St. Patrick's Day {Get Inspired: Thematic Ideas & Resources}

Top of the Morning To Ya! It's Saturday and I'm about to head into school for a wee bit. We had a very unexpected snow day yesterday and I need to tie up some loose ends and finish my St. Patrick's Day bulletin board.  We made an adorable craft to display with our writing projects which I'll soon share. In the meantime, here are some ideas and resources to "get you inspired!"

These would make great classroom projects and many would work well on a bulletin board to showcase St. Patrick's Day Themed student writing work. Please visit my St. Patrick's Day Pinterest Board if you are interested in seeing more ideas that I have collected and to read my comments and suggestions for using these.

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

 

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

{source via CFClassroom on Pinterest}

• Get Inspired: Rainbows and Colors Thematic Ideas and Resources Blog Post
• St. Patrick's Day Ideas {my 2012 collection of ideas...check out the too cute beards!}
• St. Patrick's Day Writing and Bulletin Board Packet

St. Patrick's Day Writing

FEBRUARY/MARCH Writing 6 PACK 

 Do you read any of Gail Gibbon's Books to your class? I really enjoy them all. The majority of them are science-based so be sure to check them out before you start a unit. St. Patrick's Day does a wonderful job of explaining the origin of the holiday to young children. It discusses symbols and is written in a way that makes it easy for the youngest learners to understand without simplifying it too much for older learners.
 
Another one of my favorite authors is Eve Bunting. That's What Leprechauns Do is  all about the hijinks of leprechauns and is a very cute read.  She also wrote another St. Patrick's Day book titled, Green Shamrocks which I don't find to be of "Eve Bunting quality," but is a cute read for little ones. I thought the illustrations were cute.

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day is yet another twist on the classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas. While it certainly doesn't fell into the "highly educational" category, it is lighthearted and fun and the kids always like it. It's especially fun if your class is into the idea of catching a leprechaun (as my friends always seem to be).

If you teach an older grade (I would say 3-5), you'll want to add Tomie daPaola's book, Patrick: Patron Saint of 
Ireland to your collection. It's a bit wordy and the content may be too advanced for K-2, but it really does a nice job of teaching children about St. Patrick.