{"id":2397,"title":"Penguin celebrations","description":"All you need for a happy World Penguin Day 2021!","content":"

With Penguin Awareness Day on 20 January and World Penguin Day on 25 April each year (and a few more special days in between!), there's a lot to celebrate!<\/strong><\/h3>

So, we've pulled together some great penguin resources for you, your family, your colleagues or your class. Read on to find out more and discover our top 11 ways to 'penguin-up' your life, whatever the day of the year. Let us know what you think and if you've got ideas to add to our list - we'll keep it growing!<\/p>

\"\"Penguins get two special days!<\/h3>

Penguin Awareness Day <\/strong>is on 20 January every year. It's a great reason to get to know penguins a bit better. No one seems to know quite how Penguin Awareness Day came to be, but we're glad it waddled on to the annual calendar as it's a great reason to spread some penguin joy!<\/p>

Not that you need a themed-day as a reason to celebrate penguins (frankly, every day can be, or should be, a penguin day!), but, each year on 25 April, it's also World Penguin Day<\/strong>! Yes, penguins get two global days of celebrations (don't tell the dolphins!!).<\/p>

This one we know more about too. It takes place during the northern migration of Adelie penguins in Antarctica. These penguins head north to have better access to food in the winter and then return to Antarctica's coastal beaches in the summer to build their nests. World Penguin Day was created at McMurdo Station, an American research centre on Ross Island. Researchers noticed that the Adelie penguins began this migration specifically on this day, and they created this holiday to raise awareness of these remarkable birds.<\/p>

Actually, they get more than two special days!<\/h3>

Penguins are clearly very, very special, because on 10 October every year, it's also African Penguin Awareness Day! <\/strong>With only about 17,000 breeding pairs of African penguins left in the wild, it's sadly no surprise that they are classed as 'Endangered'. The population continues to decline because of over-fishing, pollution and climate change, so every bird counts in the global conservation effort to protect them.<\/p>

Waddle we do on the day?<\/strong><\/h3>

Apart from make really bad Dad jokes about penguins like that one, you can do a host of fun and educational things to mark Penguin Awareness Day, World Penguin Day and African Penguin Awareness Day. In fact, make any day special by getting 'penguined up'.<\/p>

1. If you're lucky enough to live near a zoo or local wildlife park <\/strong>that's working to save penguins, why not visit them to learn more about the penguins there, the threats they face and what you can do to help? During the COIVID-19 pandemic, this might have to be online. Lots of zoos have great wildlife cameras and online tours though - check out our nature in lockdown blog for more about this<\/a><\/strong>. With many wildlife conservation struggling as a result of the pandemic too, if you can afford to support them with a donation or some other help, that'll make a difference too.<\/p>

2. Many penguin species are at risk from climate change, habitat degradation, vanishing fish stocks, predation and more. You can help make a positive difference by reducing your personal impact on climate change, for example. Use some of the resources<\/strong> listed at the end of this blog to learn more and plan what you can do to help<\/strong>.<\/p>

3. If you'd prefer something more novel-like, we highly recommend Tom Michell's The Penguin Lessons: A True Story<\/em><\/strong>. It's a highly entertaining book about Juan Salvador, a wild penguin who elected to come and live with Tom rather than return to the sea after Tom rescued him from an oil spill off the coast of Uruguay more than 40 years ago. We've got a whole load more penguin reading recommendations too - head here to our blog for details!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

4. If you're a teacher or educating at home now, you could use these themed days to run a special lesson or a penguin-themed assembly or fundraiser<\/strong>. It's a great way to engage young learners on geography, biology, climate change and more!<\/p>

5. For a truly different experience, check out Zooniverse's penguin project<\/strong>. You can use your computer to help scientists assess the impact of climate change and fishing on Antarctica's penguins. Click here<\/a><\/strong> for more. And if all the current data have been analysed, the site still has great information and links to other penguin projects too.<\/p>

6. Check out some of the amazing organisations working to save penguins<\/strong> and see how you can help them, like our friends at SANCCOB (see their website here<\/a><\/strong>). You might want to consider donating to support their work, adopting a penguin as a gift for someone or for your school, or even volunteering with them (trust us, it's an amazing experience!). Outside of any COVID-19 travel restrictions or lockdowns, you might be able to visit them too - check online first and always comply with government lockdown and social distancing advice. We also recommend checking out Earthwatch<\/a><\/strong> and WWF<\/a><\/strong> for more on ways to get involved in penguin conservation.<\/p>

7. Watch a penguin documentary<\/strong> to learn more about these fascinating birds. We recommend March of The Penguins<\/em>, Disneynature's Penguins<\/em> (even the trailer kept us amused - see here<\/a><\/strong>), City Slickers<\/em> (not the Billy Crystal film but a laugh-out-loud documentary looking at South Africa's Boulders Beach penguin colony - there's a clip here<\/a><\/strong>) and Spy in the Huddle<\/em>, a great BBC documentary that you can find out about here<\/a><\/strong>. Found another one that gets your flippers flapping? Let us know!<\/p>

8. Alternatively, pick a penguin-tastic movie to please the family<\/strong>. IMDB ran a poll on favourite penguin-themed films in 2018 and you can see the results here<\/a><\/strong>. You won't be surprised to see that Happy Feet<\/em>, Madagascar<\/em> and Mr Popper's Penguins<\/em> all made the list. But if you like your penguins slightly sinister and hugely entertaining, we say go for The Wrong Trousers<\/em>, a fantastic Wallace and Gromit adventure! (Hands up though... we still<\/em> haven't seen Happy Feet II<\/em> - does anyone recommend it?).<\/p>

9. Check out social media<\/strong> to learn more or to share your love for our penguin friends. Look for #PenguinAwarenessDay, #WorldPenguinDay and #PenguinDay in particular if you're into your hashtags.<\/p>

10. Buy something that donates to a penguin conservation cause and spreads a conservation message whenever you wear or use it<\/strong>. You might expect us to say this given that we make penguin-themed tees, tops and totes on organic cotton and recycled organic cotton (if you missed that, check here<\/a><\/strong>!). There are other penguin providers too - SANCCOB has an online shop, for example, and WaddleOn socks donate to SANCCOB for sales of their penguin socks. Give them a look as well!<\/p>

11. If you're not working from home, bring smiles, awareness and calories to your place of work or study<\/strong> by having a penguin-themed tea break. Make penguin cakes or biscuits, host a penguin quiz, run a penguin fancy dress competition or hide some penguins around the office for people to find. Whatever you do, you can raise awareness or raise some funds to help penguin conservation... and bring some kindness and smiles to people's days at the same time. This might be more online these days... maybe introduce some penguin fun to your next Zoom, FaceTime, Microsoft Teams meeting or video-conference!<\/p>

Where can I find out more?<\/h3>