1. WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT

Every year, a group of researchers creates a list of the happiest countries in the world. They ask people in each country how happy they feel, if they feel supported by friends and family, and if they think they have the freedom to make their own choices. For the past few years, Finland has been the happiest country, while the United States has been slowly dropping in the rankings. This year, the U.S. was number 24 on the list — the lowest it’s ever been. Some people think this is because more Americans, especially younger people, feel lonely or worried about their future. Meanwhile, countries like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden stayed at the top of the happiness list. After learning about the World Happiness Report, think about what makes you feel happy in your life. Is it time with family? Playing with friends? Feeling safe at school? On a sheet of paper, draw or write about five things that bring you happiness. Then, describe one thing you think could make your school, town, or country a happier place for everyone. This could be something small, like more recess time, or something big, like helping people who feel lonely. Talk about your ideas with your classmates and see how many different ideas your class came up with!

2. BERND THE BREAD TURNS 25

In Germany, there’s a very funny TV star named Bernd das Brot — which means Bernd the Bread! He’s not your usual happy bread. In fact, Bernd is always grumpy and says “Mist!” (like saying “Oh no!”). Even though he doesn’t like being on TV, people love watching him — both kids and grown-ups! Bernd was created as a puppet 25 years ago and became very popular when the TV channel played his short shows late at night. Bernd has silly adventures with his friends Chili the Sheep and Briegel the Bush. Even though he always says he wants to leave the show, Bernd sings, dances, and even went to space! He once got his heart broken by a baguette and was even kidnapped (but don’t worry — they found him safe!). This year, Bernd is turning 25, and the TV channel is celebrating with new shows and fun activities. Even though Bernd would probably roll his eyes, he’s now a trendsetter online! Think about a funny or unusual character you would like to see on a TV show. It could be an animal, a food, or even a made-up creature like a talking pencil or a dancing potato! Draw a picture of your character and write 3–5 sentences describing what makes them special. Do they love adventures? Are they super grumpy like Bernd, or really excited about everything? What kind of show would they be in? Be creative and try to come up with a character no one else has thought of before!

3. BLUE GHOST’S SUCCESS

NASA asked companies to help send science tools to the moon. One company, Firefly Aerospace, made a robot lander called Blue Ghost—and it worked perfectly! Blue Ghost landed on the moon and helped scientists learn all kinds of cool things. It had cameras to watch how moon dust moved, drills to study the ground, and tools to look deep inside the moon. It even had a telescope to look back at Earth and study how the sun affects our planet. The robot ran on solar power, so when the sun went down on the moon, its job was done. Even though Blue Ghost has stopped working, it left behind lots of data that scientists will study for years. People who worked on the mission said they’ll never look at the moon the same way again. Let’s pretend Blue Ghost is sending a postcard back to Earth! Write a postcard message from the lander as if it were talking about its time on the moon. What did it see? What was its favorite part of the mission? Was anything tricky or surprising? Be sure to include a greeting (“Dear Earth…”), at least three sentences, and a goodbye. Then, to finish your postcard, draw a picture on the other side of what Blue Ghost saw from the moon—maybe Earth in the sky, moon dust flying, or space tools in action.

4. MOVIE MUSEUM

Wes Anderson is a movie director who is famous for making films with lots of color, symmetry, and tiny details that help tell big stories. He keeps all the costumes, props, notebooks, and even puppets from his movies because he cares so much about the creative process. Now, a big museum show in Paris is showing off those movie items, like costumes from The Royal Tenenbaums, vending machines from Asteroid City, and the pink hotel model from The Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes writes careful notes, draws storyboards, and works closely with artists to make every tiny part of his movie world special. The museum lets people see how every little decision can help bring a story to life. Now it’s your turn to become a storyteller like Wes Anderson. Pretend you’re building a museum all about yourself. Draw or describe what your museum would look like. What color would the building be? What would the rooms look like inside? Then, choose five items that would be in your museum to tell the story of your life. Maybe it’s your favorite toy, a family photo, a book you love, or something you made. Next to each drawing, write one or two sentences explaining why it’s important to you.

5. FINDING WAYS TO ADAPT

In California, many fishermen who used to catch salmon are finding new ways to keep their boats and businesses running. Because there aren’t enough salmon in the ocean right now, fishing for them has been stopped for the past two years. Captain William Smith, also known as “Captain Smitty,” used to take people fishing for salmon, but now he gives boat rides for whale watching and even helps families say goodbye to loved ones by spreading their ashes at sea. Other boat captains are giving history tours or taking people on party cruises. Even though they miss catching salmon, these captains are working hard to stay on the water and share the ocean in new ways. Imagine you are the captain of your own boat and can’t take people fishing for salmon right now. What would you do instead to keep your boat business going? Would you take people on nature tours, tell ocean stories, or maybe teach them about sea animals? Write a short paragraph of at least 5 sentences describing what your new boat adventure would be like.