Homeschooling gives us an incredible opportunity to get creative with learning. One way to do this is by creating our own holidays! We don’t have to wait for someone else to tell us when to celebrate. By crafting our own homeschool holidays, we can combine celebration and education—making learning more meaningful and memorable. Even better, we can invite others to celebrate with us!
Discover SIX Homeschool Holidays We Created
1. Pi Day! - 14 March
We celebrate Pi Day on March 14 (3.14), and you guessed it—we have either chicken pot pie or pizza pie for dinner and pie for dessert! My oldest daughter even chose Pi Day for her wedding day.
Pi Day is a great opportunity to celebrate math and math history, which often ties into geography as well. If you miss Pi Day, consider celebrating 9x13 Day (see below).
2. Shakespeare Month - April
I like to focus on Shakespeare in April, which is his birth month. Do you find Shakespeare hard to understand? Try these ideas:
- Read Tales from Shakespeare by Mary and Charles Lamb. They rewrote Shakespeare’s plays as engaging stories for children.
- Watch a BBC production of Shakespeare’s plays. These are meant to be performed, not just read! Watching makes them much easier to follow since actors add emphasis and emotion.
- Host an Elizabethan dinner and discuss the play!
3. 9 x 13 Day
This one is simple and fun! On 9x13 Day, we make our meal in a 9x13 dish—and, of course, dessert in a 9x13 too!
4. Schiffbruchsgottesdienst - 17 September
A special family holiday for us is Schiffbruchsgottesdienst, which falls on Constitution Day (September 17). What is Schiffbruchsgottesdienst?
This is a deeply personal and sacred tradition in my family, dating back to September 1831, when my great-great-grandmother, Elisabeta Katarina Marquardt, was just two weeks shy of her second birthday.
Her family was immigrating from Germany to the United States. Aboard their ship, the Famous Dove (Brig. James Beachum, Galt, Master), they encountered a fierce storm in the Atlantic. They lost their main mast and rudder, and by midnight on September 16, the ship was taking on water.
The captain planned to abandon ship, but the passengers refused. Thirteen-year-old Margarethe Arras, a cousin, reminded everyone that Jesus had calmed the seas—perhaps He would do the same for them. A sailor nearly struck her for saying this, but she stood and sang A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. Others joined in, including members of the crew.
Miraculously, the Famous Dove came to rest on a sandbar. The storm calmed. By morning, they saw the lights of Cape Henry, Virginia (now West Virginia). They were rescued by slaves, and every single passenger survived.
On the beach that day, they prayed in thanksgiving and promised to celebrate Schiffbruchsgottesdienst (Shipwreck Thanksgiving) every year for four generations. That fourth generation is me.
Just two and a half weeks after the shipwreck, Elisabeta’s mother gave birth to a baby boy. This story reminds me that God hears our prayers—and that’s why I continue this anniversary of the heart.
Do you have a miraculous story in your family history? These special dates can be an opportunity for a family Thanksgiving of your own!
5. Johnny Appleseed Day - 26 September
In our family, we celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day because Johnny (John Chapman) was a real person—born September 26, 1774.
I was born in Indiana, where Johnny Appleseed is a local legend. As a child, I visited his grave in Fort Wayne and had picnics there with my family. He’s my favorite folk hero!
Johnny Appleseed:
- Planted apple orchards along migration routes west
- Sold saplings to pioneers
- Warned settlers of Native American uprisings
- Told Bible stories to children
Apples have always felt like a blessing to me. My grandmother told me stories as she peeled apples from her Jonathan apple tree—a tree planted when my mother was born, the same week the Great Depression began.
Now, my family grows Jonathan apple trees in our own small orchard. Every September, we read Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg while eating apples, bottling applesauce, and making pie. It’s a delicious and meaningful tradition!
6. Boston Tea Party Day - 16 December
Host a Liberty Tea Party! The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773, and the colonists replaced British-imported tea with herbal “Liberty Tea.”
On December 16, 2006, I started a mother-daughter group called LiberTea Luncheons.
- Liber (Latin) = books, liberty, and free man.
- We read literature.
- We discussed books over potluck luncheons.
- We learned lost arts and did service projects.
Once a year, we held an Evening of Eloquence where we celebrated womanhood and learning.
Start Your Own Homeschool Holiday!
Our family celebrates many personal holidays, birthdays, birthdays, “anniversaries of the heart,” and red-letter days. As you can see, personal and family traditions can become incredible homeschool experiences, and create a legacy of learning.!
What special days does your family celebrate? Maybe it’s time to start a new tradition!
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