Who is St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland?
Patrick was born in 385 A.D. when Ireland was still a pagan territory. He was actually born in Britain, not Ireland. But, when he was 16, Patrick was taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped six years later and became a priest.
He eventually returned to the island and started converting the Irish people to Christianity. He’s the patron saint of Ireland and is invoked to protect the spiritual and worldly interests of Ireland and its citizens. St. Patrick died in 461 A.D., supposedly on March 17. Much later in 1631, the Christian church organized a feast to celebrate St. Patrick on March 17, and St. Patrick was assigned the lucky shamrock as his symbol.
What does the color green represent on St. Patrick’s Day?
Surprisingly, blue is actually the color of Saint and Ireland. However, the flag colors of Ireland are green, white, and orange. Green has been used as an indicator that people supported the republican cause in Ireland before Ireland gained independence from Britain.
What are some traditional customs for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is a public holiday. This means all the shops and businesses are closed. The Irish celebrate by decorating with three-leaf clovers and four-leaf clovers, baking soda bread, eating corned beef, and giving chocolate gold coins to others for good luck. Every year St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all around the world. The reach and influence of the Emerald Isle are felt worldwide! There is a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, Perth, New York, and many other cities.
People love to celebrate with food and it is really popular to use green food coloring to make green beer and green food. Some cities even get in on the fun… check out Chicago dyeing the river green each year!
Kami is here to help
Look to the Kami library to find some excellent templates for activities inspired by St. Patrick’s Day. We’ve got coloring sheets, fact sheets, multiplication sheets, and a maze quiz sheet. Have fun and we wish you all the luck of the Irish with your answers.
Free Templates
10 St Patrick’s Day activities for children?
- Take a virtual tour of Ireland — Look for your very own pot of gold at the end of the rainbow by clicking here to access tours of Ireland. See the Cliffs of Moher, Giants Causeway, and Blarney Castle. See where you can kiss the Blarney Stone which gives all those that do it the luck of the Irish.
- Create leprechauns to hang up in the classroom —For your younger students use this simple guide to create some leprechauns. Don’t forget to include lucky charms and chocolate coins!
- Create a bit of good luck four-leaf shamrock — As it’s the luckiest day of the year you might as well try and increase your good luck! Click here to see easy guides for shamrock-making for all ages.
- Create your own DIY napkin holders — Click here for the design and free printable dinner table accessories.
- Watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade — You might not be able to join in person, but you can access Dlubin’s whole parade here!
- Listen to some Irish Music — Music is a massive part of Irish culture. Ask the students to see how many Irish musicians they know. If they’re not sure use a cheat guide here. Learn more about the history of the oral tradition of Irish music here and then listen to some Irish ‘trad’ or Irish folk music here.
- Create some gold to find at the end of the rainbow — Ask the students to find some rocks or pebbles to bring into the classroom. Follow this guide to create little pots of gold for the students!
- Make Leprechaun hats — Be green (!) and save on materials by asking the children to bring in recyclable yogurt pots or ice cream tubs. Use the pots to paint them and make some hats! Find the guide here.
- Create shamrocks! — Use this free printable template to color in shamrocks with all the shades of green under the rainbow.
- Learn Irish — Dia dhuit! Conas tá tú? Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit! Start learning the language via a free app such as Duolingo or learn some slang here.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Dhuit! (Happy St.Patrick’s Day!)
Take this opportunity to celebrate the wonderful Irish culture with your students. There is so much myth and lore to learn about this ancient culture. Enjoy experiencing the Irish music, make some of the St. Patrick’s Day crafts we’ve listed above, and sample some of the Irish foods. These are all fun ways to explore and celebrate Irish culture and St. Paddy’s Day.
