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Children’s Books about Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 16, 2016 by Mama Carmody Leave a Comment

Children’s Books about Martin Luther King, Jr.





Below are some books to help your child learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.. I love using books when teaching children. Children can learn so much while simply enjoying a story. There are varying reading levels for these books starting at age 4 and going up. They are listed alphabetically. There are some affiliate links below but all the reviews are my own. I either all ready have the books or I got them from the library and read them so I could review them for you.

Share these books about Martin Luther King, Jr. with your children.
Share these books about Martin Luther King, Jr. with your children.


Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Holiday House Reader) by David A. Adler
Reading Level: Ages 6 and up
Learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dreams. His dreams that all people would be treated the same. Find out how he tried to change laws with peaceful actions. One of my favorite quotes from the books is, “He taught his followers to fight hate with love.” We would all be better off if we could remember that.


Martin Luther King Jr. Day (On My Own Holidays) by Linda Lowery
Reading Level: Ages 7 and up
This is a very interesting and informative book about the struggles that Martin Luther King, Jr. faced during his lifetime. You will read about his hurt and disappointment when he is no longer allowed to play with his best friend; a little white boy. You will read how much Martin Luther King, Jr. loved to learn and was an excellent student. But most importantly, you will get to find out how much he wanted peace and for people to be treated equally, no matter the color of their skin.


Martin Luther King, JR. Day (Holidays, Festivals, & Celebrations) by Trudi Strain Trueit
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
I love this book. There is a lot of historical information for a picture book. It is well written and not overwhelming. The book is broken down into eight chapters. Six of the chapters cover the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.. The chapters are very short and great for a young listener or reader. The longest chapter is two pages long and consists of nine sentences. The book explains what it was like for Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was a young boy growing up in the south. You will read about the way his family influenced his life. They encouraged him to be proud but peaceful. I plan on using this book as the basis for a lesson for pre-kindergarten and older. I highly recommend it.


Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Ready-to-Read. Level 1) by Margaret McNamara
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
I enjoyed this book. It is a fun read but it doesn’t really talk a lot about the great things that Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished. It mostly talks about him having a dream. It does say that he dreamed the world would be a better place but that is about all the information you get. I have seen a cute activity where kids write down their dreams, for the world, on little clouds. I would use this book to set up that activity but if I was really wanting my children to learn something about Martin Luther King, Jr., I would choose a different book.


Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington (Penguin Young Readers, L3) by Frances E. Ruffin
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
This book is specifically about the march on Washington, D.C.. It tells about the events that led up to this peaceful protest. Pick up this book and find out what kind of changes were made in our country because of the march on Washington and why these changes were needed.

Filed Under: Children's Books, Holidays, Learning Activities Tagged With: books, children's books, February holiday, learning activities, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr, Martin Luther King Jr Day

How to Eat a Pumpkin, Part 2

November 5, 2014 by Mama Carmody 17 Comments

How to Eat a Pumpkin, Part 2





In my first post, How to Eat a Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old, you got to hear how my great-nephew was obsessed about eating a pumpkin. I mentioned how we conducted a little taste experiment. You can read more about that in the previous post. Now that Jeremiah had been given his chance to eat some pumpkin, I wanted him to find out how we could also cook with it.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: roasting pumpkin
How to Eat a Pumpkin: roasting pumpkin

Pumpkin Puree

As I mentioned in the previous post, since Jeremiah was so interested in eating his pumpkin I didn’t want to buy canned pumpkin for our recipes. I wanted him to experience actually eating it, so we started out with instructions on making pumpkin puree from The Pioneer Woman. I cut the pumpkin in half and then we cleaned out the seeds and “guts”. Jeremiah helped me cut the pumpkin into pieces using an inferior child’s safety knife I purchased at Dollar Tree. It was safer than giving him a real knife but I’m going to have to look for something better for future use. We placed the pieces on a cookie sheet and I put it in the oven to roast.

