Apps For Kids

Today is Richter Scale Day. The Richter Scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes. The greatest magnitude ever recorded was the Great Chilean Earthquake, which measured 9.5. It’s also Pet Parents Day! Don’t expect a present from your pet, though. Just be happy they don’t leave you a “package” that you have to clean up, ha-ha!

Today, April 26th, is Alien Day. In the 1979 movie, Alien, LV-426 was the moon where xenomorphs were discovered. The movies are pretty scary, but the toys are cool! Less scary, is Pretzel Day! Whether it’s a big soft pretzel, mini hard pretzels, pretzel sticks or rods or nuggets, the salty bread is delicious.

Every Thursday at 8 PM, Britons participate in the Clap For Our Carers campaign, to applaud British health care workers. Jack Peagam wanted to take it a step further, and raise money for National Health Service charities. He decided to clap for 24 hours straight! His 24 hour clap-a-thon raised nearly $10,000, for NHS Charities Together.

In India, researchers discovered a new species of snake. They named the pit viper after Salazar Slytherin, a character from the Harry Potter books, that can talk to snakes. The green viper has a reddish-orange stripe on the side of its head. It’s now called Trimeresurus salazar, or Salazar’s pit viper.

Here’s a fun experiment to try, since it’s Sense Of Smell Day. Hold your nose, then eat something. Could you taste it? The nose and mouth connect through the same passageway. That’s why sometimes when your nose is stuffed-up, you can’t taste anything. Now you know how to eat the yucky vegetables you hate!

Today is Telephone Day! Can you imagine a time without phones? In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received the first patent for a telephone. Patents give the owner the rights to their invention. Elisha Gray and Antonio Meucci also invented versions of the telephone, but Bell got his patent first. Call someone on a phone today!

Today is, Malaria Day? The disease is nothing to celebrate. Malaria is spread by infected mosquitoes, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. That’s one reason why mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animal, killing 750,000 people a year! Many birds eat mosquitoes. Since it’s also Go Birding Day, see how many different birds you can identify outside.

A dog in Australia, is a new mama to 21 puppies! The Neapolitan Mastiff had to get a little help from an emergency vet, to give birth to so many babies, but Shadow and her massive litter are doing fine. She set an Australian record for the biggest litter, but the world record is still 24.

The novel coronavirus has forced most of the world to go into lockdown. While it’s helping to keep people from getting sick, shutdowns are also allowing Earth’s air quality to heal. Air pollution has dropped as much as 60% in some cities! It’s a good time for scientists, to measure the damage of human activity.

12-year-old Quinn Callander has put his 3D printer to good use. After hearing how face masks strain the ears of healthcare workers, he started printing hundreds of ear guards, and donating them to hospitals. It inspired people around the world to do the same. If you have a 3D printer, you can help too!