Author: Lisa Mungovan

Sometimes the best way to feel better, is to get outdoors in nature. Doctors in Canada prescribe National Parks, to improve their patients’ mental and physical health. A nature prescription includes a park pass, good for free entrance to 80 Canadian parks. No prescription? No problem. Just relax under a tree.

For a couple of weeks in December, the Geminids meteor showers are visible in the night sky. The meteors appear near the constellation Gemini, created from particles of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The Geminids will be at their peak next week, but you can look for some each night. Bundle up and bring cocoa!

A Tim Hortons restaurant in Alberta Canada, has a frequent visitor that turns heads. Kelly Landry often rides her Holstein steer, named Magnum, through the drive-through. She says the big black-and-white cow has the personality of a dog, and riding a horse is too ordinary. Magnum loves the Timbits doughnut holes the best.

A group of middle-schoolers in Chicago Illinois, can proudly claim they are biomedical scientists. A student brought some goose poop to their science club, where researchers helped them isolate a bacterium that showed antibiotic activity. They discovered the bacterium could also produce a compound, that slows the growth of cancer. That’s some powerful poop!

Let’s celebrate earth today. Not the planet Earth, but dirt. It’s World Soil Day! After you play in the dirt, you can celebrate Bathtub Party Day. Make it nice and bubbly! It’s also International Ninja Day. Move silently, and see if you can slip around unseen.

Today is World Wildlife Conservation Day. Many species of Earth’s wild animals are endangered, and need special protection. They are hunted by poachers, and their habitats are shrinking and becoming polluted. Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, use donations to help endangered species. They’ll let you symbolically adopt an animal, and learn all about it.

Today is Package Protection Day. As more people order products online, there are reports of deliveries disappearing. Security cameras have caught many porch thieves in action. Sometimes, the thief is an animal, like a bear. Human criminals should beware, because sometimes the package is a decoy, full of glitter and poop!

Today is International Cheetah Day. The fastest land animal, the big cat can accelerate to 60 miles-per-hour in 3 seconds, and reach 75 miles-per-hour, in short bursts! They live mainly in Africa. Cheetahs have small spots, and black lines down their faces. They sound more like a chirping bird, than like a lion!

Today is Dice Day. Dice have been found in Egyptian tombs, that were 4000 years old! A standard die has 6 sides, but role-playing games have dice with 4, 12 or even 100 sides. It’s also Cookie Day. How many cookies do you get to eat? Roll a 120-sided die, and you might get 10 dozen!

Today is Sock Day. What socks will you wear? Whether they’re short, long, woolly, stretchy, striped, or mismatched, make sure they’re clean! It’s also Brown Shoes Day, so now your feet are dressed. Don’t let your feet have all the fun. It’s still Tie Month, so add some pizzazz to your neck too!