Author: Lisa Mungovan

The election in the United States is over, and former president Donald Trump received more votes than Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s important to remember, whether the candidate you were rooting for won or lost, you should keep being kind and treat people the way you’d like to be treated.

Today is Eat Smart Day, also known as Eating Healthy Day. It’s not only about eating foods that are good for your brain, like blueberries, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, dark chocolate, and nuts. It’s also making your nutritious eating choices, a habit for life. Add some exercise to your healthy plan, while celebrating Basketball Day.

Today is Saxophone Day, in honor of the mellow brass woodwind instrument. Adolphe Sax developed the instrument in 1846. What would you name an instrument, if you invented one? It’s also Nachos Day, so start with a plate of tortilla chips. Melt some cheese on top, and add jalapenos, salsa, or whatever else you’d like!

Could you find your way out of a forest? Learn some survival skills, like navigating by the stars, or making your own compass, for Marooned Without A Compass Day! Practice walking straight lines, by following 3 lined-up objects. Ancient Vikings used the Sun’s shadows to navigate, as well as glowing crystals called sunstones.

Fresh pineapple is delicious, but it can seem like a lot of trouble to slice it up. Maybe Rich Ellenson can do it for you, since he holds the world record for peeling and slicing a pineapple the fastest. He cut a whole pineapple into chunks, in 17.85 seconds. Now I’m hungry for pineapple!

In the United States, Election Day is today. Ask your parents if you can watch them vote, so you’ll be familiar with the process when you turn 18. Look up a sample ballot for your neighborhood at Ballotpedia.org, and learn about the people running for every office. Sometimes candidates don’t even have opponents!

Traffic in Boston was worse than usual, for some commuters yesterday. A truckload of porta-potties was too tall, to make it under a bridge. 2 portable toilets were knocked into the middle of the road, causing delays but no injuries. At least people could use the toilet while they waited for traffic to clear.

The Taurid meteor showers can be seen lighting up the night skies, from October to December every year. The Southern Taurids peak this week, with 8 to 12 meteors per hour. The exciting thing about the Taurids, is that they often produce brighter than average fireballs! Set your alarm for midnight, and start watching!

Do you have red hair? Show off its glorious color, because it’s Love Your Red Hair Day! Today is also Doughnut Day. Doughnuts are so good, there’s also a Donut Day in June. In 1847, 16 year-old Hanson Gregory claimed the invention of the first ring-shaped doughnut. Pardon me while I go eat doughnuts!

Have you ever needed a thumbtack, but couldn’t find one? A giant thumbtack in Kentucky, would be hard to miss. The Transit Authority of Central Kentucky, called TACK for short, decided to build the world’s biggest thumbtack in front of their offices. The titanic blue tack stands 21-feet-7-inches tall, and weighs 3,000 pounds!