(Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay)

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, but you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate!  Enjoy the fun of the holiday by trying some of these St. Patrick's Day activities!  

Pre-K and K: Hunt for Gold

(letter recognition, beginning sounds,  fine motor skills, tracing, letter writing)

Materials:  Yellow or gold construction paper, children’s scissors, pencils, marker

Draw about 8 circles on the construction paper (each circle should be about the size of a coffee cup) and cut them out.    

1. Write an uppercase letter on one side of the circle in marker.  
2. Hide the “pieces of gold” around the house.
3. Look for the gold.  When a piece of gold is found, say the name and sound of the letter on the circle.  Trace the letter.
4. Turn it over and draw a picture that has the same beginning sound as the letter.
5. Repeat until all the pieces of gold have been found.  
6. Continue playing by choosing different letters.  After all the uppercase letters have been written, use lowercase letters.

1st and 2nd: Make a Rainbow Book

( beginning, middle and ending spelling)

Materials:  Half sheets of all the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo or violet: purple), markers, crayons, pencils

1. Read a St. Patrick’s Day book like The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow by Sean Callahan
2. Put the papers in order of the colors of the rainbow.  
3. At the bottom of each paper, write the sentence starter, “I like” and then draw a line. On the line, use beginning, middle and ending spelling to write the name of something that matches the color of the paper. For example, I like strawberries written on the red paper.  (For an extra challenge, eliminate the sentence starter).
4. Draw a picture that matches the sentence.
5. Repeat for all of the colors.
6. Choose another piece of paper, design a cover and choose a title.
7. Share the book by reading it to family and friends.  

3rd and Up: Write a Limerick

(rhyming, writing process)

A limerick is a silly poem that is said to have originated from the town of Limerick in Ireland.  It is a 5 line poem that tells a short story using nonsense words. The poem follows an AABBA rhyming pattern which means the first, second and last line rhyme while the third and fourth lines rhyme.

For example,  There was an Old Man with a Flute by Edward Lear

1. Visit your local library or look online and read a few examples of limericks.  Check out:

A Little Book of Limericks:  Funny Rhymes for all the Family by Hugh Morrison

LIM-ERIC!: Whimsical Rhymes From the Voice of the Texas Rangers and his Friends by Eric Nadel 

https://www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/m-limerick.htm or https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/funny/limerick/

1. Use the writing process to come up with your own limerick.

• Pre-Write:  Brainstorm topics to write about and rhyming words related to that topic
• Draft:  Write your poem
• Edit/Revise: Reread poem and make any revisions/corrections
• Publish: Rewrite the poem on another piece of paper. Make it fun by using green paper and St. Patrick's Day stickers or downloading decorative St. Patrick’s Day writing paper like this: https://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/st-patricks-day-lined-writing-paper/
• Share:  Read your poem to others. You can get creative with this too by having a Limerick Poetry Reading. Invite other members of the family. Dress up in festive attire and serve Irish treats like the ones suggested here:  https://www.icanteachmychild.com/17-fun-st-patricks-day-treats-for-kids/

Embrace the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day by making these activities part of your family tradition of celebrating the holiday. Most of all have fun!