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Printables Links:

 

St. Patrick's Day
Printables from DLTK

 

Billy Bear's St. Patrick's
Day Kids Stationary

 

Billy Bear's St. Patrick's
Day Tiny Title Printable Book


St. Pat's Coloring Pages
from Coloring Book Fun


St. Pat's Counting
at Bry-Back Manor


St. Pat's Printables
at EdHelper


St. Pat's Printables
at abcteach.com

  

St. Pat's Coloring Pages
at All About Coloring

 

St. Pat's Coloring Pages
at Kids Domain

 


 

St. Pat's Activities:

 

St. Pat Activities
at TeachNet


St. Pat Craft Ideas
at Making Friends

 

St. Pat Activities
at KinderArt

 

St. Pat Activities at
Teaching Is A Work Of Heart

 

St. Patrick's Day Activities
at The Activity Idea Place


St. Patrick's Day
Activities at Childfun

 

St. Pat Activities
at Perpetual Preschool

 

St. Patrick Activities
at A Kids Heart


Hodge Podge
St. Pat Ideas

 

St. Patrick's Day
at Alphabet Soup


St. Pat's Ideas
at The Idea Box


St. Pat's Crafts
at Kaboose

 

If you have St. Patrick's
Day Theme Ideas or
Printables, and would
like to share your link
with us... please
let me know by clicking
on the email button at
the bottom of the page.

THANK YOU!


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Patrick's Day Misc. Ideas & Links

 

 

~ Misc. Ideas ~

 

Totally Green

Plan a totally green day for St. Patrick's Day. Use only green writing and coloring
 utensils for the entire day. Cover your classroom mirror or windows with green
 plastic wrap. Transform apple juice into green juice by adding a few drops of food
 coloring. Also offer a sampling of green foods such as pickles, celery, green
 olives, lettuce, Granny Smith apples, and green jelly beans.

 

Wearing O' the Green

Explain to your child that it is customary to wear something green on
St. Patrick's Day. Let her choose a green article of clothing to put on for
the holiday. Or tie a green ribbon or piece of yarn around her wrist. When you go
 out, encourage her to look for green items others are wearing in honor of St. Patrick.

  

Shamrock Strings Party Decoration

Paste two shamrocks, different sizes, different shapes,
 with green curling ribbon down the middle. Hang.

        

Peeking Puppet

Children won't believe their eyes when they see a leprechaun peeking in their
 classroom window! In advance, purchase or make a small puppet that
 resembles a leprechaun, and find an adult helper. Ask the helper to
 scatter gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins on your playground just before the
 leprechaun visit. Once the coins are in place, your helper puts the puppet on
 her hand and crouches just below your classroom window. At a designated time,
 she makes the puppet peek in at the children. Announce to the class that you've
 just seen a leprechaun! Caution the children to sit very still and be very quiet, so
 that they might see the leprechaun, too. After a couple of peeks, announce that
you think the leprechaun is heading for the playground. Encourage the students to
 line up and walk to the playground (while your helper runs in the opposite direction).
 They'll be thrilled to find the candy treats awaiting them!

   

Leprechaun Legend

Explain to your child that there are many stories about the magical little
 characters called leprechauns. It is said that they are hard to spy and very
 hard to catch. But if you should catch a leprechaun, they say, he will have
 to show you where his pot of gold is buried. Ask your child to tell you
 some ways she might try to catch a leprechaun if she spotted one.

   

Leprechaun Fun

Two weeks ago, a leprechaun "lost" all his gold in our play spaces, he left us
 his pot and a reward notice saying that if we could find all his gold and refill
 his pot by St. Pats Day, he would leave us a reward. The children have been
 having a wonderful time finding the gold (gold spray-painted items - anything
 I could think of - marbles, rocks, buttons, keys, feathers, spoons etc.). Each
 time they find a piece of gold, they place it in the leprechauns pot and I give
 them a "Lucky Shamrock" sticker to put on their cubby name label (we count
 how many items we have and how many stickers each child has - Math).
 On St. Pats Day, the leprechaun will return at nap time and pick up his small
 pot full of gold - and in return he will leave a large pot (a Halloween witch's cauldron)
 full of a reward. The reward will consist of shamrock shaped cookies, a pitcher of
 lemonade tinted green, festive cups and napkins, and a goodie bag for each child.

 

Leprechaun Fun (Variation)

A few days before St. Pat's Day "Sean" will leave us notes. "I've been watching.
 I like the way ... was paying attention, etc. I'll have a surprise for you on St. Pat's
 Day." He even leaves us little chocolate money to estimate.  On the 17th I use
 the bottom of my palm and my little finger to make green foot prints all around
 the room. When the children come in they, of course, notice green foot prints going
 across the t.v., the computer monitors, etc. "Well," I say, "just wait until I talk to that
 Sean!" The little rascal. They have fun looking for the prints. Hidden around the
 room are shamrocks with the ABC's printed on them. Sean leaves us a
 message on the marker board challenging us to find them. We do, saying
 the letter name, sound, and a word that starts with it.  Then, at after recess,
 we come back to the room and there is a note from Sean saying he has hidden
 a surprise for us. (I back a large cake, the Wilton sheet cake that takes about
 3 mixes. This year I used a chocolate one, tinted a yellow one green and a
 white one purple. I put them in the pan and then used a fork to swirl the colors.
 It turned out very pretty. The other teacher asks her parents to send in green drinks.)
I use foot prints for my kids to follow. Outside our door the 5th graders have
 placed, "Go to the place where you draw pictures." Once there we have
 another message. We go to 4 places before finding our way back to the
cafeteria. The other teachers leaves out shamrocks for her kids to follow.
 That way we don't get mixed up. Each child has a name on a footprint
 or a shamrock. Back at the cafeteria we find the goodies. Sean has also forgotten
 his bottle of magic leprechaun dust, green colored sugar. I tell the children if I sprinkle
 it on their tongues it will make them run like the wind. You should see them
 at recess running around. They'll come and stick out their tongues for more.
One day during nap time, I sprinkle gold or green glitter all over the room and
 next to their mats to show that the leprechaun visited. I also put gold items
 outside for the kids to find. I have also written a note from the leprechaun.
The green food coloring in the toilet - the first kid who goes comes back all
 excited that a leprechaun was in and forgot to flush! Also - having the leprechaun
 leave a bowl of "green powder" (pistachio pudding mix) and milk as a surprise.

