Showing posts with label St. Patrick's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Patrick's Day. Show all posts

3 Fun Ways To Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

 St Patrick's Day is a worldwide celebration of the color green, the drink Guinness, parades, and the symbol of the Shamrock. It is easy to get caught up in the festivities, but why is it celebrated all around the world?


Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated annually on March 17th in honor of the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, Saint Patrick. His father was kidnapped by Irish marauders and sold as a slave to care for sheep when he was a small boy in the 5th century in the British Isles. He was able to return to England, where he was given a vision from God, instructing him to return to Ireland and assist the people of the island nation.


In 432 AD, he returned to Ireland, where he took vows as a priest and changed his name to Patrick in order to aid in the spread of Christianity among the Irish. The Shamrock was used by him to explain the Holy Trinity to his disciples as he went about spreading Christian beliefs to the populace.


Saint Patrick died on the 17th of March in the year 461 AD, and his death is still commemorated to this day to memorialize him.


Here, we look at some fun ways to celebrate this Irish tradition.


Image via Unsplash

Wear a green outfit with a shamrock

In recognition of the Shamrock's close association with Saint Patrick and his teachings, it is now frequently used to symbolize Ireland. Wearing Shamrocks used to be a symbol of Irish Christian pride, but over time it evolved into wearing green to commemorate the holiday.


Despite the fact that shamrocks do not exist, they are closely associated with clovers because of their resemblance to the leaves; as a result, many people use clovers in decorations and face paint on St. Patrick's Day. You could also find a cute womens st patricks day shirt to wear. 

Cook and eat a traditional Irish meal

Traditionally, the traditional Irish supper on St Patrick's Day consisted of boiled bacon, potatoes, and soda bread, but nowadays there are many different foods that are consumed to commemorate the day! Because beef was far less expensive than bacon, Irish ex-pats in America noticed that beef was being substituted for bacon. They would marinate it with brine (corned beef) and slow boil it with cabbage for a couple of hours before serving. Remember a pint or two of Guinness to wash it all down. This Irish dry stout is brewed in Dublin and is often regarded as the national alcoholic beverage of the country. 

Go to a St Patrick's Day parade

The first St. Patrick's Day celebration in colonial America took place in Boston in 1737, according to historical records. Now, it is celebrated throughout the United States, with the 5th Avenue parade in New York City being the largest and most rowdy of them all! It has been going on for more than 250 years and is extremely popular, with between 150,000 and 250,000 marchers taking part!









Pot of Gold Sensory Bin

Saint Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I have the perfect sensory bin to share with you for the occasion. This Pot of Gold Bin is easy to set up, is loads of fun to play with, and will get kids excited for the holiday!

St. Patrick's Day Sensory Bin. This easy activity is perfect for kids who want to find the gold at the end of the rainbow!

Sensory bins are so much fun for kids. They combine fine motor work, the engagement of the senses, and imagination into one awesome invitation to play. This Pot of Gold St. Patrick's Day Bin was so easy to set up, and I got everything I needed at the dollar store. This sensory bin is easy to set up, and the kids will want to play with it many times. 



Supplies:

  1. A plastic storage bin with a lid.
  2. St. Patrick's Day Foam Scatter
  3. 4 Leaf Clover Confetti
  4. Buttons in assorted colors
  5. Small black cauldrons from the party favor section of Dollar Tree



Instructions:
  1. Dump the confetti, foam scatter and buttons into the storage bin.
  2. Add a few of the cauldrons to the bin.
  3. Offer your child tweezers, spoons, or any other tool you like for scooping.
  4. Allow your child to fill the buckets with a rainbow of colors (beads) and the gold foam coins.


I encouraged my daughter to tell me what colors she would find in a rainbow and place one bead from each color in the bucket.

We also used this as a counting exercise; how many gold coins could she find? How many big clovers? And so on.


Harper also had fun just digging in the scatter and confetti. She brought a few little action figures into the mix and had a fun small world session later. 

I like to make these bins in shoe box sized plastic containers so we can snap a lid on it and revisit the activity later. The kids always want to play with the bin again!

If you like this idea you can find all of my sensory bins and bags here.
Reader favorites include:
Sensory Party in a Bag
Birthday Cake Sensory Bin
Grab some FREE St. Patick's Day Coloring Pages here
Check out these End of the Rainbow Snacks
Check out these easy 3d Shamrocks


FREE Saint Patrick's Day Coloring Page

Get a free coloring page for St. Patrick's Day below. Print one for your kids or enough to share with the whole class!

We love St. Patrick's Day! It is such a fun way to break up the end of winter and get excited about all things green! We get excited about making easy shamrock crafts, reading all of the books, and of course, seeing what antics the leprechaun has been up to when he stops by our house.

If you are looking for some ideas for easy fun for the kids this St. Patrick's Day you are in the right place. I have loads of ideas for you. From free worksheets and coloring pages and even a green sensory bin.







Keep the fun going with these easy shamrock puppets.

If you have an idea for some easy activities or crafts for the kids to make this St. Patrick's Day, leave a comment to share your ideas!

15 St. Patrick's Day Books for Kids

St. Patrick's Day is a great time to dive into a magical story with your kids! I have gathered 15 of my families favorites to share with you. Each of these books are perfect for sharing a little luck of the Irish with your family!



These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase I will earn an advertising fee at no cost to you.

How to Catch a Leprechaun

The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun

Happy St. Patrick's Day Curious George

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover

Ten Lucky Leprechauns

That's What Leprechauns Do

The Little Leprechaun Who Loved Yellow

Lucky Tucker

The Story of St. Patrick's Day

Pete the Cat and the Luckiest Leprechaun Chase

O'Sullivan Stew

The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever

The Story of Saint Patrick

How to Trap a Leprechaun

The Story of the Leprechaun



While you are here why not grab a few free printable pages for the kids?
St. Patrick's Day Coloring Pages

Or craft up a little St. Patrick's Day fun?
Easy Shamrock Puppets
3D Shamrocks

Saint Patrick's Day Coloring Pages

On March 17th everyone is Irish! Don't leave the kids out of the fun of the festivities. Grab these free coloring pages for a chance to bring the luck of the Irish to their day!

Last week my kids pointed out that we barely have any St. Patrick's day decorations at our house. I didn't see much in the way of offerings at the local shops asides from cute novelty hats. I decided we should decorate a few coloring pages to hang, and add a handmade flair to what we have.

You can print both of these pages for free! Print as many as you like, these are ideal for kids of all ages. You might also want to pin these for later or share them with a friend.



Print St. Patrick's Day Coloring Pages


We also made these easy shamrock puppets. These are so simple yet fun for dramatic play!

You can find all of my coloring pages here