The new year is officially here! And with it comes 366 opportunities to make changes that really count. That’s right, 2020 is a leap year! It’s also an election year, Olympics year and a brand-new decade.
So, what can you expect in terms of family fun an entertainment? Get the low down on some big events in 2020 in metro Detroit and Ann Arbor, details on one local boy’s creepy-crawly story, info on upcoming family movies and much more in the January 2020 edition of “What Counts.”
2020
Welcome to a brand-new decade! This year we’ll have a leap year in February, the Summer Olympics will happen in Tokyo July 24-Aug. 9 and a U.S. presidential election rolls around on Nov. 3.
What are your predictions for the 10 years ahead? What will we see happen with Gen Alpha? What’ll the next snowplow parent label or Baby Shark craze be? Only time will tell …
3
If you ask us, that’s three too many worms to eat. But a local principal did just that. And a student at his school, 9-year-old Jonah Marshall of Farmington, wrote a story about it called, fittingly, “My Principal Ate a Worm” that was turned into a full production on Gimlet’s award-winning podcast The Story Pirates. Hear Jonah’s story – and more from other creative kids – at storypirates.com.
443,000
That’s how many words you’ll find in Roget’s International Thesaurus Eighth Edition, which is the latest installment of the world’s bestselling collection of synonyms. Expand, increase, broaden, grow, widen and bolster your kids’ vocabulary by cracking an edition (or browsing an online version) on Jan. 18, which is National Thesaurus Day.
24
We’re not positive how many kids movies will come out in 2020, but Good Housekeeping puts its “best” list at two dozen. Watch for Sonic the Hedgehog, Pixar flicks Onwardand Soul, a live-action Mulan,Peter Rabbit 2, Trolls World Tour, Scoob, Minions 2, Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, Clifford theBig Red Dogand The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge.
2,681
What would it sound like if this many people popped bubble wrap at once? Back in 2015, a Boy Scouts troop in Colorado found out – and earned a Guinness World Records nod in the process (is there a badge for that?). Whether you’re shipping back a holiday Amazon return or looking for some ASMR, celebrate this ubiquitous packing material Jan. 28, which is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.
