Calendar of STEM-related seasonal events and holidays

STEM Throughout the Year!

Ideas for incorporating current science, engineering, and technology content into holidays, seasons, annual events, and special events.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Celestial Events

  • WINTER

    • Snow and Snowflakes, January, & February

  • SPRING

    • March, April, & May

  • SUMMER

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

  • FALL 

    • Back to School, September, October, November, & December

  • OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS

    • Super Hero activities

    • Science Fiction 

    • Food related activities

    • 2019 - year-long events

      •  International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, 150th anniversary

      • 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing (July 20, 1969) and Apollo missions

      • NASA 60th anniversary 

    • 2015 - year-long events

      • International Year of Light

    • 2014 - year-long events

      • International Year of Crystallography

 

Celestial Events

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

WINTER

Snow and Snowflakes:

January

Predictions for the New Year (January 1) 

National Bird Day (January 5)

National Static Electricity Day (January 9)

February

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

Valentine's Day (February 14) 

National Engineers Week (February) 

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (February)

National Battery Day (February 18)

Great Backyard Bird Count (mid-February)

Leap Day (February 29) (every four years)

SPRING

March

Women's History Month (March) - celebrate people in STEM

International Women's Day (March 8)

NanoDays (last weekend in March - first weekend in April)
2020: March 28-April 5
2021: March 27-April 4
2022: March 26-April 3
2023: March 25-April 2

Groundwater Awareness Week (second full week in March)

Dr. Seuss Day (March 2) 

Brain Awareness Week (mid-March)

Pi Day (March 14)

National Learn about Butterflies Days (March 14)

World Water Day (March 22)

Solar Week (March 23-27, 2020)

Earth Hour (mid-March) (March 28, 2020)

April

Citizen Science Month (April) - please see Citizen Science day mid-April

Global Astronomy Month (April) 

Astronomy Day (Spring) (May 11, 2019; May 2, 2020; May 15, 2021)

Astronomy Week (Spring) (May 6-12; 2019 April 27-May 3, 2020; May 10-16, 2021)

Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month

World Health Day (April 7)

National Robotics Week (second week in April) 

Yuri's Night (April 12)

Citizen Science Day (mid-April)
Citizen Science Month (April)

Earth Day (April 22) 

National Environmental Education Week (week of Earth Day) (2020 is the 50th anniversary)

DNA Day (April 25)

National Poetry Month (April)

May

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (May)

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

National Children’s Book Week (early May) 

Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week (May)

National Week of Making (May 11-17)

Museum Day (May 18)

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) (May 21, 2020)

National Paper Airplane Day (May 26)

SUMMER

Summer Reading

Sun and Sand

Summer Camp

June

World Environment Day (June 5)

World Oceans Day (June 8)

International Women in Engineering Day (June 23)

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

Asteroid Day (June 30)

July

Plastic Free July 

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

World Brain Day (July 22, 2020)

August

National Sand Castle Day (first Saturday of August)

National Aviation Day (August 19)

World Mosquito Day (August 20)

FALL

Back to School 

September

Read a Book Month (September)

Protect Your Groundwater Day  (first week in September)

National Aerospace Week (second week in September)

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

Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP) (mid-September)

World Cleanup Day (mid-September)

Bike to Work Week (third week in September)

International Observe the Moon Night (date in September/October; September 26, 2020)

October

Astronomy Day (Fall) (October 5, 2019; September 26, 2020; October 9, 2021)

Astronomy Week (Fall) (September 30-October 6, 2019; September 21-27, 2020; October 4-10, 2021)

World Space Week (October 4-10)

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

Metric Day (October 10th)

Campus Sustainability Month (October)

Earth Science Week (second full week in October)
(October 13-19, 2019; October 11-17, 2020; October 10-16, 2021)

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.

Solar Week (October 21-25, 2019)

Imagine a Day Without Water (October 23, 2019)

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

Dark Matter Day (on or around October 31)

Halloween (October 31)

November

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

International Science Center and Science Museum Day (November 10)

America Recycles Day (November 15)

Pride in STEM Day (November 18, 2020)

Thanksgiving (November)

Black Hole Friday (last Friday in November)

December

National Disability Day (December 3)

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

Games Day (December 20)

  • explore this website by searching the topic: Games

OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS

Super Hero activities

Science Fiction 

Food related activities

Past 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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