Here’s the list of November, 2018 holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days, famous birthdays, science and history based anniversaries, and more!   There’s much to learn about, celebrate, and eat all November long!

Resources for teaching through November, including a PDF of November’s Special Days, can be found at the end of this list.

November Themes

• Adoption Awareness
• Adopt a Senior Pet
• Adopt a Turkey
• Alzheimer’s Awareness
• American Indian Heritage
• Aviation History
• Child Safety and Protection
• Creative Child
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy Awareness
• Family Caregivers
• Family Literacy
• Family Stories
• Healthy Lifestyles
• Historic Bridge
• Home Care and Hospice
• International Drum
• Inspirational Role Models
• Life Writing
• Long Term Care Awareness
• Lung Cancer Awareness
• MADD’s Tie One On For Safety Holiday
• Manatee Awareness
• Marrow Awareness Month
• Military Family Appreciation
• Model Railroad
• Marrow Awareness
• Mustache
• Music
• Native American Heritage Month
• No TV
• Novel Writing (NaNoWriMo)
• NoSHAVEmber
• Pancreatic Cancer Awareness
• Prematurity Awareness
• Real Jewelry
• Scholarship Month
• Sleep Comfort
• Stamp Collecting

November Food Themes

• Banana Pudding Lovers
• Diabetes Awareness
• Georgia Pecan
• Gluten-Free Diet Awareness
• Good Nutrition
• Greens
• Plantains
• Peanut Butter Lovers
• Pepper
• Plum
• Pomegranate
• Raisin Bread
• Roasting
• Squash
• Spinach
• Sweet Potato Awareness
• Vegan

November Daily Specials   (the * following the special day means that it may fall on a different date each year)

Nov. 1

• All Saints Day
• Authors’ Day
• Bison Day
• Cook for Your Pets Day
• Missionary William Borden born 1887
• Deep Fried Clams Day
• Extra Mile Day
• Family Caregiver Day
• Family Literacy Day
• Fig Week begins
• Give Up Your Shoulds Day
• Men​ ​Make​ ​Dinner​ ​Day​ ​​ ​(1st​ ​Thurs.)
• Plate Tectonics Day
• Prime Meridian Day
• Vinegar Day
• World Communication Week begins
• World Vegan Day

Nov. 2

• All Souls Day
• Book Lovers Day
• Cookie Monster Day
• Daniel Boone born 1734 (other sources claim Oct. 22)
• Deviled Egg Day
• Give Wildlife a Break (Brake) Week begins
• President Warren Harding born 1865
• Look For Circles Day
• North Dakota statehood 1889
• Plan Your Epitaph Day
• President James Polk born 1795
• South Dakota Statehood 1889

Nov. 3

• Book Lovers Day (1st Sat.)
• Poet Wm. C. Bryant born 1794
• Cliche’ Day
• Digital Scrapbooking Day (1st Sat.)
• Dominica Independence 1979
• First Dog in Space 1957
• Housewife’s Day
• Jellyfish Day
• Panama Independence (from Colombia) 1903
• Sandwich Day

Nov. 4

• Animal​ ​Shelter​ ​and​ ​Rescue​ ​Appreciation​ ​Week​ ​(1st full​ ​week)
• Candy Day
• Cash Register patented 1880
• Chicken Lady Day
• Common Sense Day
• Daylight​ ​Savings​ ​Time​ ​Ends​ ​(1st​ ​Sun.)
• International Games Week begins *
• Mischief Night
• Rad Tech Week begins (week with the 8th)
• Author Sterling North born 1906
• King Tut’s Tomb discovered 1922
• Use Your Common Sense Day
• Zero​ ​Tasking​ ​Day​ ​​ ​(1st​ ​Sun.)

Nov. 5

• Bonfire Night
• Doughnut Day
• Gasoline-driven Automobile patented 1895
• Gunpowder Day
• Guy Fawkes Day
• Job​ ​Action​ ​Day​ ​(1st​ ​Mon.)
• Love Your Red Hair Day
• Author Marcia Sewall born 1935
• Tar Barrels Event
• Traffic​ ​Directors​ ​Day​ ​(1st​ ​Mon.)

