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Calendar of STEM-related seasonal events and holidays

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Ideas for incorporating STEM content into holidays, seasons, annual events, and special events throughout the year.

Please also visit our Big STEM Celebrations collection of resources arranged by theme rather than date


 

Ideas for All Seasons

Thumbnail for winter showing snow

WINTER

Snow, Snowflakes, January, and February

Thumbnail for spring showing flowers

SPRING

March, April, and May

Summer thumbnail showing green trees

SUMMER

Sun, Sand, Summer Camp, June, July, and August

Fall thumbnail showing leaves

FALL

Back to School, September, October, November, and December

Jump to Other Special Events and Past Events

 


2022-23 Year Long Events

Gregor Mendel 200 (July 2022 - 2023)

International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (2022-2023)

Heliophysics Big Year  (October 2023 to December 2024)


Photo of a solar eclipse

Celestial Events

Meteor showers, lunar eclipses, full moons, planetary events, and more!

Calendars

What's up this month

Solar Eclipse - upcoming visible in North America

Lunar Eclipses - upcoming visible in North America 


Birthdays


Thumbnail for winter showing snow

WINTER

Snow and Snowflakes:


January

International Year of Glass (January - December 2022)

National Mentoring Month (January)

Predictions for the New Year (January 1) 

National Bird Day (January 5)

National Static Electricity Day (January 9)

Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January)


February

Black History Month / African-American History Month (February) -  celebrate people in STEM

Groundhog Day (February 2)

  • Use Exploring Earth: Bear's Shadow activity to make and experiment with shadows
  • STEM topics to explore include: signs of spring (animals emerging from hibernation), signs of winter (clear, cold days), and seasons (February 2 lies midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox) 
  • NASA Space Place seasons resources

National Inventors Day (February 11)

World Radio Day (February 13)

Valentine's Day (February 14) 

Engineers Week (Third week in February) 

International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11)

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (During third week in February)

National Battery Day (February 18)

Great Backyard Bird Count (mid-February)

 

    Leap Day (February 29) (every four years)


    Thumbnail for spring showing flowers

    SPRING


    March

    Women's History Month (March)celebrate people in STEM
    International Women's Day (March 8)

    Severe Weather Awareness Week (March in many states)
    Severe weather may include flood, fire, lightning, hurricane, tornados, tsunami, earthquake, heat, and cold

    World Wildlife Day (March 3)

     

      World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (March 4)

      Dr. Seuss Day (March 2) 

      Groundwater Awareness Week (second full week in March)

      Brain Awareness Week (mid-March)

      Pi Day (March 14)  
      International Day of Mathematics (March 14)

      National Learn about Butterflies Day (March 14)

      Digital Learning Day (March 15, 2023) #DLDay 

      National Ag Day (mid-March)

      Earth Hour (mid-March) 

      Spring Equinox (March 19 or 20 in the Northern Hemisphere)

      World Water Day (March 22)

      World Meteorology Day (March 23)

      Solar Week (last full week in March)

      NanoDays (last weekend in March - first weekend in April)
      2023: March 25-April 2
      2024: March 30-April 7
      2025: March 29-April 6
      2026: March 28-April 5


      April

      Citizen Science Month (April) 

      National Kite Month (April)

      National Poetry Month (April)

      Global Astronomy Month (April) 
      Astronomy Day (Spring) (held in April or May) 
      Astronomy Week (Spring) (held in April or May) 

      Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month (April)

      National Arab American Heritage Month (April) celebrate people in STEM

       

      Star Trek First Contact Day (April 5)

      In the Star Trek Universe humans make first contact with an alien species on April 5, 2063.

      World Health Day (April 7) / National Public Health Week (first week in April)

      International Dark Sky Week (week during the month of April)

      National Robotics Week / RoboWeek (second week in April) 

      Yuri's Night (April 12)

      World Quantum Day (April 14)

      World Art Day (April 15)

      Black Hole Week (mid-April) (April 12-16, 2021)

      National Math Festival (mid-April)

      Earth Day (April 22)
      National Environmental Education Week (week of Earth Day)

      Take Your Child To Work Day / Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day (fourth Thursday in April)

      DNA Day (April 25)

       

      Arbor Day (last Friday in April, dates vary by state)

      National Poetry Month (April)


      May

      Astronomy Day (Spring) (held in April or May) - please see April for details
      Astronomy Week (Spring) (held in April or May) - please see April for details

        Asian American and Pacific Islander Month - celebrate people in STEM

        National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (May)

        National Bike Month ​​​​​​ / Bike to Work Week (mid-May)

        May the Fourth Be With You - Star Wars Day (May 4)

        National Children’s Book Week (early May) 

        Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week (May)

        International Day of Light (May 16)

        National Week of Making (mid-May)

        National Public Works Week (mid-May)

          International Museum Day (May 18)

          Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) (May 18, 2023, May 16, 2024) 
          The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access/inclusion and people with different disabilities.

