1. MAKING IT TO MARS

President Trump recently said that he wanted to put astronauts on Mars during his presidency, but experts aren’t sure that’s realistic. Sending astronauts to Mars is really tricky! Mars and Earth move around the sun at different speeds, so they only line up for a good launch every 26 months. That means there are only two chances to try during President Trump’s time in office—late 2026 and late 2028. Right now, SpaceX’s Starship is the only spaceship that might be able to go, but it hasn’t carried people yet or landed on another planet. Even if an empty spaceship lands on Mars in 2026, the soonest humans could go would be 2029. Getting to Mars isn’t just about the spaceship—astronauts would need new space suits, food, and ways to stay healthy for more than two years, all while being really far from Earth with no quick way to talk to home. What do you know about our neighboring planet? Look up facts about Mars using resources in your classroom. Write down at least five facts you learned about how Mars compares to Earth.

2. RHINO REHAB

A group of people in Zimbabwe is working to bring rhinos back to the wild while helping local communities. For a long time, rhinos were almost gone because people hunted them for their horns. But now, thanks to a special project, two white rhinos were moved to a new home near Hwange National Park. The rhinos were taken in a big truck, traveling overnight with a team of experts to keep them safe. When they arrived, the local villagers, especially schoolchildren, were excited to welcome them. The rhinos will live in a protected area where villagers will take care of them and tourists can visit. This project helps everyone: the rhinos get a safe place to live, the villagers get jobs and better schools, and tourists get to see these amazing animals up close. In another village nearby, a similar project already helped build a clinic, a market, and a soccer field. To keep the rhinos safe from poachers, a special group of trained guards, called the Cobras, watch over them all the time. Some of these guards used to be poachers themselves but now work to protect the animals instead. One day, the people behind this project hope to have 1,000 rhinos roaming free in Zimbabwe. Draw a picture or comic strip that shows people in the village working together to protect the rhinos.

3. A STINKY SUPERSTAR

A giant, super-stinky flower called the corpse flower just bloomed in Sydney, Australia, and thousands of people lined up for hours to see (and smell) it! The flower, nicknamed Putricia, smells like rotten garbage and gym socks, but fans—who call themselves Putricians—love it anyway. This rare plant, which only blooms once every 7 to 10 years, grew over 5 feet tall. As it opened, it let out a terrible odor to attract flies and beetles, which help it make more flowers. The excitement around Putricia was huge—people walked a red carpet to see her, took selfies, and even made up funny internet jokes about her. A live stream of the flower got almost a million views! The bloom only lasted one day, and then the smell started to fade. But for her fans, Putricia was a once-in-a-lifetime stinky superstar! Draw your own colorful, creative version of the corpse flower and label parts of the flower based on the story.

4. TURTLE SURVIVAL

A big winter storm hit Florida, making the ocean water super cold. This was really bad for sea turtles because they can’t warm themselves up like people do. More than 1,200 turtles got so cold that they couldn’t move, breathe properly, or swim. Many of them washed up on the shore, where rescuers found them just in time. A team of over 40 people searched the beaches for a week, picking up turtles and taking them to a special rescue center. Some turtles were small and easy to carry, but bigger ones needed two to four people to lift them. The rescuers warmed the turtles up slowly and gave them medical care. Sadly, about 200 turtles didn’t survive, but most of them recovered. Once the weather got warmer and the turtles were healthy again, the team brought them back to the beach. The turtles flapped their flippers, crawled into the water, and swam back home. Write out the different steps the rescuers took to help the turtles from when the turtles washed up on the shore to when they were released back into the ocean.

5. A LONG HISTORY OF POLLUTION

A long time ago, people in ancient Greece made things out of metal, like silver jewelry. But when they melted rocks to get the silver, they also released a toxic metal called lead into the air. Scientists recently found the oldest known lead pollution in Greece, from about 5,200 years ago! At first, the pollution was small, but about 2,150 years ago, it suddenly got much worse. This happened after the Romans took over Greece and needed more silver to make coins. They also used lead for things like pipes and tableware. Scientists have known for a while that the Romans caused a lot of lead pollution, but this new study helps show exactly when and where it happened in Greece. What kinds of pollution can you think of that we see today? What can we do to help stop pollution? Write 3 to 5 questions about your answers.