May Holiday Resources (the FEATURED stuff)

Infographics from "Twin Spires" on the Economic Impacts of the Kentucky Derby for 2026

I liked the emphasis in these infographics on economic impact of specific elements of a sporting event, not the "big number" with no details that often follows events like the Indianapolis 500 (as an example - you will note I didn't include much on that event because it was SO difficult to find anything usable outside of the impact on the local Indianapolis economy). I will warn you that the "Twin Spires" website does link to betting information, so you may want to control access yourself rather than send students to the link.

“The Fascinating Numbers Behind the Kentucky Derby 2026” (infographic), Twin Spires, Apr 2026, https://www.twinspires.com/edge/racing/kentucky-derby/the-151-year-pivot-how-data-is-redefining-the-kentucky-derby-infographic/

Video - Wall Street Journal's "The Economics Of" series - "1-800-Flowers and Mothers Day"

This is a video from a couple of years ago about how florists make everything happen behind the scenes to make millions of flowers available for big holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. Another good (and newer) video that I link below comes from Carl Asus's new current events series "The World from A to Z", but it is a smaller segment inside a 10-minute video, and I had no way to edit that easily for this setting. But either video would give you a nice intro or wrap-up to a social studies class.

“The History (and Spending) of Mother's Day” (video), The World from A to Z with Carl Azuz, May 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBH368LdjyA

“How 23 Million Flowers Are Delivered From Farm To Doorstep” (video), The Economics Of from The Wall Street Journal, May 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TavGPxcMIMo

Infographic From Marriott's "Ticket to Travel" on travel statistics to go with National Road Trip Day (celebrated May 22nd this year) on the Friday leading into Memorial Day weekend

I liked the infographic from Marriott, but I'm also including a couple of screenshots from financial literacy articles about "National Road Trip Day" suggesting ways to help travellers (specifically students) connect with the planning and budgeting of a trip.

"“Marriott Bonvoy’s 2026 ‘Ticket to Travel’ research” (w/infographic), Marriott Bonvoy, https://marriott.pressarea.com/en/imagelibrary/details/MjAzNDM2

“National Road Trip Day: Frugal Fun on the Open Road”, MoneyFit, May 2023, https://www.moneyfit.org/national-road-trip-day-frugal-fun-on-the-open-road/

“Safe Driving Tips for National Road Trip Day”, SmartFinancial, May 2025, https://smartfinancial.com/national-road-trip-day

Links and Resources - "Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month"

A number of different resources for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and unlike earlier in the year the government content from providers like the U.S. Census and National Archives is getting updated (rather than being skipped this year because of government shutdowns). I would also note the WGBH site if you want video clips outside the norm - PBS has sponsored a number of independent filmmakers on overlooked stories of Asians in America.

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month” Facts for Features, U.S. Census, Apr 2026, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2026/asian-american-pacific-islander.html

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Fun Facts”, U.S. Census, Apr 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/fun-facts/aapi.html

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”, National Archives, May 2026, https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month

“Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”, WGBH-TV Boston, Apr 2026, https://www.wgbh.org/collections/celebrating-asian-american-native-hawaiian-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month

As I mentioned in the main resource post, there were not a lot of lesson plans for holidays in May - so instead I'm going to emphasize some resources for a mix of events. A lot of these are probably more in the nature of "brain breaks" or "bellringers" - not something I would try to do a full lesson on UNLESS I'm looking for something near the end of the school year (or maybe after AP testing). And several good new infographics included this time . . .

Other Featured Articles on May Holidays

This last portion is just an opportunity to feature a few articles you might not find (or go looking for) in my much-longer list of May holidays. In each case I will just give you a quick pic below, and then the links below that:

“2023 Kentucky Derby Facts & History”, WalletHub, Apr 2023, https://wallethub.com/blog/kentucky-derby-facts/20836

“Máquina de Margaritas Heladas” (The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine), Smithsonian National Museum of American History, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1294740

“Mothers Day – Holiday and Shopping Trends”, National Retail Federation, May 2026, https://nrf.com/research-insights/holiday-data-and-trends/mothers-day

“What Cinco de Mayo really celebrates”, PBS NewsHour, May 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-cinco-de-mayo-really-celebrates

“What Is the Ancient Celtic Festival of Beltane?”, History Channel, updated Apr 2026, https://www.history.com/articles/beltane