What to Celebrate April 22 to 28, 2019
Celebration Ideas for April 22 – 28, 2019
Happy Good Friday! (If you celebrate. And if you don’t, well we hope it’s still a good Friday).
It’s a chilly & damp one here, but good just the same.
And of course we’re looking forward to getting this weekend started. But first we’re planning to make time for jelly beans, English muffins, and celebrating the Earth next week. Also saving frogs, trying pinhole photography, and more.
And we invite you to join us to take a peek and plan your week. And always remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of April
April is all about creating functional beauty, helping your neighbors stay in their homes, and protecting your head during sports & other physical activity.
But it’s not all serious. April is also about playing games. Marbles to be exact.
So what are you waiting for? Get celebrating!
World Landscape Architecture Month: Did you know landscaping could be called architecture? Well it can! And it is. Landscape architects plan & build everything from parks to plazas, campuses, and even streets. And yes, your yard too. These architects help build our communities while protecting our natural environment. That’s quite a tall order! And those who help make it happen deserve recognition.
Rebuilding Month: During April the nonprofit Rebuilding Together asks us to come together to help our neighbors in need get their homes repaired. Rebuilding Together actually does this work and more all year long, but April is special. April is half-way over, of course, but the need never ends. So even if you can’t participate this year, learn more about this organization, plan to help next year, or even see if there’s anything you can do to help on an on-going basis.
National Knuckles Down Month: Huh? Apparently if you’re not into playing marbles you may not understand this one. But that’s what it’s all about! Playing marbles. And the name comes from how you put your knuckles down on the ground when you start a game. So play marbles to celebrate! Never played? There’s apparently a variety of games you can play, but you can find instructions for the basic game (printable, even!) here. Or learn more about marbles & how they’re played in different countries on Wikipedia.
National Facial Protection Month: During April we’re reminded to make sure our kids (and we!) wear the right protective gear when participating in sports & other activities. The month focuses especially on preventing facial & dental injuries, so mouth guards, helmets, and protective eyewear are the name of the game here.
Weekly Celebrations for April 22 – 28
This week we celebrate the earth with Chemists and our national parks with everyone. Which is quite appropriate, because those parks are awe-inspiring examples of the beauty of our earth and why we need to protect it.
We also acknowledge the darkness in some people, those who are cruel and/or violent to animals & humans.
And we thank the medical laboratory professionals who help our doctors keep us healthy and treat our ills. Then we discuss the importance of infant immunizations.
Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week (April 21 – 27, 2019): Starting on the 3rd Sunday in April we raise awareness of the connections between cruelty to animals and violence in human relationships. Cruelty & violence toward any living creature is wrong. It’s wrong all on its own, but also because “small” acts of cruelty can escalate to larger acts of violence.
Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (April 21 – 27, 2019): The American Chemical Society expanded Chemists Celebrate Earth Day to a whole week, starting last year. The goal is to get more people understanding the good things chemistry can do for the world. This year’s theme for the week is “Take Note: The Chemistry of Paper.” (You can find previous year’s themes here).
National Park Week (April 20 – 28, 2019): Celebrate America’s national parks all week! Check out the programs the park(s) near you have planned. And then make your own plans to be a part of it.
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (April 21 – 27, 2019): This week honors the people who do the tests your doctor orders to monitor your health and/or figure out what’s causing your symptoms. These people run the blood tests and urine tests. They identify the bacteria or viruses, evaluate the biopsy, and much more. Without them your doctor’s job would be a whole lot harder. So give any medical lab pros you know a great big thank you this week. And if you are one: Thank you!
And April 27 marks the beginning of this year’s National Infant Immunization Week (April 27 – May 4, 2019). Vaccines have been in the news almost daily lately because of the increasing number of measles cases this year. The topic is controversial, but also important. Because since vaccination rates have gone up, the number of infants who have died or been disabled due to vaccine preventable diseases has gone down.
Celebration Days coming up for Apr. 22 thru Apr. 28
We begin the week celebrating the earth and go on to advocate for lost dogs, laboratory animals, penguins, and more.
We also enjoy English muffins, prime rib, and blueberry pie, among other delicious days.
Of course there’s also room for some fun, as we talk like Shakespeare, try our hand at pinhole photography, and celebrate movie aliens.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Add in jelly beans, Sauvignon Blanc, telephones, and birds (to name just a few) and you just can’t help but have a fun-tastic week!
April 22:
National Jelly Bean Day: Jelly beans! Snack on them, bake with them, make crafts with them, play games with them … You get the idea! This day is all about the jelly bean. (yeah, yeah, it’s also Earth Day. We’re getting to that!).
Earth Day: Our earth needs our protection more than ever! She can only keep providing us with clean air, land, and water if we work together to stop polluting it. And the amazing diversity of life on this planet can only survive if we work together to make it happen. Learn more about the Earth Day Network’s campaigns here.
International Mother Earth Day: The United Nations started this day in 2009 to expand the concept of Earth Day, which not all countries observe, to more of the world.
Girl Scouts Leader’s Day: While the Girl Scouts recognize their volunteers all April long, on the 22nd they give special recognition to the volunteer leaders whose mentoring helps girls grow into confident, courageous women.
April 23:
Impossible Astronaut Day: Celebrate that convoluted, confusing, and shocking Dr. Who episode that first aired 23 April 2011.
