A Mighty Girl's top picks of space-themed toys and books for all ages!

With this week's 54th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, many Mighty Girls are dreaming about the stars! From mapping the skies as pioneers of astronomical science to walking in space on shuttle missions, women have made countless contributions to humanity's exploration of space. To encourage kids' interest in space, and introduce them to these trailblazers, in the first part of this blog post, we've featured a variety of books for children, teens, and adults about ground-breaking women of space exploration. In the second part, we've showcased our favorite space-oriented science kits so kids can learn more about space and pretend play toys so they can imagine themselves flying into outer space. After all, the sky is no limit to the dreams of Mighty Girls! Continue reading → Continue reading

A step by step guide to making a DIY First Period Kit!

A new school year is full of firsts, and for many Mighty Girls that may include her first period! To help her feel prepared for whenever her period starts, a "just in case" first period kit is a great addition to her backpack or school locker. And, the start of a new school year is the perfect time to stash a first period kit in her backpack and talk to her about what to expect when her period comes. Continue reading → Continue reading

Books, toys, clothing, and more celebrating girls and women in soccer in honor of the 2023 Women's World Cup!

With nearly 30 million players in over 200 countries, it's no surprise that soccer is the world's most prominent women's team sport! In fact, women’s soccer games have been recorded since the late 19th century, and today, 187 nations have national women’s soccer teams. Best of all, girls’ soccer leagues continue to thrive, with gender representation among youth soccer players almost exactly 50-50, something that's all too rare in athletics. It's no wonder that excitement about the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is at a fever pitch, with millions of girls around the world eager to cheer on their favorite players — and dream about their own turn kicking the winning goal! Continue reading → Continue reading

Among hundreds of men, trailblazing NASA Engineer JoAnn Morgan was the sole woman present in the locked control room.

A famous photo shows the control room at Kennedy Space Center on the day of the historic Apollo 11 launch packed with hundreds of men in white shirts and skinny black ties — and, among them, a single woman sits at a console. As Apollo 11 began its flight to the moon on July 16, 1969, 28-year-old instrumentation controller JoAnn Hardin Morgan became the first woman ever permitted in the launch firing room, which is locked down in advance of a space flight. Morgan, who was the first female engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, would go on to have a 40-year-long career at NASA. While she encountered challenges along the way, including being "the only woman there for a long time" and spending the first 15 years working "in a building were there wasn't a ladies rest room," Morgan says that "I had such a passion that overrode anything else, the lonely moments, the little bits of negative. They were like a mosquito bite. You just swat it and push on." Continue reading → Continue reading

Pioneering neuroscientist Brenda Milner, one of the founders of cognitive neuroscience, says that at 105, she's "still nosy."

If you go to the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, you might catch a glimpse of 105-year-old Dr. Brenda Milner — a pioneering neuroscientist who's still breaking new ground in her 70-year long career as a brain researcher! The eminent British-born scientist revolutionized brain science as a newly minted PhD in the 1950s. Today, she is best known for discovering where memory formation occurs in the brain and is widely recognized as one of the founders of cognitive neuroscience. Her research to better understand the inner workings of the human brain continues today, although she says that people often think she must be emerita because of her advanced age. "Well, not at all," she asserts. "I’m still nosy, you know, curious.” Continue reading → Continue reading

Five downloadable posters featuring beloved Mighty Girl characters Rosie Revere and Ada Twist celebrating science, reading, and critical thinking!

Author Andrea Beaty has created a series of free downloadable 11" x 17" posters featuring characters from her bestselling series of books, which celebrate science, reading, and critical thinking! These posters were created in support of the March for Science, and encourage kids to remember that all citizens -- astronauts, engineers, and architects, but also each and every one of us -- need to be informed and think critically to create a better world for all of us.

Beaty is the author of two beloved books starring Mighty Girls in science, Rosie Revere, Engineer and Ada Twist, Scientist. She's also the creator of Rosie Revere's Big Project Book for Bold Engineers, a hands-on activity book which helps kids put engineering concepts to the test. She and illustrator David Roberts used Rosie and Ada, as well as Iggy from their book Iggy Peck, Architect, to highlight the importance of reading, education, and scientific literacy. Whether you're decorating your classroom or looking for inspiring wall art for your Mighty Girl's playroom, home lab, or bedroom, these posters provide an excellent reminder that every human's most powerful tool is their brain! Continue reading → Continue reading

Dr. Kazue Togasaki became one of the first Japanese American women to earn a medical degree in the US.

In the midst of World War II, as many people of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in internment camps, a pioneering doctor helped ensure that pregnant women got the best care she could provide. Dr. Kazue Togasaki fought sexism and racism to become one of the first Japanese American women to earn a medical degree in the US. Over the course of her remarkable career, she delivered over 10,000 babies, including 50 during one month at the Tanforan Assembly Center. "In other camps, I know they’d send the pregnant women out to the nearest county hospital to deliver, but I never thought about sending them out from Tanforan," she recalled years later. "I thought it was my duty." Continue reading → Continue reading

With a one million franc bounty on her head, Witherington presided over the surrender of more than 18,000 German troops.

On the night of September 22, 1943, a 29-year-old British Special Operations Executive agent parachuted into occupied France. It sounds like the beginning of a spy movie, but it’s actually the real-life story of Pearl Witherington, one of World War II’s little-known female heroes! Witherington led a network of thousands of French Maquis resistance fighters in battle against the Nazis, and even presided over the surrender of 18,000 German troops at the end of the war. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books for children and teens about girls' summertime adventures, growth, and discovery!

Many kids think of summer as a break — school is out and they're free to do what they please! But summer is a time of growth for kids! Whether they're enjoying classic summer experiences like a long hike, a day at the beach, or a camping trip, when kids have the time and opportunity to explore and adventure, they're often working harder than ever: discovering new talents and interests, handling unexpected challenges, and learning more about themselves than they'd ever thought possible.
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These powerful stories for tweens and teens explore the grim realities of life under dictatorships, and why protecting our democracy by becoming an informed and engaged citizen is more important than ever.

There are many rights we take for granted in a democracy, from freedom of speech to the opportunity to vote, from the freedom to criticize the government to the peaceful transition of power after free and fair elections. Tragically, throughout history, many people have discovered how fragile their rights — and their democracies — can be when extreme polarization leads to mob rule and the erosion of democratic norms. Time after time, in countries around the world, would-be autocrats and authoritarian regimes have used these fractures in weakened democracies to assert absolute control, often violently suppressing any opposition. Continue reading → Continue reading