Darwin Day is celebrated every 12th February to commemorate Charles Darwin's birth on 12th February 1809.
Charles Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was a brilliant British scientist and thinker who is best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.
His greatest work, On The Origin of Species, published in 1859 decribed his Theory of Evolution, He described how all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors, along with his theory of Natural Selection, which means that living things which are better suited to their environment will survive and reproduce better than those which are not.
The purpose of the day is to inspire people throughout the globe to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, scientific thinking, and hunger for truth, as embodied in Charles Darwin.
Start by visiting the official website of Darwin Day darwinday.org to find out about events taking place around the world. The more child-friendly events are held in the US, with crafts, games and activities with an evolutionary theme.
This is a fantastic article on explaining evolutionary concepts to young children. Since the purpose of the day is to promote scientific thinking, any activities which involve science would be a good way of commemorating the day.
Online you can visit BBC Bitesize to find science explained in a fun way for a variety of ages. Love My Science has lots of fun, easy, safe and exciting hands-on science experiments to try out. The experiments can be done with everyday materials and recycled items found around the house.
Stretch your brain with this free printable Charles Darwin Wordsearch.
Happy Darwin Day!