     

Leprechaun Visit

For St. Patrick's Day I do the footprints around the room and rearrange things
 (things on the wall turned upside down, toys left out, etc....), which gives
 the children the impression that a leprechaun had been there during the night. 
 To still the doubts of our few doubting Thomas', there is also a tape left behind
with a message from the leprechaun (make sure the voice is one they
 do not hear around school).  That usually convinces the skeptics. 

      

Green Bedding 4 Class Pet

In my pre-k (4's & 5's), I have hamster/gerbil
 bedding in my sensory table (it's green!).

   

Leprechauns

Observe picture of a leprechaun or use a puppet for this discussion. The
Irish love folktales about imaginary fairies. The most famous of these "wee
folk" are leprechauns, who are shoe makers for all other fairies. A
leprechaun looks like a tiny old man. He is tricky and mischievous. If you
catch one, he is forced to reveal the location of his pot of gold if you look
him steadily in the eye. Once you relax your gaze, the leprechaun will
escape! Pretend to be this imaginary fairy.

   

St. Pat's Fun

 At my pre school, we start the day off with a Flannel board story that I wrote.
 You can find it
HERE. Then a little Irish dance that is very simple.
 You put one hand in the air over your head with the wrist bent,
 the other on your hip, then tap your toe 3 times, then your heel,
 then the same with the other foot. Turn around three times, then
 in a circle prance around the room 3 times, then make a sweeping
 bow at the end. After our dance we will have a story/game.

After the stories & game we will make derby hats out of the craft foam.
 I use a couple different green colors, dark for the hat lighter for the band.
 I also make a couple of shamrocks for them to put on the hat as well as gold
 trim & gold glitter paint. I staple a 1 1/2-inch band on both sides to hold it on their heads.

While the children are busy making their hats, those mischievous little leprechauns,
 pay a visit to school, green crayons, are found around the room, they have tied green
 yarn around some of the chairs and all the green toys are scattered everywhere.
 We have fun looking for the Leprechauns while we clean up the mess. We return
 to find that they have been in the workroom, & gotten into the green paint and left
 little green shoeprints on the table (use a Ken doll shoe dipped in paint). They
 have even managed to work their magic on our snack. We will have green sugar
 cookies and as each child waits for their cup to be filled with milk......the minute the
 milk goes into the cup it turns green. (A drop of green food coloring in their cup)
During closing time we will sing 10 little Leprechauns,
 count our coins and do our dance one last time.

 

St. Patrick's Day Bit of History

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish, was born about 385
A.D. in Northern Wales. He studied religion in Europe to become a priest and
bishop. He then brought Christianity to the Irish by teaching in Ireland for
29 years. According to early Irish tradition, he died on March 17, 461 A.D.
The anniversary of his death is celebrated as SAINT PATRICK'S DAY.

The first official celebration of St. Patrick's Day in the United States
occurred in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1780. It was authorized by George
Washington. Today St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish as well as
many Americans with parades, parties, wearing of green, Irish Songs and jigs.

In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by wearing a sprig of shamrock and
 attending religious services. Afterward it becomes  a festive celebration.  In America,
 St. Patrick's Day is celebrated with parades, parties,  wearing of green, Irish songs
 and jigs. Greet children with traditional Irish greeting, "Top of the Morning."

   

The story of St. Pats

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland,
 was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn.

When he was 16, he was sold into slavery to Ireland where he was a shepherd for 6 years.
 While in captivity he studied and turned to religion. He escaped slavery and later returned
 to Ireland as a missionary, determined to convert Ireland to Christianity.
 He used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids.
 Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland,
 establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches
 which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down.
 He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Much Irish folklore surrounds St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated.
 Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also
 is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Though
 originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.

One traditional symbol of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide
 Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in
 his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate
 elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The holiday, March 17th, is marked by parades in cities across the United States.
 The largest of these, held since 1762, is in New York City, and draws more than one million
 spectators each year. In Ireland, it is a religious holiday similar to Christmas and Easter.

 

St. Pat's Concepts to be Taught

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17.
People wear green on this day in memory of Ireland.
One symbol of St. Patrick's Day is the shamrock
 which is used as the floral emblem by the Irish.

     

Ireland

Display a map of Ireland and discuss:
Ireland is an island.  People who come from Ireland or whose ancestors came from
 Ireland are called Irish.  An emerald is a precious stone which is green. Ireland is
 often  called the "Emerald Isle" because it is so green with vegetation.  The color
 green symbolizes Ireland and the Irish.  Many Irish immigrated or came
 to the United States which is why this holiday is celebrated here.


  

Pre-K Fun Theme Pages are for educational reference only! 
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own ideas.  
They are shared from friends and fellow group members.  
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!

 

     

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