After the pumpkin had completely cooled, Jeremiah and I broke it into smaller pieces and placed them in the food processor. I let him run the food processor while I got pictures. He wasn’t particularly impressed with the noise but he did like watching the process.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: puree the pumpkin
How to Eat a Pumpkin: puree the pumpkin

Once we had our puree we could start preparing our recipes.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: pumpkin puree
How to Eat a Pumpkin: pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Dip

The first recipe we tackled was Pumpkin Dip, found on Health.com. I did most of the measuring on this recipe. Jeremiah helped measure the maple syrup by holding the teaspoon while I poured. He helped me count 2 teaspoons. I gave him the opportunity to do the mixing with the electric mixer. He did a great job.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: Using a Mixer
How to Eat a Pumpkin: Using a Mixer
How to Eat a Pumpkin: Pumpkin dip
How to Eat a Pumpkin: Pumpkin dip

If you are going to have a little one help you with the mixing, I recommend getting a mixing bowl with a handle. I didn’t have to worry about fingers getting into the beaters because his “free” hand was busy holding the bowl still. Once it was all mixed well, I transferred the dip to a couple of storage bowls to save for later.

Pumpkin Waffles

The next recipe we tackled was Buttermilk Pumpkin Waffles, from Taste of Home. It was breakfast time and we needed something to eat. I measured the dry ingredients and let Jeremiah dump them in the bowl. He then broke the eggs, into a separate bowl, and measured the pumpkin puree.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: Making Waffles
How to Eat a Pumpkin: Making Waffles

He is a very observant young man. Without any directions from me, other than “fill the measuring cup with pumpkin”, he would put a spoonful in and press it down with the back of the spoon. He had watched me do that with the brown sugar in the previous recipe.

I gave him a small whisk and he mixed the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin and butter together. We then dumped the mixture in with the dry ingredients and whisked that together.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: making pumpkin waffles
How to Eat a Pumpkin: making pumpkin waffles

Once it was mixed together, I poured the batter onto the waffle iron. The waffles turned out beautifully. I cut the waffle into strips so Jeremiah could dip it into the pumpkin dip. Either he was really hungry or really excited to eat his pumpkin waffles because when he first started he had a waffle strip in each hand. After a couple of bites with the pumpkin dip he decided he would rather have maple syrup. As for me and my husband, we really liked the dip with the waffles.

How to Eat a Pumpkin: Pumpkin Waffles
How to Eat a Pumpkin: Pumpkin Waffles

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Last, but definitely not least, I cleaned up the pumpkin seeds. I then put the seeds in a bowl, covered them with water and added coarse sea salt. I let them soak for about an hour. Then I covered a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper, drained the water off the seeds and spread them on the parchment paper. I sprinkled a little more salt over the seeds. This time I used a finely ground sea salt. The oven was preheated to 450 degrees. I popped them in the oven for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes. I could smell them getting toasty and when I saw they were starting to turn brown I took them out of the oven. From directions I had read, I should have sprayed them with some oil but I forgot. They turned out just fine, so I will probably not use oil the next time either.

Cooking with Jeremiah is a lot of fun. His enthusiasm with life is contagious. I may have never tried to eat raw pumpkin if he hadn’t been so insistent. I would still like to find some simple, non-dessert recipes for pumpkin. If you know of any, please share them with me.

And don’t forget, no cooking session is complete until you lick the spatula!

How to Eat a Pumpkin: best part of cooking
How to Eat a Pumpkin: best part of cooking

Related Posts

How to Eat a Pumpkin: A Lesson From a 3 Year Old
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts

Zombie Zapper Brain Boost Smoothie

Filed Under: Articles, Autumn/Fall Tagged With: cooking, cooking with children, cooking with kids, eat a pumpkin, eat pumpkin, eat pumpkins, learning activities, learning fun, love to laugh and learn, pumpkin, pumpkin dip, pumpkin puree, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin waffles, pumpkins

Firefighters: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

October 26, 2014 by Mama Carmody 32 Comments

Firefighters: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
with Free Printables





Firefighters put their lives on the line for us each and every day. It is essential that we teach our children about the sacrifices they make to help others.

