A Memorable and Fun St. Patrick's Day in Your Classroom
3:00 AM
It’s
that time year again! The weather’s getting warmer, the days are getting
shorter, and the end of a school year is getting closer! I look forward to the
spring almost as much as I look
forward to Christmas. I always know spring is right around the corner when I
start my preparations for St. Patrick’s Day.
I LOVE
St. Patrick’s Day. Although my last name (Glenn) would lead you to believe
otherwise, I am actually not Irish… but
my husband is! And that gives me
enough reason to go ALL OUT. As if I
needed a reason.
St.
Patrick’s Day is always a huge deal in my classroom. Each year I add on something
new or update something old (thankyouverymuch,
Pinterest). I’m going to share with you some of my most favorite ideas and
activities for March 17th!
A classic way to get your students amped up
for St. Patrick’s Day is to create a little “leprechaun mischief” in your
classroom in the weeks before. This could be something as simple as a classroom
poster turned upside down, a desk turned around, or even all of the black dry
erase markers replaced with green ones. Just a little something to make the
kids go “huh”? Now some people go all Elf
on the Shelf with this, but I think keeping it simple is just as effective.
The first time something mysterious happens, I always make a big deal about it
and question all of the kids. I don’t even need to suggest it- one of my
sweethearts always goes “A LEPRECHAUN
DID IT!!!” The kids look forward to coming in to school each day to see what
new mischief the leprechaun has caused.
If you
really want to take it to the next level (naturally,
I did), you might want to grab one of these little guys and his companion book.
At
first glance, Silly McGilly seems a lot like a certain elf we all know and
love. However, he’s actually a little different. He’s just a toy that you can
leave by your classroom window as a signal for a real Silly McGilly to visit and play a trick. That being said, many
teachers choose to use him the same way you would use the elf. Do what works
best for you! You can find Silly McGilly and the companion book by clicking
here.
Leprechaun
mischief isn’t the only thing I have going on in my classroom. I always try to
have a craft activity available for each holiday, and when there’s a math or
ELA component it’s always a bonus. St. Patrick’s Day is no exception! This year
I created this little craftivity to engage my students in practicing different
ways to show a number since we are working on place value.
Craftivities
take a little extra prep- and I try to make sure I have plenty of materials for
all of my students. At the same time, I don’t like to waste anything. To make
prep easier, I had my students complete this Project Planner one day before we started cutting and assembling.
Each student had to select a number, draw a quick
pic, and then write how many tens and ones and the expanded form. After
collecting these papers I was able to see exactly how many pieces I would need.
Everything was ready the next day!
Students
then referred back to the Project
Planner to fill in the appropriate parts of the craft and then cut out all
of the pieces.
Once
all pieces were cut out, I showed them (in small groups) how to arrange and
glue the rainbow strips.
The
rest was very easy! I displayed the step by step visual directions on the
SmartBoard and walked around to assist and reinforce as needed. My coteacher
and I helped staple the raindrops (ones) at the very end. The kids LOVED this
one. So bright, colorful, and cheery! You can find this activity on TpT by
clicking here if you’d like to make it with your own students.
Something
else wonderful and FUN that I love to do is this wonderful little activity from
Falling into First. I tell the kids
that we are going to try and catch the little leprechaun! I give them each a Styrofoam
cup and ask them to use markers to decorate it to look like a hat for the
leprechaun. That’s our bait. Then
each child sets it up on their desks in a way that he or she thinks the leprechaun
will get caught. After the students leave for the day, I collect all of the “hats”
and bring them home. (Be sure that each student wrote his or her name somewhere
on the cup). I bake them in my oven (pre-heated) for about 15 seconds. The cups
shrink down in size almost instantly! The next morning, I place each hat back
onto the appropriate desk. When the students come in they are always BAFFLED at
how they shrunk! We talk about how the leprechaun outsmarted us and used his
magic to shrink the hats! This one turns even the most skeptical students into believers!
The fun
doesn’t stop there. Last year I discovered this fantastic resource from Andrea Knight on TpT with St. Patrick’s day themed science experiments you can do with your class.
My kids had SO much fun with this! Here are a couple photos from our “experiments”.
You can find the product on TpT by clicking here.
If you
plan to end the day with a party, there are many awesome ideas for snacks on
Pinterest, but my personal favorite are these rainbow fruit skewers. Super
easy, beautiful to look at, delicious to eat, and healthful, too. Awesome! Just
a note- I always have a talk with my students about safety when it comes to the
skewers. Also- I always collect them myself when the kids are finished with the
fruit rather than have them throw it out themselves. Better safe than sorry!
With this St. Patrick’s Day arriving in about
two weeks, Silly McGilly is making his first “appearance” (mischief) in my
classroom on Monday. I can’t wait to bring the excitement and joy of this fun
holiday to my current students with my favorite activities!
What
are your favorite ideas or activities
for March 17th? Comment below!
Visit
my blog Real Life in First Grade for more fun ideas and activities for primary
classrooms!
by Melissa Glenn
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