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Previously on…
“Greetings from Corfu!”
As usual, one morning May opened the mailbox and pulled out a rather strange postcard.
On the front was a picture of a boy, a stamp — and the words: “Greetings from Corfu!”
On the back, a message read:
Once, this boy brought a scorpion with its babies to a family dinner — in a matchbox. (It was a family dinner, after all, so the scorpion came with its family.)
The boy did poorly at school. So poorly, in fact, that he was diagnosed with “school sickness.” But that is not what made him famous.
You will find his book on the bookshelf, on the top shelf to the left — at least, that’s where I left it the last time I came to visit. Today was his birthday.
With regards, O.T. & Lëliy
🐌📬 “A postcard from O.T.!” May exclaimed.
“A postcard from O.T.!” May exclaimed.
“Do you remember him? He lives in the forest — with his pet raccoon, Lëliy! And he loves sending riddles the old-fashioned way.”
“And I love solving them,” Al added.
“Last time he left us a whole message drawn on a rock — remember? We found it when we went to Muskoka!”
“Yes! And I think he can understand the language of animals,” Sofay said thoughtfully.
“As if he has some kind of magic powder — like in The Flying House by Durrell!
By the way… I think the boy in this photo could really be him.”
“You mean O.T.?” Al asked.
“No — Durrell,” Sofay replied.
“The postcard looks old, and Corfu is an island in Greece where he grew up!”
“I didn’t know there were scorpions in Greece,” Al said.
“Well, I do know that scorpions glow under ultraviolet light,” May smiled.
“But that’s a whole different story. Come on — let’s run to the library!”
Just as O.T. had written, on the top shelf to the left, the children found the book:
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.
What's Up?
What's Up?
“Let’s send him a reply,” May suggested.
“A riddle too!”
“Greetings from Niagara Falls!” Al laughed.
“And I know exactly which one — look at the date.”
January 9 — Word Nerd Day… and...
May read from a list of unofficial holidays.
They looked at each other.
A greeting.
A word.
A clue.
Perfect.
On the back of the postcard, they wrote just one question:
What’s up?
So—can you guess what other day you can celebrate on January 9, in addition to Word Nerd Day?
(Hint: it’s connected to waterfalls… and their power.)
Clue: look at the kids (below) — and the question they wrote.
⚡What’s Up at Niagara Falls?⚡
🎉 It was Static Electricity Day
It wasn’t the wind.
And it wasn’t magic.
It was static electricity.
Besides World Nerd Day, there was one more day hidden in the postcard.
💧⚡ What do waterfalls have to do with static electricity?
When millions of water droplets crash into rocks and air, they break apart.
Tiny charges jump around.
The air near big waterfalls can become electrically charged — just like when you rub a balloon on your sweater.
That’s why near waterfalls you might feel:
- extra fresh air 🌬️
- tiny sparks in winter ❄️
- hair doing strange things 😮
Static electricity loves:
✔️ movement
✔️ friction
✔️ dry winter air
Niagara Falls has all three.
🎈 Try the Postcard Experiments at Home
1️⃣ Niagara Hair Test
Rub a balloon on a sweater.
Watch your hair rise — just like on the postcard.
💡 Same idea, smaller scale.
2️⃣ Falling Water Trick
Turn on a thin stream of water.
Bring a charged balloon close.
🌊 The water bends — as if it’s being pulled.
Just like mist near a waterfall reacts to charged air.
3️⃣ Paper Snow Jump
Cut tiny paper “snowflakes.”
Charge a balloon and hold it above.
❄️ They jump up like winter magic.
🌩️ Big Thought
Lightning is just giant static electricity in the sky.
Niagara Falls is like a practice zone — showing how energy moves, gathers, and escapes.
Small sparks…
Big ideas.
⚡ Niagara’s Power Story (Coming Up)
Niagara Falls doesn’t just show electricity — it makes it.Right beside the falls, the Niagara Power Station turns falling water into electricity that has powered homes and cities for over a century.From tiny static sparks… to turbines, generators, and light.
🔎 We’ll be exploring this next:
- how the power station works
- how falling water becomes electricity
- and how nature became one of the world’s first power plants
We’ll be adding more electricity stories, experiments, and discoveries to this page very soon.
💛 Stay curious. Stay zappy. — SciNatured