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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

 


2024-2025 Year Long Events

Heliophysics Big Year  (October 2023 to December 2024)

Planetarium Centennial (Fall 2023 to May 2025)

  • https://planetarium100.org/
    The first planetarium projector was unveiled in Germany  in October 1923 and the first planetarium opened to the public on May 7, 1925, when the Deutsches Museum opened in Munich.

Photo of a solar eclipse

Celestial Events

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

What's up this month

Celestial Calendars

Solar Eclipse - upcoming visible in North America

Lunar Eclipses - upcoming visible in North America 


Birthdays


Collections of hands-on activities 


Thumbnail for winter showing snow

WINTER

Snow and Snowflakes:


January

    National Mentoring Month (January)

     

    New Year's Day (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) 

    Galileo Day (February 15th)

    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)

    Digital Learning Day (February 15, 2024) 

    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 Weeks (March, dates vary by state)
      Severe weather may include flood, fire, lightning, hurricane, tornados, tsunami, earthquake, heat, and cold

      World Futures Day - Young Voices (March 1)

      Dr. Seuss Day (March 2) 

      World Wildlife Day (March 3)

      World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (March 4)

      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)

      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)

      NanoDays (last weekend in March - first weekend in April)


      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

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

      International Dark Sky Week (first week of April)

      Worldwide Climate Justice Education Week (first week of April)

      Star Trek First Contact Day (April 5)

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

      Solar Eclipse (April 8, 2024)

      Find Your Place in Space Week (April 6-13, 2024)

      Yuri's Night (April 12)

      National Robotics Week / RoboWeek (second week in April) 

      World Quantum Day (April 14)

      World Art Day (April 15)

      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)


      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)

        Black Hole Week (April - May) (May 6-10, 2024)

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

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

        Air Quality Awareness Week (first week of May)

        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) 

                  International Archeology Day (third Saturday in 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

                    World Children's Day (November 20)

                    Thanksgiving (last Thursday in November)

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

                    Black Hole Friday (last Friday in November)


                    December

                    World Futures Day (December 2)

                    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


                    2022-2023 Year Long Events

                    Gregor Mendel 200 (July 2022 - 2023)

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

                    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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