March Into Shamrock Season Lesson Plan
Fun learning activities for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
- Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Irish culture with these fun and festive learning activities. Mix and match the activities or complete all three for a day that would make any leprechaun proud!
Create beautiful shamrock cards to take home as you experiment with color and symmetry.
- Ask students to mix various shades by combining green paint with small amounts of white, black, blue, or yellow.
- Have students draw a half clover leaf on a piece of folded white construction paper, being careful to draw along the fold.
- Help students cut out their drawning.
- Ask students to paint one side of the shamrock with the green paints, and then fold it in half with paint side in.
- When unfolded, the shamrock will have a symmetrical design.
- Students can write their own St. Patrick's Day wishes or use this popular Irish saying:
May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow.
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
As a class, brainstorm a list of various "green" words or phrases, for example: green beans, greenhouse, green thumb, green light, Green Eggs and Ham, and the Green Bay Packers. Make a bulletin board of all your evocative color words.
Quick and Easy Good Luck Gardens
Trifolium dubium, the Irish shamrock, can be grown in small containers. Buy seeds at a garden store and have children grow their own cheery shamrock gardens in green paper cups to take home for Saint Patrick's Day. It's a great way to celebrate the beginning of spring!
The Irish Language
About 80,000 Irish speak Gaelic (Irish) in addition to English. Gaelic is a Celtic language similar to Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton. Have children try out a bit of Gaelic for St. Patrick's Day!
Conas a ta tu? (kunas a thaw two) — How are you?
Dia duit (dee-a-gwit) — Hello
Slan (slawn) — Goodbye
Failte (fawlta) — Welcome
Eire (ire) — Ireland