Calendar of Fun Celebrations for Learners
Now where did you want me to sign?
January
Month: National Braille Literacy Month
Weekly Celebrations: 2nd Week - Letter Writing Week
Days:
18 Thesaurus Day - Celebrate the 1779 birthday of Peter Roget the author of first thesaurus.
23 National Handwriting Day - Established in 1977 by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association, celebrate by penning a note, card, or letter. The date was picked in honor of John Hancock, famous for his signature on the Declaration of Independence.
29 National Puzzle Day - Celebrate with a crossword, Sudoku, or jigsaw puzzle!
February
Days:
21 Card Reading Day - A day to read all those cards you got in the mail. What no cards? Send some and see if you don't get some in return.
26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day - Read a fairy tale to your children. No children; enjoy one yourself!
What was that magic number?
March
Days:
14 National Pi Day - Why today? Because today is 3.14, the value of Pi, and it happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday (born 1879). Hmmm... Coincidence?
April
Month: National Poetry Month
Weekly Celebrations:
Week 1 - Library Week
Week 1 - Read a Road Map Week.
Days:
2 Children's Book Day - The International Board on Books for Youth designated this as International Children's Book Day. It marks the birthday of Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen (1805). Read a book with your child. Give books as gifts.
4 School Librarian Day - Show your appreciation by thanking your librarian, sending an e-card, or donating a book to the library.
13 Scrabble Day - Created in 1938 by Albert Mosher Butts, pull out a board and play a few rounds.
16 National Librarian Day - Visit your town's library and say thank you!
18 Newspaper Columnists Day - Created by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in memory of the day columnist, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ernie Pyle who was killed on April 18th in World War II.
27 Tell a Story Day - Tell a tall one, read a book or short story in a magazine. The U.S. and England and Scotland celebrations of this day are exactly 6 months apart. Wonder what happened there?
28 Great Poetry Reading Day - Read a poem, write a poem, listen to a poem, hold a poetry contest, or host a poetry reading.
May
Days:
1 Mother Goose Day - Although the term "Mother Goose" originated in the 1650's, the holiday started in 1987 according to the Mother Goose Society. Celebrate by sharing your favorite nursery rhymes and short stories.
3 World Press Freedom Day - Proclaimed in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly to honor freedom of the press and the sacrifice journalists make to attain this freedom.
National Teachers Day (Tuesday of the first full week of May) - Thank your teacher in person or by sending a card.
12 Limerick Day - Limerick Day celebrates the birthday of Writer Edward Lear (1812-1888) who popularized limericks in 1846 in his "Book of Nonsense". Write a few of your own or chuckle through one or two of these humorous verses.
June
Days:
10 On this day in 2009, 'Web 2.0' became the millionth word in the English language.
August
Days:
9 Book Lover's Day - Also celebrated in November, we just can't get enough! Curl up with a good read and transport yourself in time, place, and situation.
September
Days:
6 Read a Book Day - Need we say more?
24 National Punctuation Day - First celebrated in 2003, this holiday includes a annual contest. Use the search term "National Punctuation Day" to check out the latest challenge.
October
Month: Computer Learning Month
Days:
5 World Teacher's Day - On this day in 1966, a UNESCO and International Labour Organization Conference adopted a special recommendation on teachers. In 1996, the Director of UNESCO designated this date as World Teacher's Day. Give your teacher a big THANK YOU for all they do!
16 Dictionary Day - Honors the father of the American Dictionary, Noah Webster, who was born on this date in 1758. It is a day to add new words to your vocabulary and learn dictionary skills.
27 National Tell a Story Day - in Scotland and the U.K.
November
Month: National Novel Writing Month
Week Celebrations:
Week 1 - Chemistry Week
Week 3 - Game and Puzzle Week
Days:
Book Lovers Day - first Saturday of the month
Young Readers Day second Tuesday of month
December
Month: Write a Friend Month
Days:
7 Letter Writing Day
9 Christmas Card Day - Celebrate the birthday of Sir Henry Cole (1818-1874) who created the first commercial Christmas Card in 1843. Of course, it makes a good date to send out your Christmas greetings just in time for the holiday!