HAPPY ST. PATRICK"S DAY!Wondering how to celebrate this holiday during a time of encouraged self-isolation? First, be sure you're getting fresh air. If you're not going outside, at least open some windows. Fresh air and sunlight are a natural disinfectant. Some educational and fun holiday ideas include:
- Streaming Irish jigs and songs.
- Watching traditional Irish dance on YouTube or chrome cast to your TV.
- Adding green food dye to your short bread cookie recipes.
- Sewing or gluing crazy Green Irish hats, ties or belts using felt, ribbons, or fabrics.
- Cooking Irish Stew, scones and clotted cream or butter from scratch or from cans.
- Telling Irish fables about leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, or gnomes.
- Reminding your children about the “kiss of the blarney” and the folkloric tradition known today as “the gift of the gab”.
- Research the real St. Patrick.
Below are some additional activities I recommend for you and your family to keep the isolation from getting to you. If you have any additional suggestions, please leave them in the comments.
For Education Specific:
- Printable nature-themed coloring pages (great for busywork between activities)
All Subjects
- Breakout EDU
- CK-12
- Classroom Secrets Kids (free until April)
- Fiveable (study help for students in AP classes)
- PBS Learning Media
- Neo K12
- Google Arts and Culture
- Little Twisters Yoga
- edX (for older students and adult learners)
- Smithsonian Kids
- BrainPOP
- Mighty Kind Kids
Math/Coding
- Purple Mash
- CMU CS Academy
- IDEA
- Khan Academy
- Prodigy
- Mathscore
- Bedtime Math
- Star Wars Coding
- CanFigureIt Geometry
Reading/Writing/Spelling/Grammar
- Purple Mash
- Epic! (free 30 day trial)
- Libby (you need a library card from a participating library)
- Free books from Project Gutenberg
- Scholastic Home Learning
- Starfall (phonics)
History/Geography
- Street view tours of places around the world from Google Arts & Culture
- National Geographic Kids
- World Atlas
- Big History Project
- Country Reports
- BBC History for Kids
- What Was There
Science/Health
- LabsLand
- Mystery Science
- Sciencewerkz
- Physics comic books from PhysicsCentral
- NASA for Students
- San Diego Kids
- Access Mars in 360
- Biology Simulations
- Innerbody
- Exploratorium
Fine Arts/Culture
- Google Arts & Culture museum tours
- Edsitement – National Endowment for the Humanities
- Rock Hall EDU
Preschool
- Circletime (use code: homefun1)
- PBS Kids
- Seussville
Offline Activities
- Card game rules from Bicycle
- Free printable math worksheets from Education.com
- Simon Says, London Bridge, and Limbo
- Poetry reading and/or read-aloud time. Sometimes when I’m doing something like cleaning the kitchen or folding laundry I have the kids read to me so we can work on pronunciation and other reading skills.
- As volunteers die down at local animal shelters because everyone is in quarantine, you might consider giving a rescue animal a little vacation in your home so you can teach your kids about pet ownership. Most animal shelters appreciate temporary fosters because it lessens the strain, especially during a crisis. Just be sure to get an animal that has a good track record around kids and never leave kids unsupervised.
More Ideas from the Archives
- I Let the Kids Fingerpaint the House
- 50 Preschool Science Activities
- 50 Preschool Language Arts Activities
- 50 Preschool Math Activities
- 50 Preschool Art Activities
- 10 Inexpensive Activities to Occupy Your Little One
- 50 Free Things You Can Do This Summer With Your Kids
- 50 Indoor Activities for Toddlers
- Recycle Your Sand Box or Water Table to Make a Raised Garden
- 50 Homeschool Preschool Life Skills Activities
- Easy Step by Step: How to Scan and Store Old Photos
- DIY Sensory Play Activities
