Curious Kid Times Issue 3 – May 2026 monthly ebook cover

Issue 3 — May 2026

What’s inside this issue

News in this issue

The CubeCats and LeopardSat-1: Reach for the Stars

About 120 University of Cincinnati students spent years building a tiny cube-shaped satellite, the size of a Rubik's Cube, called LeopardSat-1. NASA will launch it to the International Space Station — Ohio's first student-led satellite mission. The CubeCats' goal is to test a thin, lightweight carbon material that could block harmful space radiation better than heavy materials, helping protect astronauts on long trips to places like Mars.

Curiosity questions in this story

Do you know? A satellite cube is small like your toy block — what do you think it does in space?
What are "space rays" and how could a special shield help astronauts?
How can you reach for the stars, one tiny dream at a time, like the CubeCats?

When the Water Came Back: Ponds in a Dry Land

In the drought-prone district of Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, Indian Forest Service officer Vineet Kumar and his wife Rupak Yadav led a project called "Ananta Niru Sanrakshanam." They restored and built 11 water bodies and involved more than 400 villagers in caring for them. Rainwater stayed in the land, ponds filled, groundwater and plants improved, and the area became greener and more hopeful for families, farmers, children, and wildlife.

Curiosity questions in this story

What can we do to store water in the ground?
Do you know? Ponds help water hide underground so plants can drink later. Why is that important?
Why did the "dry place" become a place where ponds smiled and birds came for a drink?

Little Heroes Say No to Plastic

A group of schoolgirls from Ghaziabad noticed how much plastic was being used around them and decided to take action instead of waiting for adults to fix it. They started a student-led initiative called “Pahal”, meaning “the first step,” where they replaced plastic spoons with wooden ones and introduced reusable cotton bags at school events. What began as a small idea quickly inspired others, showing that when young people work together, simple choices can reduce plastic waste and help care for the planet in meaningful ways.

Curiosity questions in this story

Why are bamboo toothbrushes Earth-friendly?
Did you know plastic does not go away quickly? What can we use instead?
What could you and your friends do together to help the Earth?

When Books Find Children, and Children Find Books

In a small village near Mysuru, Karnataka, a man named Anke Gowda, now 72 (recently honored with India's Padma Shri 2026 award for his heroic love of books), has built "book house" packed with over 2 million books from dates as old as 1832 in 20 languages, covering stories, science, history, and kids' tales—that anyone can visit and read for free. Coming from a poor farming family, he saved most of his factory job money for 50 years to buy and collect them, dusting the shelves daily with his wife while living simply among the books, inspired by his own childhood dream of easy access to reading.

Story in the book

Curiosity questions in this story

What is Padma Shri? Can a kid get one?
Why books are important?
What would you want in a library that was just for you?

Activity in this issue

Where Should I Go? Learning to Sort Waste

This issue includes a fun activity that asks "Where should I go?" — matching different kinds of waste (like paper, plastic bottles, organic waste, and bags) to the right bins. Kids learn how to sort waste so we can recycle and take better care of our planet.

Curiosity questions in this story

Why do we put paper in one bin and plastic in another?
What happens to things we recycle? Where do they "go"?

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