TodayGood News FridayOct 26 to Nov 1, 2026
Good News Friday · So far
Good news for kids this week, so far.
5 classroom stories from 5 places, across 5 sections. For Friday, October 30, 2026. Stories published so far.
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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
- Young Manx shearwaters are learning the night sky over Canna again · Canna, United Kingdom
- A South Valley dumping ground opens as a community farm · South Valley, United States
- Great Lakes piping plovers reach a record 99 breeding pairs · Sleeping Bear Dunes, United States
- A retired United Airlines worker has given 500 hours to a Colorado food bank · Aurora, Colorado, United States
- Tech Goes Home Chattanooga reaches 25,000 graduates · Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
AnimalsStory 1 of 5
Young Manx shearwaters are learning the night sky over Canna again
Where in the world: Canna, United Kingdom
Oct 29, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
The BBC reported that people are trying to bring Manx shearwaters back to the Isle of Canna, off western Scotland. The island once had about 3,000 breeding adults. Rats that came ashore on ships ate the birds' eggs, and by the 1990s the colony was nearly gone. The rats were removed in 2005. Over two years, teams have moved 40 young shearwaters from the nearby Isle of Rum, which still has a huge colony, and looked after them until they could fly from Canna. The birds spend most of their lives at sea and find their way by the sun, moon, and stars. Neighbors told researchers they missed hearing the birds call at night.
Discussion
- Why did the shearwaters disappear from Canna, and what had to happen before they could return?
- How do these birds find their way when they fly at night?
Source: BBC · Full story
CommunityStory 2 of 5
A South Valley dumping ground opens as a community farm
Where in the world: South Valley, United States
Oct 29, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
In Albuquerque's South Valley, a piece of land that people once used as an illegal dump is now a farm. It is called Raices Sagradas Community Farm, and it opened on October 24. The Agri-Cultura Network, a group of small farmers and ranchers, built it at 1025 Citation Drive SW. About 9,000 square feet are planted. Two big greenhouses run on off-grid solar power. There is space for pollinators and a program to save seeds from native plants that can handle dry weather. The farm will also be an outdoor classroom, with workshops for growers, elders, and kids.
Discussion
- How can a dumping ground become a place that grows food?
- Why save seeds from plants that already live in a dry climate?
Source: KUNM · Full story
ScienceStory 3 of 5
Great Lakes piping plovers reach a record 99 breeding pairs
Where in the world: Sleeping Bear Dunes, United States
Oct 29, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
Piping plovers are small shorebirds that nest on Great Lakes beaches. In the late 1980s only about a dozen pairs were left. In 2026 counters found 99 breeding pairs, the fifth record year in a row. Those pairs raised 184 chicks that were strong enough to fly, also a record. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the population is recovered when there are 150 pairs, including 50 outside Michigan. Ninety-nine pairs is almost two-thirds of that goal. The biggest nesting place is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan. The birds still face less beach, predators, and people walking through nests, so the comeback is real and not finished.
Discussion
- Why do piping plovers need a quiet stretch of beach?
- What does it mean that 184 chicks fledged?
Source: Michigan Public (Stateside) · Full story
HeroesStory 4 of 5
A retired United Airlines worker has given 500 hours to a Colorado food bank
Where in the world: Aurora, Colorado, United States
Oct 28, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
Bonnie Kirlin worked at United Airlines, and that is how she started volunteering at Food Bank of the Rockies in Aurora, Colorado. She has been at it for more than eight years and has given more than 500 hours. She retired in May 2025 and still shows up. She comes with her old coworkers, with her husband, and to help in the kitchen, about three or four times a month. On a recent shift she packed Totes of Hope, bags of food children can take home for the weekend when school meals are not there. Denver7 named her an Everyday Hero.
Discussion
- Why would weekend food matter to a kid who eats breakfast and lunch at school?
- What could you keep doing for other people after you stop going to a job?
Source: Denver7 · Full story
Health & TechStory 5 of 5
Tech Goes Home Chattanooga reaches 25,000 graduates
Where in the world: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Oct 26, 2026
Read aloud
Ages 6 to 11. An adult reads this.
Tech Goes Home, a program of the Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, has now graduated 25,000 people. Anyone who finishes a free 15-hour class gets a device to take home. Classes cover work skills, college and career planning, and tools for artists. The most popular class is for older adults. They learn how to use telehealth, keep appointments on a digital calendar, and make video calls with family. The program started in Chattanooga in 2015, spread across Tennessee in 2021, and reached Georgia and Alabama this year. It has worked with more than 200 organizations.
Discussion
- Why would a class give someone a computer instead of only lending one?
- What is one thing a video call can do that a phone call cannot?
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press · Full story
Kindness Challenge
This week's stories are about animals, community, science, heroes, and health & tech, from Canna, United Kingdom, South Valley, Sleeping Bear Dunes, 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 26 to Nov 1, 2026