          Endangered Species Day (third Friday in May)

          National Paper Airplane Day (May 26)


          Summer thumbnail showing green trees

          SUMMER

          Summer Reading

          Sun and Sand

          Summer Camp


          June

            Pride Month (June) - celebrate people in STEM

             

            Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June)

            National Dairy Month (June)

             

            International Nature Journaling Week (first week in June) 

            World Environment Day (June 5)

            World Oceans Day (June 8)

              Juneteenth (June 19) - celebrate people in STEM

              Summer Solstice (June 20 or 21 in the Northern Hemisphere)

              International Women in Engineering Day (June 23)

              National Mosquito Control Awareness Week  - Fight the Bite (last full week in June)

              Tau Day (June 28)

              • Related to Pi Day (March 14) Tau is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its RADIUS, approximately 6.28, or 2 times Pi. 

              Asteroid Day (June 30)


              July

                    Plastic Free July (July)

                    Moon Landing - anniversary of Apollo 11 first step on the Moon July 20, 1969 (July 20)

                    National Ice Cream Day (July 18)

                    World Brain Day (July 22)


                    August

                    Perseid Meteor Shower (August)

                    • The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere
                    • NISE Network Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites resources https://www.nisenet.org/asteroids

                    National Immunization Awareness Month (August)

                    National Sand Castle Day (first Saturday of August)

                    National Aviation Day (August 19)

                    World Mosquito Day (August 20)

                    Frankenstein Day (August 30)  
                    Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born on August 30, 1797; she wrote the novel Frankenstein in 1816, and published it in 1818 


                    Fall thumbnail showing leaves

                    FALL

                    Back to School 


                    September

                    Read a New Book Month (September)

                    National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15- October 15) - celebrate people in STEM

                    International Microorganism Day (September 17)

                    National Pollution Prevention Week (P2 Week) (third week in September)

                    International Coastal Cleanup Day (third Saturday in September)
                    World Cleanup Day (mid-September)

                    Fall Equinox (September 22 or 23 in the Northern Hemisphere)

                    International Day of Scientific Culture / Día Internacional de la Cultura Científica (September 28)

                    Astronomy Week (Fall) (9/18-24/2023; 10/7-13/2024; 9/22-28/2025)

                    Worldwide Day of Play (September 30, 2023)

                     


                    October

                    International Observe the Moon Night (date selected in September/October based on viewing ) (October 21, 2023; September 14, 2024; October 4, 2025; October 17, 2026)

                    Campus Sustainability Month (October)

                    Walk Bike & Roll to School (early October)  (October 4, 2023)

                    World Space Week (October 4-10)

                    Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) (first Friday in October)

                    National Nano Day (October 9)
                    National Nanotechnology Day (#NationalNanoDay) is an annual celebration and pays homage to the nanometer scale, 10–9 meters.

                    Metric Day (October)

                    Indigenous Peoples' Day (Second Monday in October) - celebrate people in STEM

                    International Day of the Girl Child (October 11)

                     

                      Artificial Intelligence (AI) - World AI Week (2nd week in October)

                      Earth Science Week (second full week in October) 

                      Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills (third Thursday in October) 

                      National Chemistry Week (third full week in October)
                      Mole Day (October 23) 
                      commemorates Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 1023), which is a measuring unit in chemistry.

                      Imagine a Day Without Water (mid-October) 

                      Nuclear Science Week (NSW) (third week in October)

                      World Origami Days (October 24 - November 11)

                       

                      Dark Matter Day (on or around October 31)

                      Halloween (October 31)


                      November

                      Native American Heritage Month / American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (November) - celebrate people in STEM

                      World Tsunami Awareness Day (November 5)

                       

                      National STEM - STEAM Day (November 8)

                       

                      International Day of Radiology & World Radiography Day (November 8)
                      The date marks the anniversary of the discovery of X-Rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895


                      World Science Day for Peace and Development (November 10) 

                      America Recycles Day (November 15)

                        Pride in STEM Day (November 18) - celebrate people in STEM
                        International Day of LGBTQIA+ People in STEM

                        Thanksgiving (last Thursday in November)

                        "Black Friday" Shopping Day - (Friday after Thanksgiving)

                        Black Hole Friday (last Friday in November)


                        December

                        National Disability Day (December 3)
                        International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3)

                        Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) and Hour of Code (second week in December)

                        Games Day (December 20)

                        Winter Solstice (December 20 or 21 in the Northern Hemisphere)


                        OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS

                        Super Hero activities

                        Science Fiction 

                        Food related activities

                        • NISE Network food activities
                          Food is a great way to connect relevance of STEM content to our lives. Activities explore the science of cooking and preparing food, some of the societal choices about how we grow and process food. Activities can be incorporated into events that involve cooking an eating, food festivals, and annual celebrations like Halloween and Valentine's Day.

                        Past Events


                        2022 Year Long Events


                        2019 - Year Long Events


                        2015 - Year Long Events

                        International Year of Light (2015)

                        Short hands-on activities

                        Videos

                        Programs

                        Online workshop

                        More light activities


                        2014 - Year Long Events

                        International Year of Crystallography (2014)


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