Author: Lisa Mungovan

The Strong National Museum of Play, in Rochester New York, inducts toys into its Toy Hall of Fame each year. This year’s inductees, are Transformers, My Little Pony, and Phase 10. My Little Pony had been a finalist 7 times, before finally making it into the Hall of Fame. See them all, at MuseumOfPlay.org.

Solar flares have been extreme this year, causing both beautiful aurora displays, and disruptions to the electrical grid. Solar activity has also caused small satellites at low orbits, to fall towards Earth, and burn up. The Sun should begin to calm down again in 2026, so satellite operators will have to be patient.

November is nearly half-over, and I forgot to tell you it’s Time Management Month. Maybe I need to work on managing my time! Learn how to use your time better, using a stopwatch. If you’re always late, perhaps you’re too optimistic about how long things take. Can you really get dressed in 2 minutes?

Today is World Kindness Day. Try to think about each thing you do, and make sure you’re being kind. Then go out of your way to do one nice thing for someone. Can you do that every day? Think how great the world would be, if everyone treated each other with kindness!

When Queen Elizabeth the 2nd married Prince Philip in 1947, they served a 500-pound cake for dessert. The couple gave a piece of cake to Marion Polson as a gift, packaged in a box with a letter from Elizabeth. Marion saved the cake, and 77 years later, it’s been sold at auction for $2,831.

An emperor penguin showed up in Australia, very far from home. The large bird, nicknamed Gus, had traveled 2,200 miles, from Antarctica. He was dehydrated and weighed only 51 pounds, far less than the 100-pound average weight for an adult emperor penguin. Wildlife rescuers are caring for him after his epic swim.

Did you know, that brushing your teeth, may be good for your lungs? Researchers observed that the elderly in nursing homes and hospitals, with poor oral hygiene, were more likely to get pneumonia. Dangerous microbes in saliva can be breathed into the lungs. Clean your teeth to keep your mouth and lungs healthy!

Today is Pizza With The Works Except Anchovies Day. Top your pizza with everything but little fish! How about candy corn, bananas, and french fries! Speaking of french fries, it’s also French Dip Day. It’s a roast beef sandwich dipped in meat juice, but french fries dipped in french vanilla ice cream sounds better!

Today’s not a day for just any old rodent. It’s Fancy Rat And Mouse Day. Many people keep fancy rats and mice as pets. If you have a mouse in your house, leave out a little top hat and bow tie, so he can be fancy too!

Mount Fuji in Japan, is one of the most famous mountains in the world. The snow-capped volcano has been painted by artists for centuries. Following Japan’s extremely hot summer, people got worried when Mount Fuji didn’t get snow in October. It finally snowed on November 6th, ending the longest snowless period in 130 years.