I know this doesn’t look like a St. Patrick’s Day math activity, but stick with me for a minute… I’ll get there.
When I was a kid, I loved books that showed me step-by-step how to draw things. I don’t think kids have changed much in this way because our students still love our little art tutorials. We make these sweet little leprechauns every year on or near St. Patrick’s Day, and we don’t have to worry about a surprise walkthrough during the activity because it’s actually a math lesson disguised as art.
It begins as a directed drawing with a glyph key. We LOVE this because each leprechaun is unique based on how the children respond to the glyph.
- Are they a boy or a girl?
- Is their favorite color green?
- Do they have a birthday in March?
- Are they wearing green at that moment?
- Do they prefer green Skittles or greenM&Ms?
The answer to these questions determine whether or not their leprechaun has striped sleeves or striped socks, a brown beard or an orange beard, a yellow hat or a green hat, one pocket or two, etc. When we’re finished with our drawings, the activity becomes a math lesson.
We collect data using the glyph key, graph it, and then analyze it. It’s a really robust art and math lesson and the kids love it!
If you have an empty space in your holiday plans, you can grab this St. Patrick’s Day math activity HERE. And if you need a fun way tie science standards in with your plans that week, check out our St. Patrick’s Day Science Labs. These are hands-down our favorite thing to do during the week of St. Patrick’s Day. If you don’t have time for all five labs, we recommend the Irish Spring Surprise and the Magic Rainbow Ring. They both provide a wow the kids won’t forget!
Until next time, happy teaching!
MORE ST. PATRICK’S DAY FUN!
