These are two of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day activities. The first is for younger students and the second is for slightly older students. You may have to bring some of your supplies from home, but they are inexpensive and should be readily available. The rest should be regular school supplies that are readily available among your other school supplies. I hope you enjoy doing this with your students as much as I do.
The best way to start these activities is to talk a bit with your students about the legends behind St. Patrick’s Day. This can be a fun and non-religious topic. For example: read a story about the goblins who find gold at the end of the rainbow. Tell them that it has become superstition that finding a four-leaf clover in a patch of shamrocks will bring good luck. Tell them about Saint Patrick who drove all the snakes out of Ireland. (There really are no snakes in Ireland!).
Let the fun activities begin!
Prepare snacks for St. Patrick’s Day:
Let the kids make their own snacks (green, of course)! This activity is fun and easy:
Bring sugar cookies or cupcakes for the children’s snacks.
Bring white frosting and a small bottle of green food coloring.
Let the kids mix the frosting with the food coloring to make green frosting for their cupcakes or cookies. Tip: You may want to give the kids small cups or bowls so they can mix their own frosting, or group them into small groups or pairs to share with their peers. (This will not be a St. Patrick’s Day activity that all students can participate in at first if you don’t divide the frosting into smaller portions.)
Let the students decorate their cookies or cupcakes on their own. Have green sprinkles or even clover-shaped sprinkles to put on top.
Make a gallon of green milk. Give each child a cup of green milk to drink with their snacks.
Make a St. Patrick’s Day Potato Head:
In this simple project, a brown paper bag and construction paper turn into a cute potato head.
Will need:
A brown paper shopping bag (or brown construction paper)
Various colors of cardstock
Pair of scissors
pencils
Glue
Have the children cut out the shape of a potato, using the brown paper bag (or brown construction paper). The shape of the potato should be at least as big as your hand, otherwise it will be too difficult to glue the facial features to it.
Have your students cut out the eyes (white plus pupils), as well as the nose, mouth, hair, bow tie, green top hat, and any other desired features.
Glue the features onto the brown paper potato head.
Now you have a potato head to help you celebrate the holiday. This is one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day activities for older kids.
