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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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Related Posts

Learning Activities for the Color Green

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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

Tissue Covered Shamrock Craft

March 16, 2015 by Mama Carmody 1 Comment

Tissue Covered Shamrock Craft
with free printable




This shamrock is adapted from my Shimmery Shamrock craft on my post, Learning Activities for the Color Green. Since the legend is that Saint Patrick used the 3-leaved shamrock to demonstrate how God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit exist and work as One, I thought this craft should be changed to a 3-leaved shamrock.

Materials Needed

Materials needed for tissue covered shamrock craft.
Materials needed for tissue covered shamrock.

White cardstock
3-leaved shamrock printable
White liquid glue
Foam applicator or paintbrush
Green tissue paper or napkins of different shades
Scissors

Directions

1. Print a copy of the 3-leaved shamrock onto the white cardstock.

3-leaved shamrock craft printable
3-leaved shamrock craft printable

2. Cut the tissue paper/napkins into, approximately, one inch squares. (I purchased tissue paper at the Dollar Tree. I received several colors for $1)

3. Pour some glue onto a disposable plate.

4. Use the foam applicator or paintbrush to spread the glue on the pieces of the
shamrock. Attach the pieces of green tissue paper or napkins. Be sure to overlap them so you cover up all the white.

Tissue covered shamrock craft.
Tissue covered shamrock craft.

5. After it has dried cut the pieces apart.

6. Now you can glue your shamrock together for a beautiful creation.

Enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day with this fun tissue covered shamrock.

To learn more about Saint Patrick, please check out my post, Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard. There are several book suggestions as well as a free printable activity.

Related Posts

Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard
Learning Activities for the Color Green

Filed Under: Holidays Tagged With: green, holiday, Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick's Day, shamrock, shamrock craft, St. paddy's day, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Day

Learning Activities for the Color Green

March 11, 2012 by Mama Carmody 12 Comments

Learning Activities for the Color Green
with free printable




Spring is almost here and Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner so it’s time to pull out the green clothing. What a great time for learning activities with the color green.

Content:

Clothing
Toys
Crafts:
Shimmery Shamrock
Caterpillar
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts


Clothing

What green clothing do you and your child have? Do you have any shirts with shamrocks or clover on them? Does your child have some bright green socks? Pull them out and put them on today.

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Toys

What kind of green toys can your child find? Do they have any green stuffed toys, like a frog or a dinosaur? Have your child dig into the bottom of their toy box for any little green toys or cars that might be hiding down there. Get out some green play dough and make some snakes and bushes. I’m not very artistic so that’s about all I can create with play dough. (Oh yes, I can make pancakes and pizza too!)

You can make your own color sorter with mini M&M containers. I made these and used them with my children and in my preschool classes. Collect several different color containers.

Color Sorting Buttons

Gather any loose buttons you have around the house. I was able to purchase a big tub of buttons at Wal-Mart several years ago, when they had a better craft section. You may still be able to find something like that at a craft and hobby store. Remove the label and glue a button that is the same color as the container to the lid. Let your child sort through the buttons and put them in the appropriate container. Just be sure to use this sorter with children that are old enough that they won’t be putting the buttons in their mouths.

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Craft

Have fun learning about the color green with this Shimmery Shamrock craft.

Shimmery Shamrocks

These shimmery shamrocks are a great craft for Saint Patrick’s Day as well as a learning activity for the color green. It is also a good activity for discussing shapes because the shamrock is made up of a rectangle and four hearts. This craft works well for children as young as 2 years old as well as for older children. For younger children, you can cut out the shapes and simply let them spread glue and sprinkle glitter. Older children will be able to cut the shapes out themselves. You could also vary this craft by letting your child color or paint the craft sheet rather than using it as a template to cut the shapes from construction paper.