Nov. 6

• Election​ ​Day​ ​(US)​ ​​ ​(Tues.​ ​after​ ​the​ ​1st​ ​Mon.)
• Electric Shaver patented 1923
• International Day of Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War
• Marooned Without a Compass Day
• Nachos Day
• Composer Ignace Paderewski born 1860
• Saxophone Day
• Composer John Phillips Sousa born 1854

Nov. 7

• Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
• Canadian Pacific Railway completed 1885
• Scientist Marie Curie born 1867
• Dear Santa Week begins
• Evangelist Billy Graham born 1918
• Hug a Bear Day

Nov. 8

• Game Inventor Milton Bradley born 1836
• Cappuccino Day
• Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day
• Dunce Day
• Astronomer Edmond Hailey born 1656
• Montana statehood 1889
• Parents as Teachers Day
• Punster’s Day
• Pursuit of Happiness Week begins
• Split Pea Soup Week begins
• STEM & STEAM Day
• Tongue Twister Day (some sources site the 12th)
• X-Ray Day

Nov. 9

• Berlin Wall opened 1989
• Cambodia Independence 1953
• Chaos Never Dies Day
• Kristallnacht anniversary 1938
• Nurse Practitioner’s Week begins

Nov. 10

• Area Code Day
• Domino Day (2nd Sat.)
• Forget-Me-Not Day
• Great Wall of China opened to tourism 1970
• Sadie Hawkins Day (Sat. after the 9th – other sources say always on the 13th)
• Theologian Martin Luther born 1483
• US Marine Corps established 1775
• 1st Motorcycle 1885
• Sesame Street debut 1969
• Vanilla Cupcake Day
• Windshield Wipers patented 1903

Nov. 11

• Angola Independence 1975
• Armistice Day
• Death/Duty Day
• Geography Awareness Week (2nd full week)
• Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week (Week before Thanksgiving Week)
• Origami Day
• Poland Independence Day 1918
• Remembrance Sunday * (UK and Canada)
• Rhodesia Independence 1965
• Sundae Day
• Veterans Day (US)
• Washington statehood 1889
• World War 1 ended 1918

Nov. 12

• Baha’u’llah Day
• Chicken Soup for the Soul Day
• 1st Flying Trapeze Act performed 1859
• Pizza with Everything (Except Anchovies) Day
• Author Marjorie K. Rawlings born 1896
• Sculptor Auguste Rodin born 1849
• Suffragist/Reformer Elizabeth Stanton born 1815
• Tongue Twister Day (some sources site the 8th)

Nov. 13

• Sadie Hawkins Day (other sources say Sat. after the 9th)
• Indian Pudding Day
• Physicist James Maxwell born 1831
• Author Robert Lewis Stevenson born 1850
• Vietnam Memorial dedicated 1982
• World Kindness Day
• Young Readers Day (2nd Tues.)

Nov. 14

• Inventor Robert Fulton born 1765
• International Girls Day
• Loosen Up – Lighten Up Day
• Artist Claude Monet born 1840
• Operating Room Nurse Day
• Pickle Day
• Spicy Guacamole Day
• Teddy Bear Day
• World Diabetes Day

Nov. 15

• America Recycles Day
• Bundt Pan Day
• Clean Your Refrigerator Day
• Great American Smokeout (3rd Thurs.)
• Steve Irwin Day
• Artist Georgia O’Keefe born 1887
• Love To Write Day
• Philanthropy Day
• Use Less Stuff Day (3rd Thurs.)

Nov. 16

• Button Day
• Fast Food Day
• Global Entrepreneurship Week begins
• Have a Party With Your Bear Day
• International Day for Tolerance
• Murray River Discovered 1824
• Oklahoma statehood 1907

Nov. 17

• Adoption Day (Sat. before Thanksgiving)
• Baklava Day
• Electronic Greeting Card Day
• Elizabeth 1 Crowned Queen of England 1588
• Entrepreneurship Week begins
• Explorers Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean 1805 (some sources say 15th)
• Guinness World Record Day
• Homemade Bread Day
• Scientist August Mobius born 1790
• Prematurity Awareness Day
• Survivors of Suicide Day (Sat. before Thanksgiving)
• Suez Canal completed 1869
• Take A Hike Day
• World Peace Day

Nov. 18

• Bible Week (Sun. before Thanksgiving)
• Children’s Book Week (3rd week)
• Farm City Week (week of US Thanksgiving)
• Game and Puzzle Week (Sun. before Thanksgiving)
• Guinness World Record Day (3rd Sun.)
• Last Pony Express Delivery 1861
• Mickey Mouse debut 1928
• Occult Day
• Panama Independence (from Spain) 1821
• Push Button Phone introduced 1963
• William Tell Day
• World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (3rd Sun.)

