Bizarre and Fun Holidays

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April is National Humor Month-find out what sort of humor is developmentally appropriate for your child, then have at! It's also Frog Month, National Kite Month, National Poetry Month, and Straw Hat Month. Any one of these will be great diversions whenever you're feeling a bit bored with teaching and learning in the next few weeks.

April 2nd is International Children's Book Day. Enjoy a few good books with the kids today. The 9th is Winston Churchill Day, so how about a history lesson? April 11th is National Submarine Day. Can your group discover which classic old science fiction story that predates subs actually describes them accurately? On April 15th, sharpen up those estimation skills because it's Take a Wild Guess Day. It's a great day to guess about things like how many candies are in the pack, how many pennies are in the pile or how many basketballs are as long as the bathtub. Besides just being plain old fun, such estimations help children discover realistic estimating that will serve them well in many measuring and math situations throughout their lives.

April 18 is International Juggler's Day. Who can learn to juggle in your group? Grab an instructional book and give it a try. Start by tossing and catching one item with one hand. Try using nontraditional items that have a bit of drag, like handkerchiefs or tissues. On April 23rd, grab the recipe book and bake some zucchini bread-It's National Zucchini Day! Check out other ways to enjoy the nutritious veggie, too, like zucchini spears or zucchini casserole. Make pretzels on April 26th...it's National Pretzel Day. Read up on the story of why they are shaped the way they are; apparently the goodies were originally baked as a treat for children in Italy learning their catechism. The shape is intended to show a child's hands clasped in prayer. You can make your own pretzels, but don't feel limited by the traditional shape. Can you make letters, numbers or pictures?

Finally, drag out some of your favorite goofy poetry and limerick books on April 28th for Great Poetry Reading Day. Shel Silverstein has some beauts that all kids are sure to enjoy.

Happy April, everyone!

Of course, this wouldn't be one of the Tutor's lenses if we didn't connect it to teaching and learning! If you have children in your life, you want to keep track of these wild holidays. You can connect them with reading and research by finding out history or celebration ideas. Make connections with math by surveying, counting, graphing, or measuring. Make connections with social studies by studying cultures or demographics. Connect with science by experimenting. Connect with writing by making posters, creating poetry or short stories, or by writing directions or instructions for celebrations. You can even build logic, planning skills and more by designing and implementing your own celebration or party!

Most of all, keep everything in the spirit that it is intended-crazy, goofy fun. You will find that wacky holidays can add tons of enjoyment to learning, and with just a bit of planning, can fit into nearly any curricular area or theme.

January Holidays can brighten up even the dullest and coldest winter day. Check out all that January has to offer for you and for your children.


February Holidays hold literally dozes of possibilities for fun and learning. Enjoy!


March Holidays hold not only the promise of spring, but also of fun. Turn a 'blah' weather month into a thirty-one day celebration!


April Holidays will help you welcome warmer weather and a sunny-shiny smile.

August Holidays are full of great ideas to push away the summer boredom blues.



September Holidays have loads of fun ideas to kick off the school year.


October Holidays bring loads of exciting ways to celebrate!

November Holidays offer lots of diversions every day to engage kids of all ages.

December Holidays will bring joy to everyone, each day of the month.


More Holiday Lenses coming soon!

Here are some ideas to get you started with creating your own learning experiences around a whacky holiday that seems like fun.

Do a Bit of Research
The internet is a great tool to learn more about a holiday's topic. Check it out on Google to uncover history, origins, and information about who's celebrating and why.

Create a Plan
Many of these crazy commemorations are trying to get people to do something on the same day. Can you participate? How?

Publicize
Make posters, invitations, or compose letters. Write persuasive essays or spread the word by talking to others. The more people you can get involved, the more fun you will probably have!

Don't Forget the Food!
What's a party without food? What snacks or themed foods can you connect with the celebration? If it's Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day, you might try making a houseplant-shaped cookie and decorating it with green icing. Celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday by making real green eggs and ham.

Get in on the Action
Children learn best by doing, so think up some activity that goes with the celebration. You can modify games you know by tweaking titles or names for positions. Try having the kids make up their own games, too. Can you think of ways to build awareness around your community? How about finding a way to turn the celebration into a service project?