Penguin Ambassadors for the Environment Take Field Trips around Chicago
It’s hard to deny that penguins make people happy. From Madagascar to Happy Feet, watching the funny little fish birds waddle around would bring a smile to anyone’s face. That’s one of the reasons they have become a particular ambassador for Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, and their field trips are recorded for a world-wide...
This Kid’s Poem About Online School Went Viral Because It Was Too Real
It’s been a rough year for most of us, in more ways than one. But there has been comfort in the fact that we were all going through it together–the staying in doors, the wearing masks, the endless meetings on Zoom. So when one 7-year-old wrote a poem expressing his dissatisfaction with online schooling, literally everyone on Twitter...
Couple Takes 2.5 Years To Build Miniature Mid-Century Modern House Modeled After Their Childhood Homes
Building tiny rooms seems to be a new trend. I frequently get ads for the adorable little kits that you can buy, but I know myself, and while I love Lego, I don’t think I could handle the minute detail that goes into miniature construction. The same can’t be said for Annie Kampfe and her husband Cliff Donnelly, who took the concept of...
Plant-Based “Stem Cells” Could Drive an Environmental Revolution
For the last year or two, my family has been making a conscious effort to buy less plastic. Certainly we try to avoid single-use plastics, but even for things that we’ll use again and again we try to find more durable, organic or metal alternatives. But of course, there’s often an environmental cost to wooden items, too. It presents a...
11 Heartwarming Moments to Heat Up Your Icy Cold Soul
We’re all going through difficult times these days and reading about tense things can make it even harder. I make a point to also look at warm, light content to bring me some comfort. Here are 11 heartwarming experiences to look at and think about when you feel low. 1. Pure Joy! Dog joy gives me life! Let’s take pleasure in the simple...
You Might Have Grown Up in the 90s if These 16 Scenarios Make You Nostalgic
We’re nearing or have reached our 40s now, but those who grew up in the 90s still have a fair amount of nostalgia for the decade. If these scenarios give you the warm fuzzies of nostalgia, then you were definitely a child of the 90s. Like WWI before it, the era of the 90s was on the cusp of so much new technology, which would be adopted...
Helpful Wombats Go Viral When They Led Thirsty Animal Friends to Water
I. Love. Wombats. In 2007 I even visited Australia Zoo, where I got to cuddle the larger-than-expected marsupials. Like the rest of the world, I was devastated to hear about the wildfires ravaging the Outback, and ecstatic to learn that in some parts of the country, wombats were saving the day. Image credit: Meg Jerrard via Unsplash The Outback is...
This UFO Chicken Coop Raises Arts and Crafts to a New Level
I would call myself medium-crafty. I knit and crochet. Last year I sewed a LOT of face masks. But I don’t take on large, ambitious projects that can’t be easily unraveled. So I am super impressed by people who build actual things, and I loved the story of one couple who took nerdom and crafting to a whole new level. Back in 2017, Ellen...
Scientists Discover Pigs Can Actually Play Video Games
Move over, Wilbur, there’s a new pig in town. In the classic children’s book Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White introduces readers to a very smart little piglet. As someone who loved the book in 3rd grade, I was only a little surprised to learn that pigs actually are genuinely very smart! Image credit: Lucia Macedo via Unsplash Earlier...
Dancing Dog Goes Viral and Gives Us the Good, Warm Feels
There’s nothing like a dog to make you happy. Eternal love, big puppy eyes, that tail or bob wiggling back and forth when they’re happy to see you–it’s contagious. That’s the whole reason one guy takes videos of his dog and shares them on TikTok–and the whole reason his #happydog video started a new trend. As it...