Today is School Librarians Day, an April 4 holiday. This special holiday honors those who serve our young students so well in the local school libraries. The education of young minds needs to be encouraged, nurtured and fed. Feeding those minds with good quality, yet challenging reading material and reference materials is what school librarians excel at.

Working with school children offers many rewards and challenges. They help to develop, enrich, and mold young minds. They promote a lifetime of enjoyment and learning through reading.

So, take a minute today to thank all the hard work that a school librarian does daily, and the patience the librarian displays, as he or she aids our youth.

Did You Know? As of 2020, there are 17,454 libraries in the U.S. This number includes main and branches, as well as bookmobiles.

Today is National Library Workers Day. Sometimes called National Librarians Day, this day is dedicated to Librarians, as well as all library staff and administrators. It is in recognition of the hard work and dedication of those who support our literary and reference needs. When you enter your local library, you will find highly skilled workers who will quickly and efficiently help you find information and books on just about any topic. They are so knowledgeable, that sometimes you might think they’ve memorized all the books in the library, their Dewey Decimal System number, and the shelf where they will be located. 

Nowadays, libraries often have much more to offer than just books. They usually have computer workstations allowing you to do research or homework assignments in a quiet environment. Many libraries loan out videos and even music CDs. They offer children’s learning activities and events, making it fun to visit the library. They may even have a small coffee shop.

Did You Know? As of 2020, there are 17,454 libraries in the U.S. This number includes main and branches, as well as bookmobiles.

Friedrich Frobel from the village of Bad Blankenburg in Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Germany started the first kindergarten in 1837. He called it the “Play & Activity Institute”.  His objective was to provide an opportunity for children to socialize before entering school. In 1840, he renamed the institute “Kindergarten”, a German word that means garden of children.

Frobel trained many women who went on to create Kindergartens all over the world.

International Jugglers Day and World Juggler’s Day celebrates the skill of juggling and those talented people who can juggle many balls and objects at a time. Common objects include balls, clubs, swords, plates, rings, and flaming sticks. The best jugglers can juggle up to ten balls at a time. And, the world record is more than that.

Juggling is a skill and form of entertainment that has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Some of the earliest recorded history supplies proof that juggling was around during the early days of civilized Man. Juggling is primarily entertainment. It is most well documented in Medieval times in Europe. Juggling remains popular today. It can be most frequently seen when the circus comes to town.

Some might suggest that office workers are jugglers, as they multi-task and keep several “balls” (projects) going at the same time. And when you think of it, aren’t we all jugglers as we try to manage the many tasks and demands of our daily lives!?? 

For the Record: Alex Barron of the United Kingdom holds the world record for the most balls juggled in the air. He juggled 11 balls, achieving 23 consecutive catches. His balancing act was performed at the Roehampton Squash Club, London, UK, on April 3, 2012.

Get out your sax. Grab your trombone. Dust off your trumpet. Then, bring the old gang together to play a few songs in celebration of International Jazz Day, an April 30 holiday.

This special musical holiday was created by UNESCO to highlight jazz and its role in uniting people around the globe. Artists and jazz enthusiasts alike, eagerly partake in this day. United Nations organizations, communities, schools, and performing arts organizations, are among the many groups to hold jazz concerts and educational programs on this day, to promote jazz as a musical genre, and learn about its historical roots.

Jazz was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 1800s. If you are a jazz enthusiast, at some point in your life you must take a trip to the birthplace of jazz. From its origin in New Orleans, jazz music spread in popularity across the planet. It has an important international role in art, culture , and communications. On  International Jazz Day, it is estimated that around a billion people will engage in jazz music in some manner, in celebration of jazz and its effect on people and society.      

Musical of the Day: All That Jazz

Did You Know?  You just might be seeing double. There is another holiday with the same title. In 1991, Dr. Michael Denny, a board member on the New Jersey Jazz Society, created a second International Jazz Day. It is celebrated in May.

