Active Learning for St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and there are plenty of active learning exercises you can do to get kids moving for the holiday.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY BINGO

To start this activity, hand out regular Bingo cards and something to block off numbers, such as green squares, shamrock shapes, yellow circles (to represent gold coins), etc. For both activities, be sure that the Bingo cards you distribute include answers to the problems students will solve in the activities.

Addition/Subtraction: Instead of calling out numbers, call out addition or subtraction problems. If the number you’ve selected is 5, say, “9 minus 4 = ___.” and ask students to solve the problem in their heads and then mark the correct answer on the Bingo card. When a student thinks he or she has Bingo, the entire class should stand up. The student must read off their numbers one by one. If a number is correct, student should jump up! If the student reads a number that hasn’t been called, students should squat, and play resumes.

Multiplication: Use a spinner or have students come to the front of the class to roll a set of dice. If desired, you may call out problems to students instead. Students should multiply the numbers they roll. For example, for 6 and 4, students should say, “Six times four = 24”, and 24 would be the Bingo number that the other students mark on their cards. Allow each student to roll the dice until Bingo is called, and students have to jump or squat as with the addition/subtraction variation.

LEPRECHAUN’S TREASURE HUNT

Send students on a leprechaun hunt. The day before St. Patrick’s Day, mark a winding, curvy path of tiny footprints from your classroom door to a basket, closet, or other container. Hide a stash of chocolate gold coins, new pencils, stickers, or another prize for students. As each student arrives in your classroom, ask him or her to tiptoe (or other special way of moving) and follow the path to find the leprechaun’s treasure!

REVIEW THE RAINBOW

One of our pre-K Walkabouts helps students identify colors of the rainbow. You can navigate there by logging in and choosing the following:

• Grade: Prekindergarten
• Subject: All
• Subcategory: Early Math
• Standard: Colors