A few years ago at my kids’ elementary school we celebrated Ireland for our annual International Day. I had the pleasure of co-chairing the event with my friend Lisa. The goal was of course to teach the children about Ireland, but our approach was to cover all their senses. If it wasn’t a fire hazard I would have had peat burning!
Bagpipes, a Brogue, and an Irish Poem
In the morning as the children approached the school, they could hear the sound of bagpipes. One of the school’s own alumni, a boy named Patrick, was playing the bagpipes to greet the students. The Irish flag hung in the school’s foyer. The school day started with local Irish poet Connie Roberts giving the morning announcement over the loud speaker, and reading an Irish poem.
“Walking Tour of Ireland”
The landscape of Ireland is one of it’s greatest features. We covered the hallways with photos of the beautiful landscapes. Classes took turns taking a “walking tour of Ireland” – looking at the photos, reading and learning about what was pictured. Other things that were visually represented included the painted doors of Dublin, and the different sports in Ireland (soccer, hurley, etc.). A glass cabinet contained things from Ireland – sweaters, tea pots, crystal, an Irish cap, a shillelagh, etc.
“Mark your Sheep”
Prior to the day, students were given an outline of a sheep to decorate anyway they liked. The instructions with the sheep stated,
“Decorate a sheep for International Day – Ireland. Use any material (cotton balls, pipe cleaners, paint, etc.). Be creative! Farmers often mark their sheep with a colored dot, so they know which sheep is theirs. How will you mark your sheep? Fun Fact: There are approximately 8 million sheep in Ireland!” One wall of the school was filled with the students’ sheep – grazing in a green field of course.
Homemade Cardboard Blarney Castle
The tours culminated in visiting our Blarney Castle. We built a castle out of appliance boxes and the kids visited and learned about receiving the “gift of gab.”
Irish Step Dancing
My friend Lisa planned the event of the day. All the kids gathered in the gym and watched an amazing performance by Schade Academy of Irish Dance, a local Irish step dancing school. The dancers were fabulous, even the very, very youngest. Their traditional Irish step dancing outfits were beautiful!
Tea
In the afternoon we visited the classrooms serving tea. Unfortunately hot tea was vetoed – they didn’t want anyone getting burned – but the kids got the idea.
Creative Activities
In their individual classrooms the students watched videos about Ireland and worked on various activities. The younger kids colored pages with Irish symbols. The older kids traced Celtic symbols with glue and sprinkled the glue with green glitter. Coloring pages are a great way to show children the symbols, landscape, and even mythical stories of Ireland. I’ve created printable coloring sheets which are available individually or order the printable book which contains several sheets. Fold them and create your own book about Ireland! Visit my Etsy shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/EileenMcKennaArt
The printable book contains six coloring sheets. Fold them and create your own book about Ireland!
I’d love to hear the creative ways you teach your kids about Ireland! Comment below.
