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St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, and students can’t wait to get in the holiday spirit with leprechauns, rainbows and big pots o’ gold! Although the day is filled with fun activities and crafts, it is also a great opportunity for educators to deepen learning and enforce important 21st century skills after school.

St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, and students can’t wait to get in the holiday spirit with leprechauns, rainbows and big pots o’ gold! Although the day is filled with fun activities and crafts, it is also a great opportunity for educators to deepen learning and enforce important 21st century skills after school.

Here are six enrichment activities for St. Patrick’s Day:

  • Build a leprechaun trap. Encourage students to use problem solving skills, trial and error and their vivid imaginations to build a trap that outwits even the slickest gold-snatcher! Spoonful and this Pinterest board provide great ideas to catch a leprechaun.
  • Discover the Irish culture. Explore the country’s language, food, music and traditions. Learn more at National Geographic Kids and Time for Kids.
  • Make your own rainbow. With the magic of physics and a few household items, students can create the full spectrum of colors in the rainbow. To see how it’s done and for the science behind the experiment, visit: www.physicscentral.com.
  • Explore the world of gold. Help kids understand leprechauns’ love for the precious metal! Find amazing gold facts, uses and properties on the Science Kids website.
  • Have a leprechaun drawing contest. Find a picture of a leprechaun and, without showing it to students, describe him to the group. Using your description, ask students to use their listening and critical thinking skills to draw a picture of the leprechaun. The drawing that looks closest to the original leprechaun wins!
  • Become a storyteller. Allow students to express their creativity and imagination by creating their very own St. Patrick’s Day stories! For a list of creative writing prompts and ideas for the holiday, visit: www.k6educators.about.com.