Happy Almost St. Patrick’s Day!
St. Patrick’s Day is such a fun holiday to share with students. They love “being green” for a day and learning about this unique holiday. There are many creative and inexpensive ways to celebrate this in the classroom.
Here’s a list of my top 6!
1. In the spirit of the mischievous leprechauns everywhere, early in the morning before students arrive turn a few things upside down or sideways. The calendar or posters on bulletin boards are great things they will notice. I also flip my computer chair over, leave a few dry erase markers on the floor, tip over a box of rulers, and pull out a few books from the bookshelf left open with a bookmark to look like someone was reading!
2. I love haphazardly spilling a handful of lucky charms on all the desks. Adding a dash of gold or green glitter around the classroom (on counter tops, in the sink, on bookshelves, or on an empty desk) gives it an extra element of surprise. I love seeing the students eyes light up when they enter the classroom and see it.
3. Leaving a note on the front board from a leprechaun is great way to engage younger students. See my blog for samples!
4. For snack time, I buy a couple of gallons of milk and add green food coloring to make it green. Or you could buy a green fruit juice. When the students are gone to lunch, I hide a couple of chocolate gold coins in their desks.
5. Whenever possible turning a holiday into a learning experience just makes it better! I created a St. Patrick’s Day Activity Pack for teachers to use in the classroom. In this unit, there’s several student activities depending on the amount of time you have to incorporate them into the day. But there’s plenty to choose from including:
· Anticipatory Guide to activate prior knowledge and pique student interest.
· High Interest Informational articles about St. Patrick, Symbols of Ireland, leprechauns, and traditions about this worldwide celebrated day.
· Comprehension and Connection Questions which are great for centers, partner work, or whole group reading and discussions.
· Vocabulary Flip-Flap Book to use in their notebooks with important words to know.
· Symbols of St. Patrick’s Day Activity: after reading the articles have the students draw and color six symbols that represent St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland.
· Two Writing Prompts
· All About St. Patrick Organizer
· A map and flag of Ireland is included for students to color.
· Informational Reader Task Cards to use while reading the informational articles.
· Colorful vocabulary posters and fact and opinion posters to use to introduce important words and concepts.
6. Looking for a fun hands-on activity with some built in character education? Have students trace and cut out a large shamrock from green construction paper. Have students think about why they are lucky (or what they are thankful for) like family, friends, being healthy, their home, food, favorite books, their school, teacher, games, etc. Their mission is to cover the shamrock with illustrations, descriptions, artwork, and pictures that represent for all the lucky things they have in their lives. Decorate with glitter, markers, or paint to add on the finishing touches!
However you decide to celebrate the day, stay green and have fun!
