Last Minute St. Patrick's Day Lessons

St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us, but if you need a few last minute ideas {or even inspiration for next year} we found this great mini-unit designed by Rachelle of What the Teacher Wants! She offers not only the write-up of each activity, but the printables to go along with it, so be sure to check it out. Here are a few of our favorite exercises.

Shamrock Patterning

Have students practice simple and complex patterning - ABAB, ABCABC, AABAAB, ABBABB, AABBAABB, and ABCDABCD - with Rachelle's shamrock printable. Your kinders can use graphic art tools to color the patterns or provide them with math manipulatives in various colors (i.e. M&Ms, Skittles, beads, buttons, etc.) for unlimited practice.

Rainbow in a Jar

Discover how water moves {even when it doesn't look like it's moving} with this experiment adapted from the Utah Education Network. You'll need a clear jar and hot water, as well as red, blue, and yellow food coloring. Use Rachelle's introductory discussion points to get your students involved and asking questions. Then, as you complete each step in the experiment, have your students predict what will happen and record their observations on the provided worksheet. Your students will be amazed at the outcome of this experiment!

Shamrock Place Value

Invite your students to practice identifying place value with this fun shamrock-themed worksheet. On each problem card students are given a place value description of a number (i.e. "I have 4 tens and 3 ones") and asked to find the appropriate shamrock number cutout.

There are plenty more fantastic activities in Rachelle's St. Patrick's Day mini-unit so be sure to visit her site for the download!