Montessori Cultural Celebrations and Activities – St. Patrick’s Day, March 17

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and many people around the world enjoy this cultural celebration that originated in Ireland, whether or not they have Irish roots! Children especially enjoy cultural celebration activities that appeal to their sense of fun and creativity. St. Patrick’s Day offers great opportunity for learning history, geography and culture while at the same time providing fun, artistic ways to incorporate Montessori practical life activities.

This year, you might add a new activity such as a simple St. Patrick’s Day parade!

Montessori Cultural Celebrations and Activities – St. Patrick’s Day, March 17

 Here are previous NAMC blogs that offer Montessori student activity ideas:

• Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the Montessori Classroom
• Cooking a St. Patrick’s Day Feast in the Montessori Classroom

A common form of celebration is the St. Patrick's Day parade. Some of the more widely known and longest parades are held in Montreal (since 1824), New York City (since 1762), Philadelphia (since 1771), and Chicago (since 1843). This activity can be as simple or complex as you wish. Your Montessori students may plan the route of their parade. Will the parade be outside or inside? Will the parade include other classrooms or stop inside each classroom? Your Montessori students can also plan and create costumes (green is the color of St. Patrick’s Day), decorations, and noise makers. Your students could share a treat with the other classrooms. Shamrock-shaped rolls or small pizzas or green cookies would all be fun to create and eat. Your Montessori students could also give short presentations at their parade stops that share some interesting information about St. Patrick, Ireland, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Thursday, March 10, 2011.