Still Learning Something New

Here’s the October, 2016 Special Days list! It’s filled with holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days , historic figures and authors birthdays, science and historic based anniversaries, and even some spooky stuff! I you’re looking for something special to add to your lesson plans, a day for a celebration, or something different to add to your menu, this list will give you some awesome ideas!

October’s Themes, Awareness, and Observances

Adopt a Shelter Dog
AIDS Awareness
Animal Safety and Protection
Audiology Awareness
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Bat Appreciation
Birds of Prey
Bilingual Child
Blindness Awareness
Book
Breast Cancer Awareness
Bullying Prevention
Children’s Magazine
Class Reunion
Clocks
Computer Learning
Co-op Awareness
Crime Prevention
Cut Out Dissection
Cyber Security Awareness
Dental Hygiene
Depression Education and Awareness
Domestic Violence Awareness
Down Syndrome Awareness
Drum
Dyslexia Awareness
Emotional Intelligence Awareness
Emotional Wellness
Energy Management
Ergonomics
Eye Safety
Fair Trade
Financial Planning
Free Thought
German-American Heritage
Global Diversity
Go On A Field Trip
Halloween Safety
Health Literacy
Improve Your Home
International Dinosaur
Liver Awareness
Kitchen and Bath
Medical Librarian
Menopause
Orthodontic Health
Pastor Appreciation Day
Photographer Appreciation
Physical Therapy
Polish American Heritage
Positive Attitude
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness
Protect Your Hearing
Raptor Month
Reading Group
Right Brainers Rule
Roller Skating
Sarcastic Awareness
Self-Promotion
Spina Bifida Awareness
Squirrel Awareness
Stamp Collecting Month
Starman
Strategic Planning
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness
Walk To School
Window Covering Safety
Work and Family

October’s Food Themes

Apple
Apple Jack
Bake and Decorate
Caramel
Cheese
Chili
Cookie
Country Ham
Cranberry
Eat Better, Eat Together
Eatable Roots
Farm to School
Pasta
Persimmons
Pizza
Popcorn Poppin’
Pork
Pumpkins
Rhizomes
Rhubarb
Sausage
Seafood
Spinach Lovers
Tackling Hunger
Vegetarian Awareness

Daily Specials for October, 2016 (the * means that the special day does not fall on the same date each year)

Oct. 1

CD Player Day
Card Making Day *(1st Sat.)
President Jimmy Carter born 1924
Fire Pup Day
Frugal Fun Day *(1st Sat.)
Homemade Cookies Day
International Day of Older Persons
Less Than Perfect Day
Model T Ford introduced 1908
Lace Day
Vegetarian Day

Oct. 2

Carry a Tune Week begins * (week with the 7th)
Change A Light Day * (1st Sun.)
Farm Animals Day
Mahatma Gandhi born 1869
Get Organized Week begins * (1st full week)
Great Books Week begins * (1st full week)
Guardian Angels Day
Inter-generation Day *(1st Sun.)
International Day of Non-violence
Comic Julius “Groucho” Marx born 1895
Mystery Series Week begins *(1st full week)
Name Your Car Day
Peanuts Comic first published 1950
Work From Home Week begins *(1st full week)
World Communion Day *(1st Sun.)

Oct. 3

Captain Kangaroo premier 1955
Child Health Day *(1st Mon.)
Arthur James Herriot born 1916
Kids’ Goal Setting Day
Richard the Lionheart crowned King 1189
No Salt Week begins
Rosh Hashana *
SOS (distress code) established 1906
Spinning and Weaving Week begins * (Mon. of first full week)
Techie’s Day
Virus Appreciation Day
World Day of Bullying Prevention/Blue Shirt Day *(1st Mon.)
World Habitat Day *(1st Mon.)

