I always like to listen to Loch Lomond by John McDermott on St. Patrick's Day. It just seems so Irish!
One of the ladies who came to my tea in February did indeed host a tea of her own! Or her daughter, rather. :-) Laura did a fabulous job, definitely raising the bar with the addition of games and decorations. We enjoyed a fine spread with plenty of green, several games, and good company. I hope this continues!
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| I wore my favorite hat! |
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| We started with a game, which I won! The prize was one of Karla's mug cozy's, done in green of course! |
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| Super cute prize, made by Laura: Leprechaun pants! Also love Karla's green socks. :-) |
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| Homemade paper shamrocks were scattered here and there for heightened festivity. |
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| Clearly a kindred spirit, judging by her fun hat! |
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| I brought asparagus swiss tarts and pistachio salad. Oh! And the coconut m&m's, which were well received! |
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| Napkins |
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| Laura Handing Out Rainbow Favors |
Our theme day didn't go quite according to plan, but it was still fun!
The night before, after Kylen was settled snugly in his bed and Greg had bid him goodnight, I told him the legend of how leprechauns visit homes the night before St. Patrick's Day. Of course, he knew it was just a story.
Well, apparently we have done a fantastic job teaching the difference between truth and fairy tales, because he came up with plenty of explanations for the green water in the toilet, and none involved leprechauns! First, he thought that the people at the "sewage place" dyed the water to play a trick on everyone for St. Patrick's Day. I thought that was pretty smart! (I found out later the prep work had been a bit more involved than simply dropping a tablet of dye in. Greg told me how strange it felt to be sitting on the edge of the tub slowly stirring the water with a flexi-straw like a big pot of soup. Yummy!) Kylen also suggested that Greg or I did it.
There was some degree of shock and horror when he turned on his faucet to wash his hands and green water splattered all over inside of the sink. He immediately turned off the tap and just sort of stood there looking worried and bewildered, wondering if it was poison on his skin. He suggested we not drink anything until we had done some investigating. Maybe there was something wrong with the water?
In the end he said, "I still think you had something to do with it."
He knows me so well.
Here he is wearing plenty of green, including a green shamrock sticker on his arm.
He moved a workbook to find a "squashed leprechaun" underneath! His reaction? "What is silly putty doing under here??"
We read about St. Patrick's Day, did logic puzzles, I told him several jokes. These were his two favorites:
Why is a river rich?
Because it has two banks!
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Irish!
Irish who?
Irish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Our snack was mint hot cocoa and biscotti for dipping.
There was a time when I intended to have one homeschooling theme day each month in place of the usual routine and curricula. Subjects and fun activities are built around a theme, often related to a holiday. Since we haven’t had one of these in a long, long, LOOOOOOOOOONG time, I am going all out for our St. Patrick’s Theme Day. We will be covering a variety of things, but in the future I might focus on the country of Ireland (perhaps create a lapbook), clover (and actually grow some!), or the color green.
Here are my current plans, in case any other homeschool moms are looking for a few last minute ideas. (Gleaned from a variety of sources on the internet.)
Kylen will wake up to find that mischievous leprechauns invaded our home during the night. Signs of their visit include:
Once he has recovered from these shocking events, we will don our green shamrock glitter stickers and get started! History of the holiday, logic puzzles, and a little experiment called, “Letting Go of the Gold.” Then we’ll read a children’s story from the library and enjoy a magical green snack from the leprechauns (if use link, look in the comments section).
Break for some jokes! Perhaps listen to some Irish music . . .
I’ll take a trip down memory lane as we watch old ads of the Jolly Green Giant. This will help Greg and I settle our longstanding argument on whether “Ho ho ho” comes before or after the chorus “Green giant!”
Kylen will get a new book (Starring . . . You guessed it! Leprechauns!) from one of his favorite series. He’ll devour it in under an hour. Since he enjoys cooking, perhaps he’d like to help me make a new Irish dessert for dinner. (Which Greg will not eat, because he doesn’t like mint. More for us!) Of course, we’ll incorporate green foods into our meals.
Finally, we’ll wrap up the day by watching Darby O’Gill and the Little People or The Gnome-Mobile! I’ll post pics when I have them!
It's been one of those rainy, overcast days. Greg said that on his way home from work he could see a rainbow going down in the area where our house is! I told him his gold at the end are me and Kylen. Hee-hee!
I've been too busy for much blogging the past few days, but I wanted to check in and say:
We are enjoying a homeschooling theme day -- wearing green, eating green foods and learning about St. Patrick! Blessings!
