Usually I have the Special Days lists ready to go out by the 28th of the month before.  However, with internet connection issues and an increase of family and homeschooling projects, I just have not been able to get the entire list completed. So … Here’s the beginning of the collection of themes, foods, historic and scientific anniversaries, awareness days, and famous birthdays for April, 2020. I hope to have the rest of the list ready to publish soon, but this will get us started on April fun and learning!

PDF of  Special Days in April and other teaching resources 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
• Child Abuse Prevention Month
• 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
• 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  * (1st Wed.)

April 2

• Author Hans Christian Andersen born 1805
• Children’s Book Day
• Ferret Day
• Ponce de Leon discovers and claims Florida for Spain 1513
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
• Reconciliation Day
• 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
• Walk to Work Day * (1st Fri.)
• Weed Out Hate/Sow Seeds of Greatness Day
• World Party Day

April 4

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

April 5

• Bat Appreciation Week * (1st full week)
• Daffodil Sunday * (1st Sun.)
• 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
• Sweet Tater Day * (1st Mon.)
• Teflon invented 1938
• Twinkie invented 1930
• US Entry Into WWI 1916

April 7

• Beaver Day
• Caramel Popcorn Day
• Metric System Day
• No Housework Day
• 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
• Roma Day
• 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
• 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

• Big Wind Day
• American Civil War begins 1861
• Author Beverly Cleary born 1916
• D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything and Read Day)
• Resurrection Sunday/Easter *
• Garden Week *  (2nd week)
• Global Day to End Child Sexual Abuse * (2nd Sun.)
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
• International Day for Street Children
• Licorice Day
• 1st Human Space Flight 1961
• 1st Space Shuttle launch 1981
• Student Employment Week * (2nd full 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

• Citizen Science Day
• Dolphin Day
• Look Up At The Sky Day
• Moment of Laughter Day
• Pecan Day
• Reach as High as You Can Day
• St. Tiburtius’ Day
• Websters American Dictionary of the English Language published 1828

April 15

• Corrie Ten Boom born 1892
• Artist/Scientist/Inventor Leonardo Da Vinci born 1452
• Jackie Robinson Day
• Rubber Eraser Day
• Swallow Day
• Take A Wild Guess Day
• The Titanic sank 1912

April 16

• Comedian Charlie Chaplin born 1889
• Day of the Mushroom
• Eggs Benedict Day
• High Five Day * (3rd Thurs.)
• Save the Elephant Day
• Stress Awareness Day
• Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
• 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
• Auctioneers Day * (3rd Sat.)
• Global Youth Service Days * (3rd weekend)
• Husband Appreciation Day * (3rd Sat.)
• Juggler’s Day
• Piñata Day
• Paul Revere’s Famous Ride 1775
• San Francisco Earthquake 1906
• Zimbabwe Independence 1980

April 19

• Bicycle Day
• Boys & Girls Club Week * (3rd full week)
• Coin Week * (3rd full week)
• Garlic Day
• Hanging Out Day
• 1st Free Fall Parachute Descent 1919
• Karaoke Week * (4th week)
• Primrose Day
• Princess Week * (last full week)
• The Shot Heard Around the World (Battle of Lexington and Concord) 1775
• Sky Awareness Week * (last full week)
• World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week * (week of
  the 24th)

April 20

• Boston Marathon (3rd Mon.)
• Chinese Language Day
• Environmental Education Week *  (Mon. of last full
  week)
• Frog Appreciation Day
• Marie and Pierre Curie Discover Radium 1902
• Adolf Hitler born 1889
• Look Alike Day
• Patriot’s Day * (3rd Mon.)
• Volunteer Recognition Day
• Weed Day

April 21

• Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
• Queen Elizabeth born 1926
• Henry VIII Became King of England 1509
• Innovation Day
• Kindergarten Day
• Naturalist John Muir born 1838
• Rome Founded 753 BC
• Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day *

April 22

• Earth Day
• Girl Scout Leaders Day
• Jelly Bean Day
• Mother Earth Day
• Roller Skates patented 1823

April 23

• President James Buchanan born 1791
• English Language Day
• St. George’s Day
• Homerun Day
• Laboratory Day
• Movie Theater Day
• Picnic Day
• Slay A Dragon Day
• Take a Chance Day
• Talk Like Shakespeare Day / Author William Shakespeare born 1564 (other sources say April 26)
• Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day * (4th
  Thurs.)
• Zucchini Bread Day

April 24

• Arbor Day * (last Fri.)
• Dance Week begins
• Day of Silence (LGTQ Youth Observance) *
• Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day
• Farmer’s Almanac Founder, Robert Bailey Thomas born 1776
• Save the Frogs Day * (last Fri.)

April 25

• DNA Day
• East Meets West Day
• Eeyore’s Birthday * (last Sat.)
• Go Birding Day * (last Sat.)
• Great Fire of London 1666
• Hug a Plumber Day
• Ireland Independence 916
• Physicist Guglielmo Marconi born 1874
• Malaria Awareness Day
• Sense of Smell Day * (last Sat.)
• Suez Canal Construction begins 1859
• Veterinary Day * (last Sat.)
• World Healing Day *(last Sat.)
• World Penguin Day

April 26

• Audubon Day
• Help a Horse Day
• Hug An Australian Day
• Kids and Pets Day
• Pinhole Photography Day * (last Sun.)
• Pretzel Day
• Scientist/Inventor Charles F. Richter born 1900

April 27

• 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
• Sierra Leone Independence 1961
• Tell A Story Day
• Togo Independence 1960
• World Tapir Day

April 28

• Biological Clock Day
• Floralia
• Great Poetry Reading Day
• Kiss Your Mate Day
• Maryland Statehood 1788
• President James Monroe born 1758

April 29

• Greenery Day
• Shrimp Scampi Day
• World Wish Day
• Zipper patented 1851

April 30

• Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
• Animal Advocacy Day
• Bugs Bunny Day
• Hairstyle Appreciation Day
• Honesty Day
• Louisiana Statehood 1812
• Raisin Day
• Vietnam War ended 1975
• Walpurgis Night

Free Printable Download – Special Days in April

Collection of free ‘Special Days’ learning resources for 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