English Muffin Day: Center all your meals around English muffins for the day! Sure they’re delicious for breakfast. But they can transform any meal! Make your sandwich on an English muffin instead of boring bread. Burgers for dinner? Replace the buns with English muffins! For last year’s celebration, Thomas’ published 7 gourmet butter recipes to elevate your English muffin experience. Three of them also come with sandwich recipes! Mmmmm …
National Lost Dog Awareness Day: This day started in 2014 to bring attention to the dogs that get lost every year. They may be strays, but they’re not homeless! They have homes—and humans—waiting for their return. And the day also celebrates the happy reunions when those lost dogs and their humans see each other again.
Talk Like Shakespeare Day: On this day you must … well, talk like Shakespeare! The Chicago Shakespeare Theater started this day in 2009. And in 2011 it became state-recognized when then-Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed it so.
April 24:
World Day for Laboratory Animals: This day advocates for replacing animals in scientific and medical research with newer, non-animal testing methods wherever possible. Scientists keep developing better & better tests, and wherever these tests offer results at least as good as those from animals, they should become the new standard.
International Guide Dogs Day: This day honors the loyal guiding eye companions that allow their humans to live independent lives. It also recognizes the people who train these dogs and do their best to match the dogs with the people who need them.
#SauvBlanc Day (Sauvignon Blanc Day): This day is “a global, social media wine tasting.” So wherever you are, join the party online while enjoying a glass of Sauvignon Blanc IRL. And of course, post about it with the tag #SauvBlanc !
National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day: On this day you must eat little sausages or hot dogs wrapped in bacon, puff pastry, or biscuit dough (depending on where you live!). Have ‘em as an appetizer, a snack, a side, or even a light meal. Yum!
April 25:
National DNA Day: On April 25, 1953 the journal Nature published a paper by James Watson, Frances Crick & colleagues showing the structure of DNA. How much do you know about this amazing biological code that makes us who we are?
World Penguin Day: Penguins! How can you not love these kinda goofy-looking but adorable birds? Learn more about them & how we can protect them for this day.
National Zucchini Bread Day: This day celebrates the zucchini and its transformation into delightful loaves of zucchini bread! So make and eat zucchini bread to celebrate the day right. Need a recipe? Try this BEST EVER zucchini bread recipe (We’re not sure about the best ever, but it is very good!).
National Telephone Day: This day is different from Land Line Telephone Day. It celebrates all telephones! Not just land lines. Of course, it’s only be in the last 20-30 years that non-land line telephones became common. So whatever kind of telephone you use, make a call with it today. Not just a text; make an actual call.
April 26:
National Hairball Awareness Day: If you’ve ever been owned by a cat you can’t help but be aware of those nasty chunks of fur those precious furballs like to leave in the middle of carpets and tables. Use this day to learn just how much fur cats ingest each year and how you can help make their lives easier.
Arbor Day: Celebrate trees! Trees do so much for us, and they ask so little in return. They clean the air, protect our water sources and soil, and so much more. And all we really need to do is not make their jobs too hard. Unfortunately we have made their jobs hard, so the Arbor Day Foundation has launched a project to plant more trees. Lots more trees. Learn more and help if you can, to celebrate this year’s Arbor Day.
Audubon Day: Trees and birds are a natural pairing, so while you’re celebrating trees take some time to look for birds, too. If you’re planting trees, choose ones native to your area that can provide suitable habitat to your native birds. Learn more about birds too, so you can continue helping them all year.
Alien Day: Celebrate aliens on this day! But not just any aliens. The alien in Alien Day refers specifically to the Alien franchise. So if you’re a fan, rewatch the movie(s), have a party, join a trivia competition, or whatever activity makes you feel most connected to the day. And if you’ve never seen any of the movies, do that!
National Pretzel Day: Enjoy pretzels for this day. Buy a package of your favorites and munch away. Or if soft pretzels are your things, consider making them yourself. This recipe from Alton Brown looks easy.
World Intellectual Property Day: Support intellectual property rights for this day. Why? Because these rights support and encourage innovation. Without protections for their creations artists, inventors, and other innovators would be less likely (and possibly unable) to keep creating the novel outputs that benefit the world in so many ways.
April 27:
Matanzas Mule Day: Did the Cubans bury a mule with full military honors after an American bombardment killed it during the Spanish-American War? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, this day honors that mule.
National Prime Rib Day: Enjoying prime rib roast is the only way to celebrate this day. Head out to your favorite restaurant, or make it at home. This recipe makes it simple, with lots of tips & tricks to help you feel confident even if you’ve never made it before.
National Little Pampered Dog Day: Do you have a little pampered dog? Then this day is for you! And your dog of course. And despite the name, if yours is a big pampered dog you can still celebrate! Because the day is really just about acknowledging that all dogs deserve pampering.
Save the Frogs Day: Learn about frogs (and other amphibians) for this day; why they’re important & why we should protect them. If you’re able, consider organizing an event to help others understand the importance of the frogs.
National Sense of Smell Day: Do you realize how much your sense of smell affects your life? Celebrate the day by really noticing all the scents around you. Bake or cook something with a scent you find especially enticing. Museums & educational centers may also have special programs for the day.
April 28:
Pinhole Photography Day: For this day try your hand at creating an image with a pinhole camera. The camera may be simple, but getting a good image isn’t! But it can be quite fun to try.
National Pet Parent’s Day: There’s lots of days for pets, for pampering them & loving them. But this day is all about the people who do all that loving & pampering. If that’s you, then give yourself a pat on the back. And we suspect you’ll be celebrating by loving your pet.
National Blueberry Pie Day: Of course the only way to celebrate this day is with blueberry pie! Buy it if you must, but homemade is always best. This recipe has lots of 5-star reviews!
