May 13, 2023 – World Migratory Bird Day

Time to un-ruffle your feathers because it’s World Migratory Bird Day. Twice every year, 4000 different birds making up 40% of the entire avian population, fly to warmer climates for the winters and then return home to breed. They all do it in pursuit of food. As humans, we can all appreciate the value of following food all around the globe. Let’s celebrate our feathered friends today.

Find out more here

May 15 – 19, 2023 – Walk to School Week

Living Streets’ 5-day walking challenge is an annual celebration of the walk to school and the perfect activity to celebrate National Walking Month this May.

THIS YEAR’S THEME AND ACTIVITY: Walk with wildlife

This year’s challenge encourages children to travel actively to school every day of the week. Meeting various animals along the way, they’ll learn about the important reasons to walk and the difference it can make for individuals, communities and the planet!

Get involved here

May 12, 2023 – National Limerick Day

Everybody needs a bit of silliness in their lives from time to time and National Limerick Day provides the perfect annual opportunity. Celebrated each year on the 12th May the familiar five line verse is renowned for its humorous, sometimes bawdy themes. Instantly recognisable from the rhythm of the verse they are cleverly constructed to put a smile on the face.

National Limerick Day is set on 12th May to mark the birthday of Edward Lear, the English writer known for his works of nonsensical prose and poetry. It was Edward Lear who was to popularise the Limerick in his A Book of Nonsense, published 1846. His limericks were popular then and this form of nonsense literature has managed to retain its appeal to this day.

Limericks will normally have the first, second and final lines ending with the same rhyme, while the third and fourth shorter lines have their own rhyme.

This style of verse can act as a great introduction to the idea of poetry for children and National Limerick Day helps to maintain awareness of this brand of poem.

Although limericks were not invented by Edward Lear, holding National Limerick Day on his birthday is a suitable nod to the man who brought them to the larger public’s attention.