Cheese, Turtles, and Bikes!

Cheese Heads

Sports fans in Wisconsin sometimes wear cheese on their head.  Well, not real cheese!  They wear a foam hat that looks like cheese.  This is the way they show their spirit at sports events.  Wisconsin is known for making great cheese.  It is a symbol for their state!  The man who had the idea for the cheese hat is named Ralph Bruno.  He made the first cheese hat in 1987.  That is more than 20 years ago!  Cheese hats are sold in all 50 states and more than 30 countries.  This week, Wisconsin is giving Mr. Bruno a special award for coming up with such a neat idea for a hat.  

Traveling Turtles

Scientists made a new discovery about sea turtles.  They put a special device on baby sea turtles to see where they swam while they were young.  Scientists were very surprised at what they learned.  Young turtles traveled from Costa Rica all the way to Bermuda.  This is a trip of more than 10,000 miles.  That is a very long way for a little turtle!  Scientists found that Bermuda is where many turtles like to live while they are growing up.  When they are all grown up they will be about the size of a bathtub.  Then they travel to a new, adult habitat.

Bikes as Art

Many people love to ride bicycles.  Not only are bicycles a fun activity on a sunny day, but they are also a great way to get where you need to go.  Many people even ride their bikes to work instead of driving a car.  This saves them money on gas.  More cities are adding bike lanes to many of the roads.  All of this biking means the bike business is booming.  People are buying more bikes than ever!  This week was the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.  More than 8,000 people were at the show in Sacramento, California.  Bikes at this show were made completely by hand—not in a big factory.  They are true works of art!

Lucky Pets, Flying Cars, and Bouncy Shoes!

Spoiled Pets
People spend a lot of money on their pets!  This year, people in the United States spent over 50 million dollars on their pets.  This is the most money ever spent on pets in one year.  So, what are pet owners buying for their pets?  Well, owners have to pay money for their pets to go to the vet when they are sick.  Owners also have to buy food for their pets.  These costs have not changed much in the past few years.  But, now people are spending more to spoil their pets.  Dogs go to the beauty shop.  Kittens ride in strollers.  Hamsters eat gourmet food.  All of the costs add up to a booming business for pet care items. 

Flying Cars
For many years, people have been trying to build a car that could fly.  It would be very helpful for a vehicle to drive down a road and then lift into the air and fly.  This year, in April, a flying car called the Transition will be shown at the New York International Auto Show.  The transition has wings that are folded on the side of the car.  When you want to fly, you press a button, the wings unfold, and you can take off into the air.  The Transition will even fit inside a regular garage.  But, it will cost $279,000.  For that price, you could buy about 9 regular cars. 
  

Kangaroo Shoes
Have you ever wanted to jump like a kangaroo?  It sure would be good exercise to jump around all day!  A new exercise class in Spennway, WA lets kids wear special shoes called Kangoo Shoes.  When you wear these shoes, you can bounce very high.  In the class you do different jumping moves to get exercise.  It’s like wearing little trampolines on your feet.  There are classes for kids and classes for adults.  There are even classes that a whole family can take together.  Exercise, family time, and fun all in one!