“April Showers  bring May flowers”. However, April brings a lot of special days too! Here’s the collection of themes, foods, historic and scientific anniversaries, and famous birthdays for April, 2018.

Resources for teaching throughout the month, including a PDF of  Special Days in April, can be found at the end of this list.

April’s Themes,  Awareness, and Observances

• Amateur Radio
• Arab American Heritage
• Astronomy
• Autism Awareness
• Car Care
• Card and Letter Writing
• Celebrate Diversity
• Confederate History
• Decorating
• Financial Literacy Month
• Frogs
• Garden
• Guitar
• Holy Humor
• Home Improvement
• Humor
• Jazz Appreciation
• Keep America Beautiful
• Kites
• Landscape Architecture
• Listening Awareness
• Math Education
• Military Child
• Pet 1st Aid
• Poetry
• Recycling
• School Library
• Straw Hat
• Stress Awareness
• Young Child
• Youth Sports Safety
• World Habitat Awareness

April Food Themes

• BLT Sandwich
• Celery
• Child Nutrition
• Cranberries
• Garlic
• Gooseberries
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Pecan
• Soft Pretzel
• Soy Foods
• Tomato

April’s Daily Specials  (the * after the daily special means it does not always fall on the same date each year)

April 1

• April Fool’s Day
• Atheist Day
• Bat Appreciation Week * (1st full week)
• Daffodil Sunday * (1st Sun.)
• Easter Sunday *
• Fun at Work Day
• Golden Rule Week begins
• Medication Safety Week begins
• Poetry and The Creative Mind Day
• Read a Road Map Week begins
• Reading Is Funny Day
• Tatting Day
• US Air Force Academy Day
• Walking Day

April 2

• Author Hans Christian Andersen born 1805
• Children’s Book Day
• Easter Monday *
• Egg Salad Week begins * (Mon. after Easter)
• Explore Your Career Options Week begins * (1st Mon.)
• Ferret Day
• Ponce de Leon discovers and claims Florida for Spain 1513
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
• Public Health Week begins *
• Reconciliation Day
• Sweet Tater Day * (1st Mon.)
• World Autism Day

April 3

• Chocolate Mousse Day
• Don’t Go To Work Unless It’s Fun Day
• Find a Rainbow Day
• Scientist Jane Goodall born 1934
• Johan Gutenberg 1st used movable type to print a book 1451
• Author Washington Irving born 1783
• 1st Pony Express Mail Route 1860
• Tweed Day
• Weed Out Hate/Sow Seeds of Greatness Day
• World Party Day

April 4

• Hug a Newsman Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated 1968
• NATO established 1949
• Rat Day
• Robotics Week begins
• Author/Illustrator Glen Rounds  born 1906
• Tell a Lie Day
• Vitamin C Day
• Walk Around Things Day
• Walking Day * (1st Wed.)

April 5

• Deep Dish Pizza Day
• Easter Island “discovered” 1722
• Go For Broke Day
• Scientist Joseph Lister born 1827
• Plum Pudding Day
• Scientist Walter Sutton born 1877
• Activist Booker T. Washington born 1856

April 6

• 1st Animated Cartoon was copyrighted 1906
• Army Day
• Fresh Tomato Day
• North Pole discovered 1909
• Artist Raphael born 1483
• Sorry Charlie Day
• Tartan Day (Scottish Heritage)
• Teflon invented 1938
• Twinkie invented 1930
• US Entry Into WWI 1916
• Walk to Work Day * (1st Fri.)

April 7

• Beaver Day
• Birding Day * (1st Sat.)
• Caramel Popcorn Day
• Just Pray No! Weekend of Prayer and Fasting *
• Love Our Children Day * (1st Sat.)
• Metric System Day
• No Housework Day
• Pillow Fight Day * (1st Sat.)
• Robotics Week begins *
• Poet William Wordsworth born 1770
• World Health Organization Day

April 8

• All Is Ours Day
• Buddha born 563 BC
• Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
• Empanada Day
• Garden Week begins * (2nd week)
• Global Day to End Child Sexual Abuse * (2nd Sun.)
• National Library Week begins *
• Roma Day
• National Student Employment Week * (2nd full week)
• Zoo Lovers Day

April 9

• Appomattox Day (US Civil War ends 1865)
• Cherish an Antique Day
• Winston Churchill Day (first person to become an Honorary Citizen of the United States 1963)
• Georgia Independence 1991
• Name Yourself Day

April 10

• Farm Animals Day
• Golfers Day
• Library Day * (Tues. during Library Week)
• Salvation Army Founder’s Day 1865
• Safety Pin patented 1849
• Sibling Day

April 11

• Apollo 13 Launched 1970
• Barbershop Quartet Day
• 8-Track Tape Day
• Pet Day
• End of Revolutionary War 1783
• Submarine Day
• Teach Your Children to Save Day

April 12

• American Indian Awareness Week begins *
• Big Wind Day
• American Civil War begins 1861
• Author Beverly Cleary born 1916
• D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything and Read Day)
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
• International Day for Street Children
• Licorice Day
• 1st Human Space Flight 1961
• 1st Space Shuttle launch 1981
• Teen Literature Day * (Thurs. of Library Week)
• 1st Union Jack Flag 1606
• Walk On Your Wild Side Day

April 13

• Cowboy/Outlaw Butch Cassidy born 1866
• President Thomas Jefferson born 1743
• Scrabble Day
• Inventor Richard Trevithick born 1771

April 14

• Baby Massage Day (2nd Sat.)
• Citizen Science Day
• Dolphin Day
• Look Up At The Sky Day
• Moment of Laughter Day
• Pecan Day
• Reach as High as You Can Day
• Slow Art Day * (2nd Sat.)
• St. Tiburtius’ Day
• Websters American Dictionary of the English Language published 1828

