1. GARDEN GALA

Celebrities from all over the world put on over-the-top outfits last weekend for the famous Met Gala, an annual party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Every year has a theme for guests to interpret and base their outfits on—this year was “Garden of Time.” It’s a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute, and this year, they raised $26 million from the event. Tickets cost $75,000 each! The Costume Institute collects clothing and accessories from the 1600s to today, preserving and displaying them for visitors or storing them for future generations. Draw a design of an outfit for this year’s Met Gala theme, “Garden of Time,” being as creative as your imagination can be! Write a few sentences that describe your design to go along with your drawing.

2. SCOUTING AMERICA

The Boy Scouts of America are officially changing its name to be more inclusive of all young people. The new name is Scouting America, and it will officially become the new name on the Boy Scouts 115th anniversary on February 8, 2025. The organization started letting girls into its troops in 2018. They dropped “boy” from the official name then, but many people still refer to it as the Boy Scouts. Many girls in the organization say the name change is helping them feel more included. Are you or anyone know you know involved in Scouts? If you could ask a scout troop leader or scout participant any questions about the organization, what they do, and about the new name change, what would you ask? Write a list of at least 10 questions you’d ask them to help you learn more about Scouting America.

3. SUPERSTAR SONG CONTEST

This month, an annual song competition will pick the top pop song in the world. It’s called Eurovision, and almost 40 countries send acts that perform in the live contest that hundreds of millions of people around the world watch on TV. The country who won the year before usually hosts, so this year’s event will take place in Sweden after “Tattoo” by Loreen, a pop singer from the country, won last year. The famous pop band ABBA got their start on Eurovision, winning 50 years ago with their song “Waterloo.” If you were going to write a song for a contest like Eurovision, what would you write about? Try your hand at writing lyrics of a pop song and share your ideas with your classmates.

4. SLEEP STRUGGLES

More than half of Americans report being on their phones within an hour of going to sleep, which could be bad for their sleep. The brain any light as sunlight, which keeps it from releasing melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep. Looking at social media can keep the brain from relaxing, too. What are your favorite ways to relax? Do you have time for your brain to relax away from screens before going to bed? Write down your usual bedtime routine and how you could change it to be more relaxing (away from screens!) so your body is ready for sleep.

5. MORE CLEAN ENERGY