Schedule a visit to the fire station. Call first to see if they welcome visitors and what a good time would be to stop by. If the first station you call doesn’t welcome visitors, then try another one. I know there are many stations that would love to have you visit. One thing to ask, is if someone would be willing to put on a full set of fire gear. It is very important for children to know what a firefighter might look like if one would have to save them from a fire. Children need to be taught not to run and hide from them but to go to them.

I like to start my learning activities with a book and I recommend you do the same. There are a few listed below in the Story Time section. If you have another book, that you really like, please share it with me.

Below you will also find a craft and some ideas for pretend play. Be sure to enjoy this time of exploration and learning with your child.

Content:

Playtime
Fun Sheet
Craft
Story Time
Videos
Related Posts
Acknowledgements

Playtime

Does your child have a fire station or fire truck to play with? I love the Fisher Price Rescue Heroes. They were very popular with my preschool classes. I just scored several of them at a Goodwill Store. You would have thought I won the lottery. Playmobil was another things my preschoolers loved. They have a fire station and fire trucks.

Dress up is a fun way to explore the world of firefighters. Dress up is fun for boys and girls alike. I like to look for costumes after Halloween. That’s when they are really inexpensive.

Firefighters: Fireman D.I.Y. Costume by Parties for Pennies
Firefighters: Fireman D.I.Y. Costume by Parties for Pennies

You can find a D.I.Y. Firefighter costume on Parties for Pennies. Click on the link, or the picture, to see how to make this cute outfit: Fireman D.I.Y. Costume

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Fun Sheet

Community Helpers: Firefighter Fun Sheet
Community Helpers: Firefighter Fun Sheet

I have created a fun sheet to do with your child. Have your child color the firefighter and then color only the items that the firefighter would use. Don’t color the items that the firefighter would not use. Click on the picture to get the downloadable fun sheet.

The fun sheet is a great way for your child to develop their fine motor skills, as they color. They will learn to follow directions and will also reinforce what they have learned about firefighters.

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Craft

Fire Truck Shape Craft

Firefighters: Fire truck Shape Craft
Firefighters: Fire truck Shape Craft

Materials Needed:

Fire Truck template
Crayons, markers or paint
Paint brushes
Scissors
Glue stick
Optional:
magnets
lamination

Instructions:

I have given you several free downloadable templates to use with this craft. I had so many different ideas of things you could do, I just had to include it all.

First of all, you can use it as a simple craft.

  1. Print the fire truck with no color
  2. Print the fire truck shapes (with no words and no color)
  3. Let your child color or paint the pieces.
  4. Cut out the pieces. (either they can do this or you can, depending on where your child is developmentally)
  5. Glue the pieces to the fire truck.

* Another option would be to print the truck shapes with color and cut them out. Then let your child glue those shapes on.
** You could also cut the shapes out of construction paper and let your child glue them to the fire truck.

Another way to play with this is to make a puzzle out of it.

  1. Print the fire truck with color.
  2. Print the fire truck shapes with color.
  3. Laminate both sheets. (I get my laminating done at a nearby teacher’s store)
  4. Cut out the fire truck shapes.
  5. Add magnets to the back of the fire truck picture and to each of the pieces.
  6. Now your child can do the “puzzle” on a cookie sheet.

*You could also print the fire truck with no color for some extra puzzle fun.

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Story Time

DK Readers: Jobs People Do — A Day in a Life of a Firefighter (Level 1: Beginning to Read) by Linda Hayward
Reading Level: Ages 5 – 7 yrs old
Follow Rob Green as he goes through his day as a firefighter. Rob will have to be away from his family for a full day (24 hours). This book covers a couple of duties that Rob might have that I haven’t seen covered in other firefighter books. It explains that the firemen have to inspect restaurants and stores to make sure they are safe and have the simple fire equipment they need to keep customers safe. It also talks about a class having a field trip to the fire station. The firemen will also get to go put a fire out. Rob even sleeps at the firestation. This will be a fun way for your child to learn about firemen and the jobs they have to perform.

