Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Inspiration
  3. Evergreens

Wow your kids with these fun facts about animals

Teach your kids something interesting

Add as a preferred source on Google
Kids at a zoo watching a snake
Dragon Images / Shutterstock

Kids are naturally inquisitive so why not wow your kids with some fun facts about animals? Even if you don’t have time to tour the local zoo or aquarium; that doesn’t mean your kids can’t always be learning about animals. Whether you’re talking about exotic wild animals or domesticated ones, it’s always fun to find out some new and interesting facts about animals of all kinds. Here are six fun facts about animals that will excite your kids.

The fur of a polar bear isn’t white

polar bear laying on rocks
13748526 / Pixabay

Although most of us commonly assume that a polar bear has white fur, that isn’t the case. Polar bears have black skin, which helps attract the sun and keep them warm, and translucent fur. The fur only appears white because it reflects the light.

Recommended Videos

An elephant’s trunk contains more muscles than the human body

two elephants
NeilMorrell / Pixabay

The trunk of an elephant is amazing. Not only do elephants use their trunks to lift objects that can weigh as much as 700 pounds, but their trunks contain more muscles than the human body. These muscles also help elephants use their trunk tip “fingers” to help pick up objects as small as a peanut. Elephants also use their trunks to show affection, often wrapping their trunks around other elephants.

Sloths are unusually strong

Sloth hanging from a tree
rus33333 / Pixabay

You may often see sloths hanging from trees and that’s because they are incredibly strong. In fact, as soon as a baby sloth is born, they have the strength to hang from a tree branch with just one arm. Despite having 30% less muscle mass than mammals of a similar size, they are over three times stronger than a typical human, according to The Sloth Conservation Foundation.

Cats age 15 times faster than humans

Adorable kitten sleeping on a bed
Alena Ozerova / Shutterstock

Most of us know that one year for humans is equivalent to 7 dog years, but did you know that it’s also equal to 15 cat years? Well, at least for their first year, anyway. Most experts agree that a cat’s first birthday is equivalent to 15 human years and 24 years by their second birthday. After that, they typically age at 4 human years each year.

Puppies are born without hearing

Little girl sleeping on the couch with the dog.
Leo Rivas / Unsplash

Puppies don’t develop a sense of hearing until they’re about 3 weeks old, but once they do, they’re hearing is much better than that of the average human. They can hear about four times better than most people, as well as hearing frequencies that a typical human cannot hear.

Camels can drink super fast

two camels in the desert
Wolfgang_Hasselmann / Pixabay

Camels are accustomed to hot and dry conditions, and as a result, they can drink water very quickly. Camels can consume over 50 gallons of water in just 3 minutes, and contrary to popular belief, they don’t store that water in their humps. Their humps are used to store fat deposits that the camel can then rely on for energy.

The next time you want to impress your child, wow them with one of these fun animal facts!

Kelli Catana
Former Author
Do you agree with these unpopular parenting opinions?
Everyone has an opinion on parenting styles, what's yours?
Parent scolding teen about electronic device

Pretty much everyone has an opinion on parenting kids and the boundaries children and teens have or don't have, including people who aren't parents. Sounds crazy, right, but it's true. Some of the most opinionated people on parenting don't actually have kids to worry about. E

veryone has an opinion,n though. A recent Reddit discussion focused on unpopular parenting opinions that ran the gamut from screentime to letting kids do as they please and quite a few controversial things in between. So, what do you think? Do you agree with these unpopular parenting opinions or think they're too extreme?
Sounding off with unpopular parenting opinions

Read more
Do men get paternity leave? Here’s what you need to know
We know women take time off for having a baby, but do men get paternity leave?
A parent holding a newborn baby in the hospital room

When a woman finds out she is pregnant, part of the initial planning is figuring out maternity leave, from when it will start to how long it will be. While we immediately think of the time the mom will take off work for the baby, what about the dad? Do men get paternity leave? Here's what you need to understand about dads taking time off work for the birth of a child.
If men get paternity leave, here's how they can take it

There are a few options for the dad to take time off work for the birth of a baby, and it's all pretty similar to how a mother would take maternity leave. There are types of leave dads can't take since they aren't the ones having the medical procedure or going through the actual birth, but there are some workarounds.
Take FMLA
FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) allows mothers, fathers, and non-birthing parents to take up to 12 weeks off work to care for a new child. The time off is unpaid, but your position will be there for you when you return. There are rules and stipulations to use FMLA depending on where you work and for how long, and you may not qualify to use it under certain conditions, so talk to your employer as soon as you find out your partner is pregnant to know your options. FMLA is amazing if you qualify, but please remember it is unpaid. 
Use your PTO and vacation time
Another way to take some time off (and still get paid for it) is to use your PTO and vacation time. The second you know your partner is pregnant, start saving up your time. Talk with your HR department to see how much time off you can stack together and see if they will work with you on how to best use your time. If you can't use it all at once, see about peppering days off throughout the week to get you down to only working one to three days a week so you can still be home quite a bit.
Use unpaid time
Another option is to talk to your HR department about unpaid time off. Depending on how long you have been with the company, you could be entitled to an extended unpaid leave or a sabbatical, or your work will let you take time off for certain things like a medical issue or the birth of a child. This is another unpaid way to take time off, so you need to plan appropriately. 
What is paternity leave?

Read more
The right age for makeup: What parents should consider
Advice for parents wondering how old a child has to be to wear makeup
Mother and daughter playing with makeup

Kids grow up so fast, and before you know it, your tween is asking to wear makeup. Loaning your lip gloss and giving your personal makeup tips to your teenager may be a rite of passage, but what about your younger kids? It seems that children are wearing makeup now at younger and younger ages, and as your child transitions into their tween years, and sometimes even younger, they may want to start wearing some makeup as a way to express themselves. Experimenting with makeup doesn't have to be taboo, and it can even be a safe and healthy way for your child to experiment with their creativity and express their personality.

You may find yourself wondering how old do you have to be to wear makeup, especially if your parents were strict about the matter. Take a look at our helpful parenting tips below as a guide for how to talk to your child about makeup.
At what age will my child turn to makeup? Should I be concerned?

Read more