Nov. 19

• Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day
• Equal Opportunity Day
• Explorer George Rogers Clark born 1752
• President James Garfield born 1831
• Gettysburg Address 1863
• Have a Bad Day Day
• Monaco Independence 1861
• Evangelist Billy Sunday born 1935
• World Toilet Day

Nov. 20

• Absurdity Day
• Beautiful Day
• Astronomer Edwin Hubble born 1889
• Name Your PC Day
• Peanut Butter Fudge Day
• Universal Children’s Day

Nov. 21

• Alascattalo Day
• Educational Support Professionals Day (3rd Wed.)
• False Confession Day
• GSI Day (Geographic Information Systems) (3rd Wed.)
• Gingerbread Cookie Day
• First Untethered Hot Air Balloon Flight 1763
• North Carolina statehood 1789
• Author Voltaire born 1694
• World Hello Day
• World TV Day

Nov. 22

• Church/State Separation Week begins
• Composer Hoagie Carmichael born 1899
• Go For a Ride Day
• Hailey’s Comet discovered 1682
• Humane Society founded 1954
• President John F. Kennedy assassinated 1963
• Lebanon Independence 1943
• Start Your Own Country Day
• Thanksgiving (US) * (4th Thurs.)

Nov. 23

• Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving)
• Outlaw William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid) born 1859
• Buy Nothing Day (day after Thanksgiving)
• Cashew Day
• Day of Listening (day after Thanksgiving)
• Eat a Cranberry Day
• Espresso Day
• Flossing Day (day after Thanksgiving)
• Fibonacci Day
• Native American Heritage Day (day after Thanksgiving)
• Pencil Sharpener patented 1897
• President Franklin Pierce born 1804
• Sinkie Day (day after Thanksgiving)
• Dr. Who Day (1st premiered 1963)

Nov. 24

• All Our Uncles are Monkeys Day
• Aura Awareness Day (4th Sat.)
• Barbed Wire patented 1874
• Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day
• Grace Horsley Darling born 1815
• Darwin’s Origin of the Species published 1859
• Evolution Day
• Composer Scott Joplin born 1868
• Small Business Saturday (Sat. after US Thanksgiving)
• President Zachary Taylor born 1784

Nov. 25

• Author/Illustrator Marc Brown born 1946
• Author PD Eastman born 1909
• International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
• Parfait Day
• Suriname Independence 1975
• Woody Woodpecker debut 1940

Nov. 26

• Casablanca (movie) premiered 1942
• Cyber Monday (Mon. after Thanksgiving)
• Mongolia Independence Day 1924
• Cartoonist Charles Schulz born 1922

Nov. 27

• Bavarian Cream Pie Day
• Scientist Anders Celsius born 1701
• Evangelist Luis Palau born 1934
• Pins and Needles Day
• Ringling Brothers 1st Performance 1882
• You’re Welcome Day

Nov. 28

• Albania Independence 1912
• French Toast Day
• Make Your Own Head Day
• Mauritania Independence 1960
• Red Planet Day

Nov. 29

• Author Louisa May Alcott born 1832
• Chocolates Day
• Electronic Greetings Day
• Lemon Creme Pie Day
• Author CS Lewis born 1898
• Square Dance Day
• Throw Out Your Leftovers Day

Nov. 30

• Barbados Independence 1966
• Winston Churchill born 1874
• Author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) born 1835
• Computer Security Day
• Meth Awareness Day
• Mousse Day
• St. Andrew’s Day
• Southern Yemen Independence 1967
• Stay Home Because You’re Well Day

Free Printable – SPECIAL DAYS IN NOVEMBER

Here’ is the collection of my favorite “go to” resources for special days studies  https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/

How I use Special Days lists in our homeschool blog series :

Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time

Special Days and Biographies

Special Days and Geography

Special Days and Science

Currently, I’m updating the November Resource List for 2018.

I make my monthly special days calendars by using several sources including old calendars, holiday books, newspapers, and the web. If you know of a special day that I do not have listed, please comment and let me know what it is so I can add it in. Below are the links to my favorite online calendars.

http://www.se7en.org.za/se7ens-november

http://food.unl.edu/november-food-calendar

http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/november.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/november.html

https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/animal-holidays-celebrations/

http://projectbritain.com/calendars/nov.html

http://aglobalworld.com/international-independence-days/country-independence-day.php

Happy November!

betty jo