Author: Lisa Mungovan

During the pandemic, many people put off getting a haircut. A teenager in India, hasn’t gotten her hair cut since age 6. Nilanshi Patel set a world record when she was 16, for longest hair on a teenager. Now, at age 18, she cut her 6-foot-6-inch locks, and donated them to a museum, to inspire others.

Peggy is a dog that loves her job, herding sheep. When Peggy went deaf at age 8, Chloe and Joel Shorten taught the Norfolk collie sign language. Instead of listening to voice commands from the shepherd, Peggy looks for hand signals. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

The Mars InSight lander, which has been working in the Elysium Planitia area of Mars since 2018, is in trouble. It gets its energy, from solar panels, which are getting covered in a thick layer of dust. The lander has been put into hibernation mode, until a strong gust of wind cleans the dust off.

Take a wild guess what day today is. It’s Take A Wild Guess Day! Are you trying to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar? That’s the perfect time for a wild guess! It’s also Rubber Eraser Day. Erasers made from vegetable gum, were first used in 1770, and attached to pencils in 1858.

Today is High Five Day, but you’re supposed to avoid touching other people’s hands right now. It’s safe to give your pets a high five, but can you think of another way to congratulate humans? Maybe you can slap your own hand, and pretend to toss it to them! Try it and see.

In 19 64, when Brian Robson was 19, he was working in Australia. He got homesick, but couldn’t afford a return flight home to Wales. He was so desperate, his friends mailed him home in a box! Despite labeling the crate “Fragile,” and “This Side Up,” Brian spent 5 days traveling, sometimes upside-down, and ended up in California.

A cave in Jamaica contains a scientific treasure. It’s a 6-foot-tall pile of bat poop. The guano accumulated over the course of 4300 years, providing scientists with a timeline. The layers show what bats ate, as well as hinting at the changing environment and climate. 5000 bats still live in the cave, adding to the stinky timeline.

UFOs, or Unidentified Flying Objects, are officially known as U-A-Ps, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Whatever you call them, people have filmed pyramid-shaped objects flying through the sky, and the US military confirmed that they also photographed them. Once they can explain what the they saw, I guess they’ll become Identified Flying Objects.

Let’s learn a bit about dolphins, for Dolphin Day! Dolphins are mammals. Even though they spend their life in water, they need to breathe air. They are very intelligent, have excellent eyesight and hearing, and can make a wide range of sounds. There are 40 different dolphin species. The Amazon River dolphin, is pink!

Stretch your arms up into the air. Go on, stand up on your tippy-toes, and stretch higher. It’s Reach As High As You Can Day! Now go outside and study the clouds or the stars, because it’s Look Up At The Sky Day. Take time to notice the world, and reach for your dreams!