 Special Feature
Saint Patrick's Day
published: March 2008
By Sheri Collins, Contributing Writer
Email Author
March 17 is a national holiday in Ireland, and people around the world join in the fun of
celebrating St. Patrick's Day, too. St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland because he was the one responsible for converting many of the Irish people to Christianity. He used a shamrock to help explain the idea of the Trinity that in the one God there are three divine beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As people of Irish heritage moved around the world, they took their customs with them, including wearing green to remind them of their homeland. Can you think of any other symbols for this holiday?*
Here are a few fun activities to bring out the Irish and help you join in the celebration:
Shamrock Magic Wand
(Maybe it will help you catch a leprechaun!)
You will need:
An unsharpened pencil
Green tissue paper
Gold curling ribbon
Scissors
Scotch tape
Self-adhesive green craft foam sheets
(NOTE: You can substitute regular craft foam sheets or green construction paper. These will require glue.)
Cut or fold the tissue paper into a long rectangle the height of the pencil. Place the pencil at one end of the rectangle. Holding the paper end tightly, begin rolling the pencil and wrapping the paper around it. Wrap the paper as tightly as you can. Keep rolling until you reach the end of the paper. Put a small piece of scotch tape on the seam at the top and bottom to hold the paper in place.
Use a small piece of tape to hold the end at the top and wrap the
ribbon around the wand. Secure the ribbon at the bottom by wrapping tape all the way around the wand. Cut another piece of ribbon about 15 inches long and tie it around the wand near the top. Use the scissors to curl the ribbon.
Draw a shamrock on a piece of paper (an easy way to do this is by drawing three hearts with their points coming together in the middle and add a stem). Cut your shamrock out; trace it on the foam. Flip your shamrock over and trace it a second time (this will give you a mirror image). Cut out the foam shamrocks. Remove the adhesive backing and lay the wand on the sticky side so that about 1" of the wand is on the shamrock. Place the second shamrock, sticky side down, on top, and press together firmly.
Lucky Leprechaun Snack Mix
Lucky Charms cereal
Golden Raisins
Yellow and green M&Ms
Peanuts (or sunflower kernels)
Mix together in a bowl and enjoy!
* Leprechauns, Pot of Gold, Rainbows
Special thanks to Sheri Collins for this story.
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