National Trivia Day!

Hello readers,

Today is National Trivia Day. It’s a day to impress (and stump) your friends and family with all the cool facts you know. Reading chickaDEE is a great place to start. For instance, DID YOU KNOW that…

… the most expensive painting ever sold went for a price tag of $140 million dollars? The painting is called Number 5 and was painted by an artist named Jackson Pollack.

… some Japanese coins have holes in the middle of them. That’s because a long time ago (and before wallets!), people in Japan would thread their coins onto a string and tie it around their necks for safekeeping.

… salmon can smell its way from the ocean all the way back to the river it was born!

… a special algae has turned white snow on a California mountaintop pink. Locals call it “watermelon snow” because it also smells like fruit!

… cats aren’t the only animals that clean themselves with their spit. Rats clean themselves at least six times a day using their own saliva.

Do you have any trivia you’d like to share? Leave a comment below! And Happy National Trivia Day!

Talk to you later,

Mandy

Editor of chickaDEE

chickadeeblog@owlkids.com

Happy Halloween!

Hi readers,

Happy Halloween, everybody. Let’s celebrate today with some random facts from past Halloween-inspired Did You Know’s!

1. Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States are the only countries where children go trick-or-treating.
2. The tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns started in Ireland hundreds of years ago. Irish people carved mean faces into turnips to scare bad luck away.
3. The most popular Halloween candy is chocolate!
4. Pumpkins are the world’s biggest fruit. Sometimes they grow so big that they weigh as much as grizzly bears.

I hope you all have a happy and SAFE Halloween tonight. And if you need a last-minute costume idea, check out page 16 of chickaDEE’s October issue for some quick and fun ideas! If you already do have a costume, tell us what you’re dressing up as in the comment section below!

Be safe and talk soon,

Mandy

Editor of chickaDEE

chickadeeblog@owlkids.com

Get Crafty for Spring Break!

Hi readers!

For some of you chickaDEE readers, the start of spring break is today. Welcome to a week of no school. Hurray!

If you’re looking for crafty projects to do while you’re on break, try one of the cool crafts in the March issue.

Try one (or all!) of the crafts and send us a picture. We might just post it on the blog.

What are you plans for spring break? Leave a comment below!

Talk soon,

Mandy

Editor of chickaDEE

chickadeeblog@owlkids.com

Year of the Rabbit

Hi readers,

Today is Chinese New Year! It is the year of the rabbit. People who were born in the year of the rabbit are known for being calm, gentle and loving.

Check out this a cool illustration from OWL illustrator Kathy Boake. (You’ll see her work on the cover of the upcoming March 2011 issue of chickaDEE!) The rabbit is holding a sign that says “Gung Hai Fat Choi,” which is a way of wishing good luck and good fortune to your friends and family.

I was born in the year of the monkey. Monkeys are known for being clever, creative and charming. Do you know what your Chinese zodiac sign is? Check out this website if you don’t know yet. Then leave a comment below and let us know!

Gung Hai Fat Choi,

Mandy

Editor of chickaDEE

chickadeeblog@owlkids.com

Happy New Year!

Hi readers,

I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to the new year! Have you started thinking about all the stuff you’d like to do in 2011 yet?

On page 19 of the January/February issue, we showed you how to make a Future Box.

Once you’ve made the box, write down all your wishes on small pieces of paper. Then seal up the box and put it in a safe place. On January 1st, 2012, you can open the box again and see how many of your wishes came true!

For now, I’ll share one of my wishes with you: For 2011, I wish to meet more chickaDEE readers on the blog this year!

Post a comment below and tell me one of YOUR wishes for 2011.

Happy new year, everyone!

Mandy

Editor of chickaDEE