Celebrate the Culture of Ireland with This Elementary Lesson Plan

Ireland is nicknamed "Emerald Isle" because of its beautiful green valleys and rolling hills.

St. Patrick's Day originated in Ireland to honor the patron Saint Patrick.

Other than the U.S., Ireland is the only other country that celebrates Halloween.

Ireland is famous for growing potatoes.

The capital of Ireland is Dublin.

Find the country of Ireland on the map.

On St. Patrick's Day, even though it is a day to honor Saint Patrick, we tend to put an emphasis on little green men called leprechauns and green clovers.

Clovers- also called shamrocks, are a green leafed foliage that is said to have been used by Saint Patrick in reference to the Holy Trinity. In generations that have past, the shamrock has become a symbol of good luck in many different cultures.

Leprechaun- is a fictional character said to be no taller than two feet. According to their mythical legend, leprechauns are grumpy shoemakers who spend their time searching for "pots of gold".

Glitter Shamrocks

You will need:

Reproducible picture of a shamrock

Green construction paper

Liquid glue

Gold glitter

Prior to class, copy shamrock onto green construction paper-one for each child.

During art time, provide each child with a shamrock paper.

Instruct them to outline the picture with liquid glue, then cover the glue with gold glitter.

Allow the glitter to dry, then instruct the children to cut them out.

The two main sports in Ireland are hurling and soccer.

If possible, allow children the opportunity to participate in one or both of the sports.

Both are appropriate for outdoor play only.

Ireland is known for its peaceful and harmonic sounds of Celtic music.

Allow children to listen to Celtic music and dance the famous Irish jig.

Show class a small portion of the production of Lord of the Dance.

Instruct the children to write a short story about leprechauns, shamrocks and Irish potatoes.