A Day in the Life of a Firefighter (Kids’ Career Library) by Mary Bowman-Kruhm and Claudine G. Wirths
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
If your child is looking for a little more information about firefighters and not just a simple introduction, this would be the book to go to. This book explains the responsibilities of firefighters and the equipment they need but with a little more detail than some other books. If you have an inquisitive child that loves to sit and listen, I would recommend this book.

A Day with Firefighters by Jan Kottke
Reading Level: Ages 2 – 6 yrs old
This is a great book to introduce your little one to the responsibilities of firefighters. It has very simple text but covers the basic information your child will need. The illustrations are actual pictures of firefighters on the job. On another note, I was surprised when I picked up this book at the library. It came in a plastic bag with some paperwork and a DVD. I thought it was a movie of the book but that’s not what it was as all. It was actually a video of someone using American Sign Language to share the book with deaf children. It turns out there is an organization called The Shared Reading Project. The video is to help parents be able to effectively share books with their deaf child so they can become lifelong readers. You can search your library’s website for The Shared Reading Project and you will find several titles to choose from.

Fighting Fires: See More Readers Level 1 by Seymour Simon
Reading Level: Ages 3 to 7 yrs old
If you have a child that is really interested in different types of trucks then he/she will love this book. It doesn’t just talk about fire trucks in general but names and gives you pictures of the different types of fire trucks and the special job each of them does. I especially like the fact that the book explains how people used to pass buckets of water by hand to put out fires. This book impressed me because it covers fire fighting from a different angle than most books.

Fire Fighter! (DK Readers) – Level 2 by Angela Royston
Reading Level: Ages 6 – 8 yrs old
Your child will enjoy the excitement in this book as the firefighters do their jobs. It starts out as a quiet day in the firehouse. Your child will get to see the different things found in the firehouse. Then the alarm goes off and they head to a fire. They are worried that a child might be trapped in the burning house. Your child will get to hear about the different things a firefighter might experience while searching through a burning house for a trapped person. There are several different side notes and pictures of the equipment the firefighters use. This is a very sweet and informative book.

Firefighter (Benchmark Rebus) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Ages 2 to 6 years old
I love the books by Dana Meachen Rau that are put out by Benchmark Rebus. They are so simple and easy to understand. I like the fact that they use pictures instead of words as part of the text. It will make your little one proud that they are helping with the story. In this book we learn about the many things that firefighters do and the equipment they use. This is a very cute book to introduce the job of firefighters to your child.

Fire Fighters (Community Helpers) by Dee Ready
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This is a great book to introduce your child to the responsibilities of a fire fighter. The illustrations are actual pictures of fire fighters doing their many jobs. The text is simple; just a few clear sentences to each illustration. Once you share this book with your child, they will have a better understanding of what fire fighters do and the things they need to perform their jobs.

  Firefighters (Neighborhood Helpers) by Cecilia Minden
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
A little girl, named Elizabeth, believes she may want to be a firefighter when she grows up. She wants to learn all she can about being a firefighter. You will find a lot of information in this book about what firefighters do and the equipment they use. It even talks about some of the education they need. Although there is a lot of text in this book it is broken down into subtopics so if your child has a short attention span or just needs a break, it is easy to stop and start up again. There is a lot of additional information along the sides of the pages too. If I had a child that was really interested in firefighters I would definitely share this book with them.

  Fire Fighters: A to Z (Community Helpers) by Jean Johnson
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8 yrs old
Every letter of the alphabet represents something a firefighter uses or does. There are a lot of wonderful pictures of firemen at work. The illustrations are in black and white but they are still very interesting. There is quite a bit of information about firefighters including an extra section in the back called “More About Fire Fighters”. I would recommend this book whether learning about firefighters or just wanting to reinforce alphabet recognition.

