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mornin' to ye! Do you have your green ready to wear? Whether or not you are Irish, this holiday is fun for all and presents opportunity for a multi-cultural lesson. Here are some ideas for you to try.1. Speak to your children using an Irish brogue. This will captivate their interest!
2. Who was St. Patrick? Why is there a holiday named for him? Are Irish children in school on this day? Let children do research to find out.
3. Discuss some of symbols for St. Patrick's Day and explain what they mean. Classify them as real or unreal. For instance, shamrocks are real but pots of gold at end of rainbow are not.
4. Read aloud part of a fictional St. Patrick's Day story. Have your children write their own endings. Read them out loud or hang them on a bulletin board for all to read. NOTE: This may also be done with small groups of children working together!
5. Afterwards, read ending of story you started. Have children compare author's ending with their outcomes. Which was more realistic? Which was more funny? Which did they like best?
5. This would be an excellent time for a cooking experiment. Remember story "Green Eggs and Ham?" Try making some green eggs, green vanilla pudding pops, or anything else that would be suitable for your age group. Green food coloring could be added to white frosting before icing some cupcakes. Let children taste frosting while it is white and ask them to predict how it will taste after it becomes green. Were they right? Compare!
6. While your children are out, sprinkle some green glitter on desks, tables, or floor. Perhaps you can write a note in an unusual handwriting. Of course, you will feign innocence as to how those things got there! What do children think happened?
