St. Patrick’s Day Fun

The following is a post from contributing writer Colleen Kessler.

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here. Do you have plans to celebrate with your kids?

We love this day of leprechauns, green, shamrocks, rainbows, and St. Patrick. In fact, every year a pesky “leprechaun” visits our home and plays tricks on the kids, messes up my clean house, and wreaks havoc and mischief, as leprechauns are wont to do.

First and foremost, though, my kids know that the celebration of this day is the day we remember the feast of St. Patrick of Ireland. We remember the Catholic tradition of the feast day, and enjoy the festivities as well. Check out some of these fun and inspiring crafts, books, and activities to try with your little ones this month in preparation for this day when “everyone is Irish!”

Crafts

• I love these simple ideas from Enchanted Learning.
• Then there are these fantastic ideas over at DLTK.
• I can’t wait to try some of these fun craft ideas from No Time for Flashcards.
• Do you have a little Irish princess like I do? Try making a few of these simple hair clips from Martha Stewart.
• Every year my kids make leprechaun traps to try their luck at wrangling a pot of gold out of some wee folk. It’s fun, crafty, and uses a healthy dose of creativity.

Books

• I love any book by Gail Gibbons, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. 

• Candy Cane Press has a super sweet line of Christian board books that give little readers the story behind some of our holidays and traditions. The Story of St. Patrick’s Dayis one of my favorite.

• You can’t go wrong with Tomie dePaola, and Patrick: Patron Saint of Irelandis a wonderful example of his work.

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• Just for fun, try Eve Bunting’s That’s What Leprechauns Do. Kids will love this story of mischief.

• Do you have bigger kids in your home? I recently discovered The Imagination Station series from Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey. The newest, Challenge on the Hill of Fire, takes readers back to St. Patrick’s time as he works to convert Ireland from Druid beliefs to Christianity. It’s a great book — my son and I both loved it.

Activities

• Do you have little ones? Check out this tot pack from Two Teaching Mommies.

• I think we’re going to try this Ireland Lapbook from Homeschool Share this year. My kids LOVE lapbooking, and I love that I can adjust the expectations for the different ages I teach.
• My three year old still loves tot trays, so when I came across this post from Playing House in Maryland, I knew I’d have to set some of these activities up for her. Simple and fun — she’ll adore them!
• Social Savvy Mom has a great roundup of recipes, a unit study, and other activities to make your homeschool fun for St. Patrick’s day.
• There are some fun St. Patrick’s Day file folder games at File Folder Fun to check out. There seems to be something for a variety of ages.

Did I leave off any of your favorite St. Patrick’s Day Fun resources? Leave a link in the comments and I’ll check them out. I’m always looking for new ways to bring fun into our homeschool.

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Colleen is a Catholic wife, homeschooling mama of three, blogger, and author. She is passionate about family and education, and loves to learn alongside her children as they experiment, explore, and play in their world each day. Visit her at Raising Lifelong Learners where she chronicles the adventures {and messes} involved when homeschooling gifted children with sensory difficulties. You can learn more about her books, including her latest Free Resources for Elementary Teachers, on her website.