due to the pandemic. Louise Casey, who still comes to work at the hotel each night, decided to run a marathon in the halls. She ran over 300 laps, completing her 26.2-mile race in 4 hours and 37 minutes. Then she worked the other half of her shift.

Some countries are trying to slowly reopen public spaces, after the coronavirus shutdown. It’s important to remember, that the virus is still there. One way to reduce infections, is for everyone to wear a mask. You can make your own! Use layers of different types of materials, and most importantly, make sure it fits.

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!

Have you ever seen a tapir? It’s an animal that looks 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.

Oregon firefighters responded to a different kind of emergency last week. They had to rescue a raccoon from a skate park! The Coos Bay Fire Department lowered a ladder into a skate ramp, to allow the stranded raccoon to climb out. They named him Woodrow, and they hope he learned his lesson!

While you might think of mushrooms, as something to eat, Katy Ayers has bigger ideas. The university student built a wire frame of a canoe, and grew a mushroom boat! The mycelium sculpted itself around the wire, forming a dense, water-tight, and unique mode of transportation. Katy named it the Myconoe.

Scientists are recruiting all the brainpower they can get, to develop drugs to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Video gamers can help, by playing a game called Foldit. It challenges players to create new proteins, by solving complex puzzles in 3D. One citizen scientist could discover the perfect fit.