TodayGood News FridayOct 5 to 11, 2026
Good News Friday
Good news for kids this week.
5 classroom stories from 5 places, across 4 sections. For Friday, October 9, 2026.
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Teacher note
Plan on 10 to 15 minutes with ages 6 to 11 (about grades 1 to 6). An adult reads aloud. Show the photo, read one story, ask one discussion question, and point to the place. If you have time, read another story or do the kindness challenge. The rest of the pack can wait. Skip any part a story does not include.
In this pack
- More than 170 green turtle hatchlings reached the sea near Baler · Sitios Diguisit and Dicasalarin, Barangay Zabali, Philippines
- Thirty-four trees start the remake of the old ʻAiea sugar mill as a park · ʻAiea, Hawaii, United States
- A Coeur d'Alene fifth grader gave her $500 trivia prize to cover classmates' lunches · Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States
- Jefferson County students showed NASA mentors the hardware they are building · Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
- Rescue kittens tour the shark tunnel at the Mall of America · Bloomington, Minnesota, United States
AnimalsStory 1 of 5
More than 170 green turtle hatchlings reached the sea near Baler
Where in the world: Sitios Diguisit and Dicasalarin, Barangay Zabali, Philippines
Oct 11, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
The Inquirer reported on October 11, 2026, that more than 170 green sea turtle hatchlings were released on beaches near Baler, in Aurora province. The tiny turtles came from separate nests inside a forest reserve. Environment staff, the town office, and people who run beach resorts carried them down to the water.
Discussion
- Why would a turtle nest in a forest reserve instead of on the open beach?
- What should people do if they find a nest of turtle eggs?
Source: Inquirer · Full story
CommunityStory 2 of 5
Thirty-four trees start the remake of the old ʻAiea sugar mill as a park
Where in the world: ʻAiea, Hawaii, United States
Oct 11, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
Thirty-four trees are now growing where an old sugar mill stood in ʻAiea, Hawaiʻi. They are the first step toward a community park. The city supplied the trees with a grant of $34,000. The mix includes milo, wiliwili, and a Moreton Bay fig. Schools, civic clubs, and other partners helped put them in the ground. A neighborhood group is leading the plan to turn the mill site into a park. The trees are a start. The park itself is not finished yet.
Discussion
- Why might a neighborhood plant trees before a park is finished?
- Which tree in the mix would you want to learn more about?
Source: Hawaii News Now · Full story
HeroesStory 3 of 5
A Coeur d'Alene fifth grader gave her $500 trivia prize to cover classmates' lunches
Where in the world: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States
Oct 10, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
Leah Weber, a 10-year-old in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, won $500 at a football game by answering a potato-themed trivia question, with the crowd helping. She did not know her class would be surprised with the check. She had already decided to give all of it to her school so families who cannot afford lunch can still eat. She had written the principal to say that was the plan. She told the paper she has a friend without much money and does not want anyone to miss lunch. Her classmates applauded.
Discussion
- Why did Leah give the prize away instead of keeping it?
- What happens at school when a student cannot pay for lunch?
Source: Coeur d'Alene Press · Full story
ScienceStory 4 of 5
Jefferson County students showed NASA mentors the hardware they are building
Where in the world: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Oct 10, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
Students in Jefferson County, Colorado, design and build hardware for NASA. Their district is one of only three in the country named a Center of Excellence in a program that links high schools with the space agency. They work on ideas astronauts have raised, for the space station and for Artemis missions aimed at the Moon. Some projects have already gone to the station for testing. On a Friday they reviewed the work with NASA mentors, a rare chance to get feedback before they improve it. Last year more than 30 projects from the program were picked to compete in Houston.
Discussion
- What is different about building something that might go to space?
- Why do mentors give feedback before a project is finished?
Source: CBS Colorado · Full story
AnimalsStory 5 of 5
Rescue kittens tour the shark tunnel at the Mall of America
Where in the world: Bloomington, Minnesota, United States
Oct 11, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
About two dozen foster kittens from a rescue group walked through an underwater tunnel at an aquarium in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Sharks and rays swam overhead. The group does this once a year to help kittens get used to new sights and gentle handling before they are adopted. These are orphaned foster cats, not aquarium animals. The rescue is caring for about 1,000 kittens this year. A strange room can make a young cat braver around people. The bigger job is still the daily care of the much larger group.
Discussion
- Why might a new place help a kitten get ready for a home?
- How is a foster kitten different from an animal that lives at the aquarium?
Source: Associated Press · Full story
Kindness Challenge
This week's stories are about animals, community, heroes, and science, from Sitios Diguisit and Dicasalarin, Barangay Zabali, ʻAiea, Hawaii, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and 2 more places. After the read-aloud, ask the class what happened in one story. Stay with what they just heard. Then choose one small kind act the class can do at school before next Friday.
Tazzora · Good News Friday · Oct 5 to 11, 2026