I’m Going to Be a Fire Fighter by Edith Kunhardt
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This story is about three little girls whose daddy is a firefighter. They get to go to work with him one day and they share all the things that their daddy does on the job. You will see some of the tools he uses and the many different aspects of his job. The illustrations are actual photographs of the firefighter at work and with his family. This is a fun way to learn about firefighters.

  I Want To Be A Firefighter by Dan Liebman
Reading Level: Ages 3 – 7 yrs old
This book has wonderful photos of firefighters at work. The text is simple which makes it nice for a younger child. Although the text is simple there is plenty of information to help your little one learn about firefighters. Not only does this book talk about building fires but it also talks about forest fires and fires on boats. You child will learn a lot from this simple but informative book.

  I Want to Be a Firefighter by Stephanie Maze
Reading Level: Ages 8 yrs old and up
This book is for a little older child. There is plenty of text and a lot of pictures describing the life and job of a firefighter. Your child will learn about the different places firefighters are needed, such as in urban areas or out in the brush putting out wildfires. Your child will also learn about the different kinds of training that a firefighter needs. There are a lot of interesting pictures of firefighters in action. If your child is a little older and interested in firefighters this will be a great book for them.

Uncle Rocky, Fireman by James Burd Brewster
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
Uncle Rocky, Fireman is actually a series of books about Rocky Hill and his fire station. As of this moment, I have only read the first book but I can’t wait to get hold of more of the series. I love the use of sound words such as vroom, vroom and clang, clang, clang. Children love making noises and this story definitely encourages that. I love that the author uses technical terms without making the story difficult to follow. Your child will learn new words like turnout coat and smoke inhalation. I hope you enjoy following the adventures of Uncle Rocky as much as I did.
The author, James Burd Brewster, is offering a free download of his first book. Just go to his website: Glad To Do It!

  We Need Fire Fighters (Helpers in Our Community) by Lola M. Schaefer
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
This is a simple little book that makes a great introduction to fire fighters. There is just one sentence per page. Each page shows a picture and explains something about fire fighters. You get information about the jobs they do and the things they need to carry out their work.

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Videos

Fireman Sam – distributed by Lionsgate
Recommended for ages 3 to 6 yrs old
Fireman Sam is a British animated children’s show. It is about Fireman Sam, the other firemen at his fire station and the townspeople of Pontypandy. Each episode deals with some aspect of a fireman’s job. The ones I watched covered things like forest fires, a fire because of paper close to the stove and fire prevention. I believe your child will enjoy these videos and learn a lot about being safe with fires while having fun at the same time.

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Related Posts

Community Helpers – Overview
Doctors: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Dentists: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Police Officers: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

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Acknowledgements

Charlotte's Clips and Kindergarten Kids

Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Charlotte’s Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Charlottes-Clips-4150

whimsy-clips-by-laura-strickland-square
Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Whimsy Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whimsy-Clips

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Filed Under: Community Helpers, Learning Activities Tagged With: civil servant, community helper, Community Helpers, educational activities, fire, fire fighter, fire fighters, fire truck, firefighter, firefighters, learning activities, love to laugh and learn, love to learn, preschool lessons

Police Officers: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

January 25, 2015 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

Police Officers: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
with free printables




It’s time to have fun learning about police officers. Police officers are there to protect and take care of us. Children need to learn this early because you never know when they might need a police officer’s help.

I like to start learning activities with a book. You can find several books about police officers in the Story Time section, below. Pick a couple out and share them with your child.

Content:

Playtime
Fun Sheet
Craft
Story Time
Related Posts
Acknowledgements

Playtime

There are many wonderful toys out there that can encourage imaginative play, while learning about police officers. Lego and Playmobil both have police themed sets. Your child might have a simple police car that they like to play with. We used to have a community helper doll set that we used in our preschool classes. I plan to get some for my home so my grandson and great-nephew will have them to play with.