Materials Needed:
Shamrock craft sheet
Green construction paper
Glue
Foam applicator
Plate for glue
Green glitter

Materials Needed for Shamrock Craft

1) Print off the Shamrock craft sheet

Learning Activities for the Color Green: Shamrock Craft Sheet

2) Cut hearts and rectangle stem out of green construction paper.
3) Pour glue out onto a plate.
4) Use a sponge applicator to spread the glue on the heart shapes.
5) Sprinkle green glitter all over the heart shapes.
6) Glue the tips of the hearts together and let dry.
7) Glue stem to back of hearts.
8) Now you have a beautiful shimmery shamrock to decorate with.

Have fun learning about the color green with this Shimmery Shamrock craft.

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Have fun learning about the color green with this adorable little caterpillar.

Caterpillar

Here is a green craft, just in case you are working on the color green and it’s not Saint Patrick’s Day. This would be a great springtime craft or when learning about caterpillars and butterflies. A big plus to this craft is that it is very easy. Even a very young child will be able to create this cute caterpillar.

Materials Needed for Green Caterpillar Craft

Materials Needed:

Green pompoms – two sizes (I used a 1 inch pom for the head and four .75 inch
poms for the body)
Wiggly eyes
Green pipe cleaner
Glue
Optional: magnet or spring-type wooden clothespin

1) Glue the small pompoms together.

Learning Activities for the Color Green: Gluing together Green Caterpillar

2) Cut the pipe cleaner in half then bend it into a U shape. Put glue on both sides of the bottom of the U.
3) Add glue to the larger pompom and press the head onto the caterpillar’s body securing the antennas between the head and the body. Let the caterpillar set for at least an hour to let the glue dry.
4) Then add wiggly eyes and there you have it, an adorable caterpillar.

Have fun learning about the color green with this adorable little caterpillar.

Here I added the caterpillar to the Daffodil craft from Learning Activities for the Color Yellow:

Green Caterpillar used with yellow daffodil craft activity.

Here I added a spring-loaded clothes pin and a magnet to make a memo holder for the refrigerator:

Green Caterpillar as a memo holder.

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Green Foods for snack or meal time

Green apples, kiwi, broccoli, green grapes, lettuce, guacamole, green beans, celery, peas, green peppers

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Story Time

“Good Luck!: A St. Patrick’s Day Story (Ant Hill)“ by Joan Holub
Reading Level: Ages 2 to 7
This is an adorable little book for a young child or an early reader. There are a lot of rhyming words which are fun to listen to and easier for beginning readers: bike – Mike, hat – Matt, ant – Grant It’s a story of a town of ants that are trying to catch the green ant for good luck. A fun adventure and a special prize at the end of the rainbow.

“The Big Green Pocketbook” by Candice Ransom
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8
A wonderful story about a little girl, her big green pocketbook and a good deed. A little girl takes her empty pocketbook with her on a trip to town with her mother. She collects all kinds of interesting things along the way. She puts her treasures in her big green pocketbook but what happens when she forgets and leaves it on the bus. Read this adorable book and find out.

“The Yippy, Yappy Yorkie in the Green Doggy Sweater (Blossom Street Kids)” by Debbie Macomber &
Mary Lou Carney
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
The story of a young girl, named Ellen, and her Yorkie puppy. Her family has to move to a new town. Ellen doesn’t think she is going to like this move but her mother assures her that it will be fine. Follow Ellen as she and her mother walk through their new town in search of her yippy yappy yorkie that escaped through a hole in the fence. She finds that the new town isn’t as different from her home town as she thought. She also makes a new friend in the process.

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Related Posts

The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview
A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts
Learning Activities for the Color Red
Learning Activities for the Color Blue
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow
Learning Activities for the Color Purple
Learning Activities for the Color Orange

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Filed Under: Colors, Learning Activities Tagged With: color, coloring page, coloring pages, coloring pages for kids, colors, educational activities, fun learning, green, holiday, holidays, learn, learning, learning colors, learning concepts, learning fun, learning opportunities, lessons, love to laugh and learn, making learning fun, preschool, preschool lessons, Saint Patrick's Day, shamrock, shamrocks, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patty's Day

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