Celebrating the Bizarre Holidays of April


Another month is here and we’re taking a look at what silly or bizarre holidays we can celebrate this month with our kids.  Last month at Motherhood on a Dime, I shared how we love to add a little fun and creativity to our days by making a big deal out of something seemingly inconsequential.

Did you realize that you can stir family fun and create special memories by doing something as simple as celebrating a wacky holiday?  Now, you can’t do everything I have listed below.  So pick one or two and mark your calendar.

This first week of April is Read a Road Map Week.  Do your kids even know what a road map looks like?  I have an atlas of the 50 states.  I think we’ll pick a starting and ending point and plot some fantastic, yet imaginary, adventure.  It is also National Humor Month, so be sure to laugh along the way!

April 4 – School Librarian Day.  While isn’t a wacky holiday, it is a thoughtful one worth remembering.  Be sure to make a card or send in a treat to show your appreciation.

April 7 – Caramel Popcorn Day or No Housework Day.  My suggestion?  Skip the house work, lounge around on the couch eating caramel popcorn!  Now the question is to buy the popcorn at the store or attempt to make the caramel popcorn at home and create a big mess.  Who will clean it up?

April 9 – Name Yourself Day.  I think we live in this day perpetually when it comes to my daughter.  She has a fantastic imagination and is pretending to be someone else half the time.  She often tells me who I am in her dream world, but I have to say I became a little concerned when last week she told me to pretend I was her mom.  Hmmm.  Or maybe I should be more focused on the fact that this week, she told me to pretend I was the maid.  All I can tell you is that I will not be spending the day being called, ‘the maid!’

April 10 – National Sibling Day.  Ah, a chance for all of our kids to ooze love for each other. . . Okay, time to wake up.  What ways can your children show appreciation for each other?  Write a card, do a random act of kindness or vow to “play nice” all day long.  I am often telling my children that they are each other’s first best friends.  We will definitely be celebrating this day.

April 11 – Submarine Day.  Here is a fun chance to do a theme study on submarines.  When was the first submarine built?  What is the biggest submarine?  How do people live on them…under the water…for such lengths at time and not feel claustrophobic?  Be sure to play the Beatles, “Yellow Submarine” at least a dozen times.

April 14 – International Moment of Laughter Day.  Tell a joke.  Do a skit.  Make someone laugh.

Last week, we finished up another audio book called Summer According to Humphrey.  It is one in a series of books about a classroom hamster that my kids have thoroughly enjoyed.  In this book, the kids put on a couple skits.  One of which I loved and the kids and I acted out for Dan when he got home for work.  Here it is for your family:

Skit idea:  The kids are pretending to sit on an imaginary bench.  You walk in and ask what they are doing.  They say they are sitting on this imaginary bench.  You respond, “That’s funny because I moved it over there this morning.”  Then the kids dramatically fall to the ground.

April 16 – National Stress Awareness Day.  No this isn’t another wacky holiday, but one that may be good for you.  Just take a moment to look at your stress load and brainstorm what you can do to lessen your stress.  We could all do with a little less stress, right?

April 17 – National Cheeseball Day.  What better to follow the previous holiday?  Grab a bag of that puffy, cheesy, ‘you just can’t eat one’ snack from the store for the kids and some yummy crackers and a true cheeseball for you.  Enjoy!

April 19 – National Garlic Day.  Umm, no thanks!

Apirl 22 – National Jelly Bean Day.  Did you know that jelly beans date back to the 1860’s?  Ads promoted sending jelly beans to Union troops fighting the Civil War.  Grab a bag and practice counting or sorting with your little ones.

April 23 – National Zucchini Bread Day.  Oh, how I love zucchini bread.  I’m a little surprised that this holiday is in April and not the end of summer when there is an abundance of zucchini.  But I’ll eat it anyway.  Dan’s family throws a wacky celebration in August honoring the zucchini where every dish brought must include the green squash.

April 26 – National Pretzel Day.  When I was in college, there was a restaurant not too far away that served greasy, soft pretzels and gooey hot fudge to dip them in.  It was delicious!  I may just have to go to the store and pick up a box of frozen soft pretzels and do my best to recreate them.  What is your favorite kind of pretzel?

April 27 – Tell A Story Day.  Grab the kids and make up (or read) a great story.  You can check out my four simple tips for story-telling here.

There you have it!  Which day will you celebrate?