St Patricks Day Parties with an Educational Learning Twist

* St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.
* St. Patrick Day holiday is celebrated all over the world.
* St. Patrick's Day is more than four leaf clovers, green beer, and shamrocks. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false.
* It is known that St. Patrick was born in the end of the fourth century. During this time the Irish people were not Christians, but were Pagans.
* St. Patrick is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.
* According to his writing, a voice (which he believed to be God's) spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
* Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation, an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a mission to convert the Irish to Christianity.
St. Patrick used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire.
* St. Patrick also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross.

LUCKY LEPRECHAUN SAYS: Played similar to Simon Says. The player up is "Lucky Leprechaun". Player will say "Lucky Leprechaun says hop on one foot". Everyone will hop on one foot. Player will say "Stop". The children are to keep hopping on one foot until player says "Lucky Leprechaun says stop". Repeat for additional activities such as take one baby step forward, step backwards, turn around, sit down. Sometimes Lucky Leprechaun will say "Lucky Leprechaun says" and sometimes he won't. It's a fun game to play with young children and old!

THE BLINDS GO MARCHING: The stake is driven into the earth. All the players but one are blindfolded. They stand in a circle around the stake. The distance between the stake and "the blinds" is measured by the steps. Usually this distance is equal to 30-50 steps. "The blinds" are facing the stake. "The sighted" player begins to count and all "the blinds" go marching to his/her counting in the direction of the stake. When "the sighted" has counted up to the number of steps between the stake and "the blinds", all the players stop and move away their fillets. The players are usually surprised at seeing themselves having gone to the wrong direction. "The blind" who manages to come to the stake becomes "the sighted", and the former "sighted" becomes "the blind".

Right click to copy the the printable St Patricks Day puzzle below.
St Patricks Day Criss Cross Puzzle