I love the use of dress-up clothes. When I was teaching preschool, the boys loved to dress-up as much as the girls did. I pick up inexpensive costumes once Halloween is over. I picked up a play set with handcuffs, a walkie talkie and a toy gun at the Dollar Tree. You can read my post, “Let’s Play with Toy Guns”, to see why I believe that was a good addition to our dress-up bin.

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Fun Sheet

Police Officer Fun Sheet - Help the officer find the equipment she needs to do her job.
Police Officer Fun Sheet – Help the officer find the equipment she needs to do her job.

I have created a fun sheet to do with your child. Have your child color the police officer and then color only the items that the police officer would use. Don’t color the items that the police officer would not use. Click on the picture to get the downloadable fun sheet.

The fun sheet is a great way for your child to develop their fine motor skills, as they color. They will learn to follow directions and will also reinforce what they have learned about police officers.

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Craft

Police Car Craft

Learn About Police Officers using this free printable.

Materials Needed

Police Car template
markers, crayons or paints

Instructions

  1. Print the police car template.
  2. Do a Google search for your local police cars. (We have several different styles here in Indianapolis)
  3. Let your child color or paint the police car to match their favorite one. My favorite police cars are the black and white ones.
Police Car Craft – Do a Google search for your local police cars. Then let your child color or paint the police car to match their favorite one. There is a free printable included in this post.

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Story Time

A Day in the Life of a Police Officer (Kids’ Career Library) by Mary Bowman-Kruhm and Claudine G. Wirths
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
If your child is looking for a little more information about police officers and not just a simple introduction, this would be the book to go to. This book explains the responsibilities of police officers and the equipment they need but with a little more detail than some of the other books. If you have an inquisitive child that loves to sit and listen, I would recommend this book.

A Day with Police Officers by Jan Kottke
Reading Level: Ages 2 – 6 yrs old
This is a great book to introduce your little one to the responsibilities of police officers. It has very simple text but covers the basic information your child will need. The illustrations are actual pictures of police officers on the job. On another note, I was surprised when I picked up this book at the library. It came in a plastic bag with some paperwork and a DVD. I thought it was a movie of the book but that’s not what it was as all. It was actually a video of someone using American Sign Language to share the book with deaf children. It turns out there is an organization called The Shared Reading Project. The video is to help parents be able to effectively share books with their deaf child so they can become lifelong readers. You can search your library’s website for The Shared Reading Project and you will find several titles to choose from.

I’m Going to Be a Police Officer by Edith Kunhardt
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This story is about a little girl and boy whose daddy is a police officer. They get to go to work with him one day and they share all the things that their daddy does on the job. You will see some of the tools he uses and the many different aspects of his job. The illustrations are actual photographs of the police officer at work and with his family. This is a fun way to learn about police officers.

Police Officer (Benchmark Rebus: Jobs in Town) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: 3 – 6 yrs old
I love the books by Dana Meachen Rau that are put out by Benchmark Rebus. They are so simple and easy to understand. I like the fact that they use pictures instead of words as part of the text. It will make your little one proud that they are helping with the story. In this book we learn about the many things that police officers do and the equipment they use. This is a very cute book to introduce the job of police officers to your child.

Police Officers Help (Our Community Helpers) by Dee Ready
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This is a great book to introduce your child to the responsibilities of a police officer. The illustrations are actual pictures of police officers doing their many jobs. The text is simple; just a few clear sentences to each illustration. Once you share this book with your child, they will have a better understanding of what police officers do and the things they need to perform their jobs.

Police Officers, A to Z (Community Helpers (Walker) by Jean Johnson
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8 yrs old
Every letter of the alphabet represents something a police officer uses or does. There are a lot of wonderful pictures of police officers at work. The illustrations are in black and white but they are still very interesting. There is quite a bit of information about police officers including an extra section in the back called “More About Police Officers”. I would recommend this book whether learning about police officers or just wanting to reinforce alphabet recognition.

We Need Police Officers (Helpers in Our Community) by Lola M. Schaefer
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
This is a simple little book that makes a great introduction to police officers. There is just one sentence per page. Each page shows a picture and explains something about police officers. You get information about the jobs they do and the things they need to carry out their work.

