Helping Parents, Caregivers and Teachers Discover Quality Educational Kids Content.
The US National Park Service is celebrating National Fossil Day today at many of their parks. Fossils are prehistoric plants or animals, petrified and preserved in stone. Paleontologists study fossils, like dinosaur bones! You can download a Junior Paleontologist Activity Booklet online, to help you celebrate. Do you have any fossils?
A day off from school or work this holiday, traditionally celebrated Columbus Day. In recent years however, the holiday has shifted to Native American Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. After all, Columbus did not discover America, but treated its inhabitants badly. The people that were already living there, are the ones we honor today.
Friday night may be a good night, to see some meteors! The Draconid meteor shower should be visible in the early evening, and is caused by debris from the 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Comet. Debris burns up in the atmosphere, creating fireballs that streak across the sky. The Southern Hemisphere, will also see the Arids meteor shower.
Today is Bathtub Day, so skip your shower and take a relaxing bubble bath instead! You could also pamper your tub by giving it a good cleaning. It’s also LED Light Day. Light Emitting Diode bulbs are bright and energy efficient. LED holiday lights are the best, because the bulbs don’t fall out!
Last year, Palau was the first country in the world to ban sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. Those chemicals damage the ocean’s coral reefs, and the animals that live there. Thailand announced they’ll also ban sunscreens with harmful chemicals, from marine parks. Protect coral reefs, and use sunscreens that don’t poison the ocean.
Today is Avocado Day, and Hawaii grows some of the world’s heaviest. One avocado weighed 5.6 pounds, and made enough guacamole to feed the whole Pokini family! They hold the official world record, but Kenji Fukumitsu gave away a 6 1/2 pound avocado earlier this year, and he’s often given away bigger ones!
David Rush and Jonathan Hannon, reclaimed their world record. David stood on a balance ball, while his friend threw grapes at him, so he could slice them in the air with a samurai sword. He sliced 59 grapes in one minute. He’s a real-life fruit ninja! Now, who wants fruit salad?
Vernon Kruger is experiencing the ultimate in tiny-house living. He just spent his 60th day, living in a barrel on top of a pole in South Africa. He wants to beat the world record, which is 67 days, by at least a week. His biggest concern is getting hit by lightning!
A dog in Texas got so excited about pumpkin pie, that he ate the fork! Carli Ott was sharing a piece of pie with her pooch, Chemo. He swallowed the fork, right out of her hand. Chemo had to have surgery to remove the fork, but is making a full recovery.
Tardigrades are amazing microscopic creatures. Also called water bears or moss piglets, they can survive in the cold vacuum of space, in volcanoes and in deep underwater trenches. They can withstand radiation blasts or live for decades without food or water, by drying out while they hibernate. It’s helped them survive 5 mass extinctions.