Today is International Haiku Poetry Day. This April 17 holiday is a day for poets and lovers of poetry around the world to savor and enjoy. It’s also a great day for you to try your hand at this unique form of poetry. Perhaps you’re a poet and you don’t know it!

The Haiku poem is a Japanese art form. We were all introduced to this interesting Japanese art form back in our High School days. The Haiku is a simple, non-rhyming poem. It consists of short and simple, 3-line stanzas consisting of  5-7-5 syllables. The subject of the poem can be about anything: love, nature, life, or any other topic that you desire.

Did You Know? April is National Poetry Month.

Today there will be music and laughter. Put on your clogs or dancing shoes. All over the world, there will be dancing in the streets, as it is International Dance Day. On this April 29 holiday, grab your partner and step out onto the dance floor to show your moves. It’s also a great day to learn a new dance style. 

International Dance Day is a truly global holiday celebration. It encourages everyone around the world to participate by dancing. You can dance to any music genre you prefer. Bring out the Irish dancers. Do the Macarena, a tap dance, or a Tango for two. Tribal dances and dances steeped in local customs are all encouraged. It’s a day for events and festivities. It’s the perfect day to hold a dance-a-thon.

 Each year the  International Theatre Institute (ITO) selects an outstanding dance personality to write a message about dancing for celebration on  International Dance Day. The ITO also selects a host city each year, to hold dance performances, workshops, and a variety of celebrations related to the world of dance.

However, you decide to celebrate this day, be light on your feet, as you dance until dawn.

Today is International Beaver Day, an April 7 holiday. It’s a day to learn about and show appreciation for those cute and loveable dam builders. In addition to being cute and loveable, they play a very important role in the environmental ecosystem. They build dams. As beavers create a new dam, they are helping to create or restore natural wetlands.

You can find beavers in ponds and small streams in many parts of the United States. They are also found in many other countries in North and South America. They are also native to Europe. It’s fascinating to watch beavers at work. They ceaselessly build dams, dragging fallen branches and trunks of trees from the shore to the dam-building site. They often cut down small trees, using their sharp front teeth to cut the trees down. Their work never ends. They are either busy adding wood to an existing dam or building a new one.

The most enjoyable thing to do on International Beaver Day is to hike to an active beaver pond and watch them busy at work building a dam. Look around and you will likely see the wetlands that they create, filled with a wide variety of vegetation, birds, and other wildlife.

Guys, you get to celebrate Husband Appreciation Day. It’s a day that every childless married man will love! The objective of this special day is for wives to show appreciation to their husbands in a marriage with no children. In a marriage with children, there is Father’s Day, a day to recognize the value of husbands with kids. So, it is only fitting that there be a special day, today, to recognize and show appreciation to childless husbands. 

It should be very easy to show appreciation to your husband, for who he is, and for the many great things he does. You know him well, his likes and dislikes. He will love being pampered. Start by telling him he is appreciated. Give him a few examples of why. Next, select a couple of things he likes or likes to do, and make it happen. You can give him a gift today, but it is not a requirement.

While this day was originally intended to honor husbands in a childless marriage, we encourage all wives to show appreciation for their husbands on this day, too. After all, showing your appreciation today and every day is a great way to have a wonderful marriage. 

Ladies, you will get your day, too. It’s in September……. Wife Appreciation Day

G’day, Mate! Today is Hug an Australian Day. You’re just gonna love this April 26 holiday. If you live in Australia or are currently visiting there, you’re surrounded by Australians and will have a great time hugging dozens of the citizens. However, if you are not currently Down Under your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to seek out Australians and give them a big squeeze.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to do your part in improving international relations. And hugs benefit the receiver as well as the giver. Of course, first you have to find an Australian. If you’re not “Down Under”, this alone may prove a daunting task.

So, don’t be shy. Whether you’re in a big city like Sydney, or in the outback, go ahead and give an Australian a hug today. It will do you both good! We do caution you against attempting to hug live kangaroos and koala bears. They are very shy.

Important Message for Kids: Koala Bears come from Australia. If you have a koala bear, give this Australian a big hug today.