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Related Posts

Community Helpers – Overview
Doctors: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Dentists: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Firefighters: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

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Acknowledgements

Cara's Clips Credit Button
Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Cara’s Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cara-Taylor-8656

Charlotte's Clips and Kindergarten Kids

Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Charlotte’s Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Charlottes-Clips-4150

Polliwog Place

Images for Doctor’s Bag Craft and part of Fun Sheet created by Polliwog Place
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Polliwog-Place

whimsy-clips-by-laura-strickland-square
Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Whimsy Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whimsy-Clips
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Filed Under: Community Helpers, Learning Activities Tagged With: Community Helpers, educational activities, free printable, fun learning, kindergarten, learning activities, learning fun, love to laugh and learn, making learning fun, police, police car, police car craft, police officers, preschool, preschool lessons, printable

Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard

March 12, 2015 by Mama Carmody 17 Comments

Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard
with free downloadable activities




I’ve always enjoyed holidays (decorating, dressing in festive outfits or colors) so I have always enjoyed celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. As I was deciding what I wanted to put into my Saint Patrick’s Day post I realized I didn’t really know why we celebrate it. Oh, you will see me dressed in green, possibly with a shamrock somewhere on my outfit, but I wasn’t sure why. I thought some of you might be in the same predicament, so my post is going to cover some of the history of Saint Patrick’s Day.

Contents

Introducing Saint Patrick’s Day
Storyboard
Story Time
Related Posts
Acknowledgements

Introducing Saint Patrick’s Day

You might think that your child is too young to be learning history but, in reality, the earlier you introduce it and the more fun you have with it, the more likely they will enjoy it. As I state in every learning activity, I like to start with a book. Books are fun. The excitement in a child’s eyes, when they get to see or experience something they read in a book, is priceless.

I’ve listed and reviewed several picture books below in the story time section. Each of them covers some aspect of the history and meanings behind Saint Patrick’s Day. You should be able to pick most of them up at your local library. Here are 3 of my favorites, I would recommend, for beginning this learning activity:

Story Time

For 4 to 8 yrs old: St. Patrick’s Day (Holiday Histories) by Jennifer Blizin Gillis

For 6 to 8 yrs old: Saint Patrick’s Day (Holidays and Celebrations) by Ann Heinrichs Includes Irish poems, songs, a recipe and a craft.

For 8 yrs old and up: St. Patrick’s Day (Best Holiday Books) by Dorothy Rhodes Freeman

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Storyboard

Getting to tell or “read” a story by yourself seems to be one of the many joys of childhood. At least my 3 year old great-nephew really likes to take books, look at the pictures and make up his own story. In light of that, I thought making up a storyboard, about Saint Patrick, might be a fun way to celebrate this special holiday.

This activity will work best after reading at least one of the suggested books. I have created 2 versions of the storyboard. One version is for the younger child. It has all the pictures on it. The other version has several pictures missing from the storyboard. This is to encourage the child to work on sequence of events as well as retelling the story. I recommend laminating the storyboard and cards so they last longer.

After reading a book or two about Saint Patrick, take out the storyboard and cards. Have the child look over the storyboard. See if they can match or put the pictures in order (depending on the age of the child) and explain what happened in the story.

Click on the pictures below to download your free storyboards and cards.
F.Y.I. – The first page is the set of cards that will need to be cut apart.
The second page is the storyboard. The third page gives short storylines for each piece of the story; so you can help direct the storytelling.

