Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Your Children

Saint Patrick is the patron saint for Ireland, but his history with Ireland did not begin to his satisfaction. At the age of sixteen, as the story unfolds, St. Patrick was abducted by Irish pirates and spirited to their homeland. He spent his late teens and early twenties in Ireland before he had a dream urging him to escape and find a waiting ship. Upon his return to England, he became a cleric and lived peacefully for several years before another dream bade him to return to Ireland, which he did, converting thousands of Irish citizens to Christianity. Orlando private school Lake Forrest Prep is happy to share some things you can do with your children to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

  • With Food: To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, prepare a distinctly Irish meal for dinner, such as shepherd’s pie, Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, or any of a number of fabulous meals. Dessert can include shamrock-shaped cookies or cake with green icing.  As you prepare dessert with your child, explain how St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the townspeople he met in Ireland, and how green is the country’s national color because of the lush green pastureland of Ireland.
  • With Crafts: After dinner, create a bit of luck for your children by incorporating leprechauns and rainbows into family craft time. Leprechauns are diminutive, standing about 2’ tall, and known to be rude. If you catch one, though, he can tell you where to find the gold at the end of the rainbow. However, you cannot look away, even for a second, or he will disappear! Your homemade leprechauns do not have to share the attitude of their predecessors – the crafts on the following websites give leprechauns an upbeat look and demeanor.
  • With Stories: Before bed, read your child an Irish story, or a story about Ireland. Check your local library to see what they have in stock, such as “Leprechaun Luck:  A Wee Book of Irish Wisdom” by Erin Gobragh, or “O’Sullivan’s Stew” by Hudson Talbott. Dozens of other stories abound; find one your child will love.

Holidays give families a chance to connect as you celebrate and discover the traditions and stories behind them. Please take a look at our Orlando private school’s past blogs for more information on sharing traditions with your child.

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