Oct. 4

Blessing of the Animals Day
Cinnamon Roll Day
Fall Astronomy Day *
Frappe Day
Golf Day
President Rutherford Hayes born 1822
Improve Your Office Day
St. Francis Day
Sputnik launched 1957
Author, Edward Stratemeyer born 1862
Ten-Four Day
World Animal Day
World Space Week begins

Oct. 5

President Chester Arthur born 1829
Balloons Around the World Day *(1st Wed.)
Do Something Nice Day
Physicist Robert Hutchings Goddard born 1882
Stop Bullying Day
Walk to School Day *
World Teachers Day

Oct. 6

Come and Take It Day
German-American Day
Mad Hatter Day
Inventor George Westinghouse born 1846

Oct. 7

Physicist Niels Bohrs born 1885
Denim Day *(1st Fri.)
Diversity Day *(1st Fri.)
Story Telling Weekend begins *(1st Fri.)
World Smile Day *(1st Fri.)

Oct. 8

Face Your Fears Day
Great Chicago Fire 1871
Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend *
Activist Jesse Jackson born 1941
Pierogy Day
Touch Tag Day
Universal Music Day *(2nd Sat.)
Alvin C. York Day

Oct. 9

Chess Day
Chestnut Week begins *(2nd full week)
Clergy Appreciation Day * (2nd Sun.)
Cupcake Day
Curious Events Day
Leif Erikson Day
Fire Prevention Day
Fire Prevention Week begins *
First 2-way Telephone Conversation 1876
Musician John Lennon born 1940
Metric Week begins * (week with the 10th)
Moldy Cheese Day
Pro-Life Cupcake Day
Washington Monument opened 1888
World Post Day

Oct. 10

Angel Food Cake Day
Cake Decorating Day
Canadian Thanksgiving * (2nd Mon.)
Columbus Day *(2nd Mon.)
Author James Marshall born 1942
Metric Day
Native American Day *(2nd Mon.)
School Lunch Week begins *
World Mental Health Day

Oct. 11

Apollo 7 lauched 1968
Ashura *
Boer War Began 1880
Face Your Fears Day *(2nd Tues.)
Free Thought Day
It’s My Party Day
Remember Forever Day
Eleanor Roosevelt born 1884

Oct. 12

Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day *(2nd Wed.)
Cookbook Launch Day
Emergency Nurses Day *
Fossil Day
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction *(2nd Wed.)
Moment of Frustration Day
Old Farmer’s Day
Star Spangled Banner First Sung 1814
Top Spinning Day * (2nd Wed.)
Yom Kipper *

Oct. 13

Earth Science Week begins
English Language Day
Molly Pitcher born 1754
Skeptics Day
Margaret Thatcher born 1925
White House Construction began 1792
World Sight Day *(2nd Thurs.)
US Navy Established 1775

Oct. 14

Battle of Hastings 1066
Be Bald and Free Day
Dessert Day
Egg Day *(2nd Fri.)
President Dwight Eisenhower born 1890
William Penn born 1644

Oct. 15

Bridge Day *(3rd Sat.)
Get Smart About Credit Day *(3rd Thurs.)
Grouch Day
I Love Lucy Premier 1951
International Day of Rural Women
Poetry Day
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day
Sweetest Day * (3rd Sat.)
White Cane Safety Day

Oct. 16

Marie Antoinette executed 1793
Boss’s Day
Bullying Bystanders Unite Week * (3rd full week)
Character Counts Week *(3rd full week)
Chemistry Week * (3rd full week)
Dictionary Day
Food Bank Week begins *(the week of the 16th)
Forest Products Week begins * (3rd Sun.)
Freedom of Speech Week begins * (3rd full week)
Friends of the Library Week begins * (3rd full week)
Learn A Word Day
Save for Retirement Week begins *
Noah Webster born 1758
World Food Week begins

Oct. 17

African American Poetry Day
Boss’s Day *
Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day * (3rd Mon.)
Eradication of Poverty Day
Author Arthur Miller born 1915
Mulligan Day
School Bus Safety Week begins * (Mon. of 3rd full week)
Nuclear Science Week begins *
Sukkot *
Wear Something Gaudy Day

Oct. 18

Alternative Fuel Day
Chocolate Cupcake Day
No Beard Day
Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity * (3rd Tues.)
World Menopause Day

