I’m always looking for fun program tie-in ideas – or dates. And this year, my programming is focused on Maker types of programs because of our new Teen MakerSpace. So here are a few fun dates I have found.

1. Pi Day 3.14

I am posting this on Pi Day, so it’s obviously too late to do programming for this year, but you can mark it on your calendar for next year. Pi day is a fun day for all things math related – or, you know, pie related. I associate Pi with circles, probably because I will always remember PiRsquared. I think it would be fun to do circle related things: build robots or cars with Legos, play with gears, or make a Zoetrope. For younger tweens or just to have an inexpensive example on hand, I recommend this:

It includes blank cards for you to draw and make your own “movie”.

2. May the 4th

Star Wars fans celebrate May the 4th and Star Wars has a ton of fun ways you can tie in making. I mean, who could resist trying to come up with a good droid or new spaceship for this universe?

3. National Week of Making

This year, President Obama has declared June 17-23 the National Week of Making. My current plan is to have a Teen Makers Camp and have a different maker program each day of the week. You can read more about the President’s initiative here: http://makezine.com/2016/03/09/national-week-of-making-2016/

4. Star Wars Reads Day

If May the 4th is coming up too early for you, you can always plan something for Star Wars Reads Day, is always a fun event to be a part of. I have done this for several years now and highly recommend it. I haven’t seen an official announcement yet, but you can watch the Facebook page for news: https://www.facebook.com/StarWarsReads/

5. 2016 and 2017 Sci Fi Films

Movies are always a great tie in opportunity and Sci Fi is rich with making opportunities. Here’s a list of upcoming science fiction movies – not all of them YA – that would be great tie in opportunities: http://www.nerdmuch.com/movies/3578/upcoming-new-sci-fi-movies-2016-2017-to-watch-release-calendar/

If you know of some other fun dates please share with us in the comments.