Storyboard for Younger Child

Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick's Day Storyboard for the Younger Child
Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard for the Younger Child

Storyboard for Older Child (yes there is a difference, open them and see)

Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick's Day Storyboard for the Older Child
Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard for the Older Child

Alternative ways to Play:

  1. After the child has gone through the storyboard a few times try this different way of playing. Give the child the storyboard and then turn all the cards facedown. Have the child pick out one card and see if he/she can find where it should go on the storyboard.
  2. For multiple children: Print off a storyboard and set of cards for each child playing. Give each child a storyboard. Take the cards, shuffle them and place them upside down in a pile in the middle of the table. Take turns picking a card off the top of the pile. Place it on your board and tell the part of the story it represents. If you all ready have that card, place it face up in a discard pile. The turn goes to the next child. The first child to fill his/her board and tells the story wins. If you get to the end of the stack and no one has filled their storyboard then shuffle the discard deck and put it upside down in the center of the table again. Keep going until someone fills their board.

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Story Time

St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8yrs old
I like this book for introducing the younger child to Saint Patrick and the meanings behind the holiday. It gives quite a bit of history but, with only a few sentences per page and lots of pictures, it should hold a younger child’s interest. The story covers the fact that Saint Patrick was kidnapped and forced to be a slave, in Ireland, but then escaped. It tells of his devotion to God and how he felt he should return to Ireland and tell the people about God. You child will learn the meanings behind some of the symbols we use when celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. Sit down with your little one and enjoy learning about Saint Patrick.

St. Patrick’s Day (Best Holiday Books) by Dorothy Rhodes Freeman
Reading Level: Ages 8 and up
This picture book is for a little older child. I am very impressed with the details it gives, about Saint Patrick, while keeping it enjoyable. Your child will learn, in a little more detail, of the struggles of Saint Patrick and how he felt God’s hand on him. There is information on several of the legends surrounding Saint Patrick. Your child is encouraged to decide which ones might be true. There is information on the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day and some of the symbols associated with it. If your child is interested in learning a few more details about Saint Patrick, this is a good book to pick up.

St. Patrick’s Day (Holiday Histories) by Jennifer Blizin Gillis
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8 yrs old
This is my favorite St. Patrick’s Day book for younger children. It has a wonderful mixture of photos and illustrations, to keep little eyes interested, as you are reading. This simple little book does a great job of covering the major points on the history of Saint Patrick. The information is clear and concise so your little one will get an idea of what St. Patrick’s Day is all about. One of the facts this story brought out (and I hadn’t thought about) is that there are now more people of Irish descent in the United States than there are in Ireland. I highly recommend sharing this book with the little ones in your life. You will be surprised how much they learn about Saint Patrick.

St. Patrick’s Day (Celebrations in My World) by Molly Aloian
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
I like books that actually teach history an interesting way. Your children will enjoy a lot of great photographs while learning about Saint Patrick. This book covers Saint Patrick’s kidnapping as a young teenager and his calling to return to Ireland. Your children will learn of some of the ways we still celebrate the holiday today. I enjoyed this book because not only does it cover the history but also some of the music and food of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day (Holidays and Celebrations) by Ann Heinrichs
Reading Level: Ages 6 to 8 yrs old
If you are interested in teaching your child about Saint Patrick’s Day, this is a great little book. It is broken up into one or two page chapters with just a few sentences on each page. There are lots of illustrations to enjoy. Your child will learn about who Saint Patrick was and the love he had for the Irish people. You will learn a couple of the legends surrounding Saint Patrick. Enjoy Irish poems and a recipe for Irish Soda Bread.

St. Patrick’s Day (Library of Holidays) by Amy Margaret
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8 yrs old
If you are wanting your children to learn about some of the history behind Saint Patrick’s Day, this is a great book to share with them. The book covers the story of Saint Patrick being kidnapped and taken to Ireland. Your children will learn of his concern for the Irish people. They will also learn about some of the symbols surrounding Saint Patrick’s Day. This is a great book for your 5 to 8 year old to learn more about the reasons for the holiday.

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Acknowledgements

Dancing Crayon Designs

Some of the images for the Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard were created by Dancing Crayon Designs

Artistic-Educational-Clip-Art-Purple-dragon2x2 copy

Some of the images for the Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard were created by Artistic Educational Clip Art

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Filed Under: Holidays, Learning Activities Tagged With: holiday, learning activities, March, March 17th, Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick's Day, shamrock, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Day

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