Oct. 19

Author/Illustrator Ed Emberly born 1931
Evaluate Your Life Day
Electric Light Bulb Introduced 1879
Hagfish Day * (3rd Wed.)
Medical Assistants Recognition Day * (Wed. of 3rd full week)
Revolutionary War ends 1781

Oct. 20

Get Smart About Credit Day * (3rd Thurs.)
Information Overload Day
Monster Mash Day

Oct. 21

Apple Day
Babbling Day
Count Your Buttons Day
Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Day
1st Light Bulb 1879
Inventor Alfred Nobel born 1833
Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
Reptile Awareness Day

Oct. 22

Daniel Boone born 1734
CAP LOCKS DAY
Make a Difference Day * (4th Sat.)
Nut Day

Oct. 23

Capistrano Day
iPod Day
Massage Therapy Week begins * (last full week)
Mole Day
Mother-In-Law Day *(4th Sun.)
Peace, Friendship, & Goodwill Week begins * (last full week)
Pele (soccer champion) born 1940
Swallows Depart from San Juan Capistrano Day
TV Talk Show Host Day

Oct. 24

Bologna Day
Disarmament Week begins *
Food Day
Peace, Friendship, and Good Will Week begins
Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week begins *
United Nations Day
World Development Information Day

Oct. 25

Magic Week begins
Pasta Day
Artist Pablo Picasso born 1881
Punk for a Day Day
Sourest Day

Oct. 26

Erie Canal opened 1825
Gun Fight at the OK Corral 1881
Hillary Clinton born 1947
Mincemeat
Mule Day
Red Cross Founded 1836

Oct. 27

Cranky Co-Workers Day
Navy Day
President Theodore Roosevelt born 1858
Tell A Story Day

Oct. 28

Chocolates Day
Frankenstein Day * (Last Fri.)
Make a Difference Day * (4th Fri.)
Plush Animal Lover’s Day
St. Jude’s Day
Physician Jonas Salk born 1914
Statue of Liberty dedicated 1886

Oct. 29

Cat Day
Gateway to the West (St. Louis Arch) completed 1965
Hermit Day
Internet Day
Oatmeal Day
The New York Stock Exchange crashed (beginning of The Great Depression) 1929
Visit a Cemetery Day

Oct. 30

President John Adams born 1735
Ball Point Pen patented 1888
Candy Corn Day
Create a Great Funeral Day
Diwali *
Haunted Refrigerator Night
Mischief Night (Devil’s Night)
The National Organization for Women (NOW) founded 1966
1938 Radio Broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds

Oct. 31

All Hollows Eve/Halloween
Books for Treats Day
Caramel Apple Day
Carve a Pumpkin Day
Day of the Dead
Girl Scout Founder’s Day
Knock Knock Jokes Day
Magic Day
Mount Rushmore Completed 1941
Nevada Statehood 1864
Reformation Day
Samhain

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/

My apologies, but I haven’t had the opportunity to update the Learning Resources list for October, 2016 (yet). However, most of the resources from 2015 will work just fine https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2015/10/01/learning-resources-for-october-2015/

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.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/october-2016.html

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

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

http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/october.htm

Happy October!

betty jo

September 13 is “Roald Dahl Day” and our top pick for this week’s learning!

We started reading The BFG yesterday and I can already tell that it’s going to be one of our favorite stories. A movie marathon (with the help of our local library) is part of this week’s agenda, too: The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Here’s our family’s list of the online resources as we learn about Roald Dahl and his career as one of the most popular children’s authors of all time.

Biography, Timeline, Quotes, Printables, and More http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/news/celebrate-roald-dahl-100-with-teaching-ideas

Lesson Plans and Literature Study Guides for Dahl’s best known stories https://www.roalddahl.com/create-and-learn/teach/teach-the-stories

Character Study Notebooking http://activityvillage.co.uk/roald-dahl-character-studies

Printable Quote Notes http://activityvillage.co.uk/roald-dahl-lunch-box-notes

Coloring Pages and Craft (scroll down a little bit for the pdf’s) http://www.corkcitylibraries.ie/hollyhill/colouringcraftsdownloads/

Trivia and Quizzes http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/for_children/kid_lit_authors_a_-_k/roald_dahl.html

betty jo