St. Patrick’s Day activities afford teachers many different options for a classroom celebration. Some are simple and can be completed quickly to give students a break from the day, while others can be more time consuming and can be used as part of a bigger lesson.
Leprechaun Hats
One of the first things that may come to your mind when you think of St. Patrick’s Day activities are the leprechauns and their pots of gold. Each of these different symbols can be made quickly for a fun project to do in between other lessons.
For the leprechaun, students can make their tall black hats by tracing the basic shape of a hat onto a piece of black or green construction paper and then cutting it out. Next, have the students cut a yellow strip of construction paper to form the belt that goes around the hat. Finally, have them use black construction paper to cut a black square out. Fold that piece in half and cut another square out of the center to form the buckle.
All that’s left is to assemble the hat! Using glue, have them place the belt just above the brim and then center the buckle on top of that. To keep the hats on their heads measure each child’s head and then cut a strip to go around their head. Glue it to each side and place the top hats on their heads.
Pots of Gold
When making a pot of gold, give each student half of a paper plate. Have them color the entire thing with a black crayon. Give them several sheets of yellow paper and have them first trace and then cut out yellow circles for the coins. Let them glue them to the top of the paper plate and each other to make it look like they are piled. Finally, poke a small hole in each side of the “pot” and let the students tie yarn through each side to create a handle for them to carry it with.
Rainbows
You can craft your leprechaun and pot of gold, but how will you possibly find them without a rainbow? This is a great opportunity for a lesson on rainbows. First explain how rainbows are formed by light passing through water and splitting. You can demonstrate this by using a prism. Let the students also use prisms to shine rainbows on walls. To further explore water creating a rainbow, fill a fishbowl with water and hold it up to the sunlight.
Learn About St. Patrick
Teach your students about the history of St. Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. You can teach your students all about his missions and the legends that surround him. If you teach younger students, let them color pictures of appropriate symbols associated with St. Patrick. Older students can bring traditional Irish food and study the history of Ireland.
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