St. Patrick's Day is on March 17, and although the day itself falls on a weekend in 2019, that doesn't mean you can't have some fun the week prior with your preschoolers! Bring a little luck of the Irish to your preschool family by planning some of these fun hands-on activities before St. Patrick's Day:
Fizzing shamrocks: Preschool Powol Packets offers a fun STEM idea for fizzing shamrocks. First, pour school glue into the shape of shamrocks on several pieces of paper. Then pour baking soda on your glue shamrocks. Tip the paper up to pour the extra baking soda off. Next, mix a drop of green food coloring with vinegar. Then let students use a plastic dropper to transfer the vinegar onto the shamrocks for a fizzing scientific reaction.
Rainbow pom-pom sorting: Preschoolers adore sorting! This activity isn't only fun, it builds brain muscles and fine-motor skills, too. Start by drawing a rainbow on a large piece of paper. Then set out pom-poms in all the colors of the rainbow. Preschoolers can take turns or pair up to sort the colors on top of the rainbow on the paper.
Pot of gold treasure hunt: Start by sharing the legend about how there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. Some kids have probably heard this before, but for those who haven't it sets the tone for your next activity: a treasure hunt. A fun theme is to have students seek out spaces that are different colors of the rainbow. At the last color, set up a bucket with a bounty of fun treasures (such as chocolate coin treats or a pretzel snack).
Gold hunt sensory tub: If your classroom doesn't have a sensory table you can use a plastic tub for some educational fun guaranteed to delight the senses. Add green filler to the tub such as dried lentils and peas. Then add some gold coins, such as old arcade coins or even a few real coins from your purse. Then add sifting tools and let kids dig for the treasure.
If I had a wish: If you caught a leprechaun, what would you wish for? What a fun question to pose to a preschooler! Make this activity part of the day's curriculum by printing off paper with this statement and have kids draw their wish. Teachers can go around and help write out what the pictures are so parents can enjoy reading about their kids' wishes.
Edible rainbow necklaces: Visit the generic cereal section at your local grocery store and stock up on rainbow loop cereal. Then cut yarn and have students string the circle cereal to create a bright rainbow necklace. You might want to plan this activity around snack time so they can munch on a few, too!
Rainbow handprint classroom project: Redo your doorway or update a wall by having everyone trace their hands on a variety of rainbow-colored construction paper. Then have students cut out the hands and sort each color into different piles. Once complete, you can create a stunning rainbow by layering in the proper rainbow color order. This beautiful display symbolizes classroom unity and can be enjoyed long after St. Patrick's Day!
St. Patrick's Day is on March 17, and although the day itself falls on a weekend in 2019, that doesn't mean you can't have some fun the week prior with your preschoolers!