May Holidays to Celebrate

We are moving right along through the year! It’s crazy that summer is just around the corner! Time is surely passing quickly, and that’s why we need to find a reason to celebrate every day. More often than not, the little things you do with your kids are the things most remembered – and that includes celebrating quirky holidays! Whether it’s making a batch of Wookie Cookies on Star Wars Day, visiting a museum on International Museum Day, or flying paper airplanes together on National Paper Airplane Day – these are the days that kids remember!

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Below are a variety of ideas to compliment the list of days to celebrate. Choose several or just one each week! Use them as a brain break, in a morning basket, or as a mini unit study! Be sure to download the free planning page for May halfway down my homepage! Cue the confetti, let’s go!

May Holidays – Week 1

• 5/1 May Day – Check out the rich history and varied customs on The Almanac.
• 5/2 National Space Day – Learn about moon rocks and try making your own moon rocks here! Also, If you’re looking for a year long study of astronomy, I can’t say enough good things about Journey Homeschool Academy! Their courses are so engaging and captivating!
• 5/3 Wordsmith Day – I love the opportunity to learn new words, especially in the form of a game. It’s one of my recent purchases, and I think it will be fun to use at dinner time! Also, if you’re needing a no-nonsense writing curriculum, Wordsmith is a hidden little gem! I used this when my kids were 8/9th grade, and I love that it was simple and effective. Wordsmith Apprentice is for a slightly lower level, and Wordsmith Craftsman is the higher level. Honestly, it was probably one of the most practical writing curricula we’ve used!

May Holidays – Week 2

• 5/4 Star Wars Day – One of the best ways to learn is through cooking! Whip up a batch of Wookie Cookies, as well as other galactic recipes in this fun cookbook for kids. P.S. The Wookie Cookies are out of this world! While enjoying cookies, try a Darth Vader abstract art lesson with Nana using chalk pastels. Ours turned out spectacular!
• 5/4 World Laughter Day – Serve up a side of jokes as well! How about a space joke book? Did you know that the average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day, whereas the average 40-year-old only laughs four times a day. Change that!
• 5/5 National Astronaut Day – 24 Hours in Space is amazing! Spend a day on the International Space Station and learn what a day in the life of an astronaut is like in this comic strip-style read.
• 5/5 National Cartoonist Day – Learn a new skill and learn how to draw cartoons! There are 320 videos in this playlist – wow!
• 5/6 No Homework Day – Um, can homeschoolers really have a no homework day? Maybe once in a while.
• 5/7 World Carnivorous Plant Day – I’m so fortunate to live right along the outer radius where Venus Fly Traps grow in the wild! If there’s ever a reptile expo in your area, it is a great place to find Venus flytraps. Vendors that specialize in carnivorous plants are knowledgeable and eager to tell you all about them, and sell you one too! Hunter Flytraps is a fantastic source of information if you are interested in carnivorous plants.
• 5/10 National Clean Your Room Day – “because I said so!” For real though, having a clean room reduces stress, and makes one happy.

May Holidays – Week 3

• 5/12 National Limerick Day – According to Uncle Goose, Limericks are believed to have originated in the Irish town of Limerick (hence the name) in the 18th century. Edward Lear, a famous English poet, further popularized the Limerick in the 19th century with his book, A Book of Nonsense. (There’s also great instructions on that page for writing your own)!
• 5/15 National Notebook Day – I loved using a simple spiral notebook when my kids were in middle school. I wrote their assignments for the week, and it gave them independence as well as flexibility as to how to schedule their day.
• 5/16 Drawing Day – Did you ever have a classmate that could draw really well? I did! How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students has fantastic reviews, and is a great price.

May Holidays – Week 4

• 5/18 International Museum Day – Museums are rich with learning opportunities! Scavenger Hunts are a fantastic way to mix learning with a fun challenge. Many museums offer their own printables, but you can also create your own! cityHUNT can help you get started!
• 5/20 World Bee Day – Bees are so fascinating! Do you know a bee keeper? Take a field trip! The Homeschool Scientist has a great bee themed unit study as well.
• 5/20 Weights and Measures Day – Measurement is one of those things that we use everyday, and I wish I had spent more time on this skill with my own children. To this day, I still have trouble estimating and converting, but my son has gotten really good at it since becoming a mechanic. One could create a mini unit study on this topic! Maybe there already is, but you could definitely incorporate history, art, P.E., and of course math with a little internet searching. Or, grab the book, Measuring Things for the slightly younger ones, or to use as an idea book for the older kids.
• 5/23 National Road Trip Day – Boy, do I love a road trip! I also love to play games on a road trip! I’ve got a list of technology-free game ideas on my Freebies Page! Download your free copy and hit the road!
• 5/24 National Scavenger Hunt Day – Most everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Make up your own, or check out Hip Homeschool Moms for some freebies and ideas. Doing a little Amazon shopping? Check out these awesome picture cards, or go head to head with your kiddos in this Family Scavenger Hunt game!

May Holidays – Week 5

• 5/26 National Paper Airplane Day – One of my favorites (and a top seller in my book biz) is Paper Airplanes to Fold and Fly! It comes with a complete set of easy instructions to get flying in no time, plus there are several different folding techniques included. My kids and I have had a lot of fun with this book! Turn your flying fun into an afternoon of STEM Challenges with paper planes!
• 5/26 Memorial Day – Check out this FREE unit study for your highschooler! (Start planning a bit early, there is a lot here).
• 5/29 National Paper Clip Day – Take a look at the “fasten”ating history of paperclips!
• 5/30 National Creativity Day – Make everyday Creativity Day with these fantastic journal-type books from PaperPie! With seven titles in the series, there’s something to suit everyone’s creativity!
• 5/31 National Smile Day – I’ll close out the month of May with the best advice I have ever received from my dad….”keep a smile”. That’s how we ended every note, and every phone call for most of my life….right up to the very last note I wrote to him after he left this earth for heaven.

May Birthdays

Birthdays are special and worth celebrating, even when it’s for someone who lived long ago. This month, we’ve got quite a variety of interesting people! I love the Who Was series, and the Lives Of series to learn more about a notable person, and of course the local library! So, will you be listening to the sweet sounds of Johannes Brahms or Tchaikovsky? Maybe you could spend Frank Baum’s birthday revisiting the Wizard of Oz. One of my favorites would be getting out the art supplies like Rousseau or Cassatt!