April 15

• Corrie Ten Boom born 1892
• Boys & Girls Club Week begins * (3rd full week)
• Coin Week * (3rd full week)
• Artist/Scientist/Inventor Leonardo Da Vinci born 1452
• Jackie Robinson Day
• Rubber Eraser Day
• Spring Astronomy Week begins * (always week of Spring Astronomy Day)
• Swallow Day
• Take A Wild Guess Day
• The Titanic sank 1912
• Volunteer Week begins *

April 16

• Boston Marathon * (3rd Mon.)
• Comedian Charlie Chaplin born 1889
• Day of the Mushroom
• Eggs Benedict Day
• Patriot’s Day * (3rd Mon.)
• Save the Elephant Day
• Stress Awareness Day
• Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
• Week of the Young Child begins *
• Inventor Wilbur Wright born 1867

April 17

• Bat Appreciation Day
• Blah! Blah! Blah! Day
• Cheese Ball Day
• Ellis Island History Day
• Haiku Poetry Day
• 1st Hershey Bar sold 1895

April 18

• Amateur Radio Day
• Animal Cracker Day
• Juggler’s Day
• Piñata Day
• Paul Revere’s Famous Ride 1775
• San Francisco Earthquake 1906
• Zimbabwe Independence 1980

April 19

• Bicycle Day
• Garlic Day
• Hanging Out Day
• High Five Day * (3rd Thurs.)
• 1st Free Fall Parachute Descent 1919
• Primrose Day
• The Shot Heard Around the World (Battle of Lexington and Concord) 1775

April 20

• Chinese Language Day
• Coin Week * (3rd full week)
• Marie and Pierre Curie Discover Radium 1902
• Global Youth Service Days * (3rd weekend)
• Adolf Hitler born 1889
• Look Alike Day
• Teach Your Children to Save Day *
• Volunteer Recognition Day

April 21

• Astronomy Day *
• Auctioneers Day * (3rd Sat.)
• Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
• Day of Silence
• Queen Elizabeth born 1926
• Global Youth Service Days  * (3rd weekend)
• Henry VIII Became King of England 1509
• Husband Appreciation Day  * (3rd Sat.)
• Infant & Toddler Immunization Week begins *
• Innovation Day
• Kindergarten Day
• Money Smart Week begins *
• Naturalist John Muir born 1838
• National Park Week begins *
• Rome Founded 753 BC

April 22

• Earth Day
• Girl Scout Leaders Day
• Jelly Bean Day
• Karaoke Week * (4th week)
• Mother Earth Day
• Preservation Week begins *
• Princess Week begins * (last full week)
• Roller Skates patented 1823
• Sky Awareness Week * (last full week)
• World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week * (week with the 24th)

April 23

• President James Buchanan born 1791
• English Language Day
• Environmental Education Week * (Mon. of last full week)
• St. George’s Day
• Homerun Day
• Laboratory Day
• Movie Theater Day
• Picnic Day
• Playground Safety Week begins *
• Slay A Dragon Day
• Take a Chance Day
• Talk Like Shakespeare Day / Author William Shakespeare born 1564 (other sources say April 26)
• Zucchini Bread Day

April 24

• Dance Week begins
• Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day
• Farmer’s Almanac Founder, Robert Bailey Thomas born 1776

April 25

• DNA Day
• East Meets West Day
• Great Fire of London 1666
• Hug a Plumber Day
• Ireland Independence 916
• Physicist Guglielmo Marconi born 1874
• Malaria Awareness Day
• Suez Canal Construction begins 1859
• World Penguin Day

April 26

• Audubon Day
• Sky Awareness Week *(last full week)
• Fiddler’s Frolic begins *
• Gathering of Nations Pow Wow *
• Help a Horse Day
• Hug An Australian Day
• Kids and Pets Day
• Poem In Your Pocket Day *
• Pretzel Day
• Scientist/Inventor Charles F. Richter born 1900
• Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day * (4th Thurs.)

April 27

• Arbor Day * (last Fri.)
• Babe Ruth Day
• Author Ludwig Bemelmans born 1898
• President Ulysses S. Grant born 1822
• Scientist Johannes Kepler born 1571
• Inventor Samuel Morse born 1791
• Prime Rib Day
• Save the Frogs Day (last Fri.)
• Sierra Leone Independence 1961
• Tell A Story Day
• Togo Independence 1960

April 28

• Biological Clock Day
• Eeyore’s Birthday * (last Sat.)
• Floralia
• Frog Day * (last Sat.)
• Go Birding Day * (last Sat.)
• Great Poetry Reading Day
• Kiss Your Mate Day
• Maryland Statehood 1788
• President James Monroe born 1758
• Sense of Smell Day * (last Sat.)
• Veterinary Day  * (last Sat.)
• World Healing Day * (last Sat.)

April 29

• Greenery Day
• Pinhole Photography Day * (last Sun.)
• Shrimp Scampi Day
• World Wish Day
• Zipper patented 1851

April 30

• Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
• Animal Advocacy Day
• Buggs Bunny Day
• Hairstyle Appreciation Day
• Honesty Day
• Louisiana Statehood 1812
• National Gardening Week * (UK)
• Raisin Day
• Vietnam War ended 1975
• Walpurgis Night

Free Printable – Special Days in April

April Resource List

Here’s my favorite resources for help with teaching special days each month   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

Special Days Archive    – Direct links to the most recent Special Days and Resource lists for each month

I make my monthly special days lists 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 April calendars.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/

http://www.holidayinsights.com/

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

http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/

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

http://chartsbin.com/view/2295

http://projectbritain.com/calendars/index.htm

Happy April!

betty jo