Saint Patrick’s Day

March 17th

1.  Introduction

This document aims at designing through collaboration a replicable Saint Patrick’s Day program for Binational Centers to enrich target audience’s experiences:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6eu9Bo67i2eeHJxTEptSDhpQUZaV19Xd05JU01OS01qUWNJ/view?usp=sharing

-          Tie program objectives to the organization’s mission.

-          Incorporate short-term objectives into a long-term plan.

Main objectives

Offer participants access to Smithsonian-selected resources for Saint Patrick’s Day and engage audiences in experiential learning.

Desired outcome

Increase of 30% of student participation in Resource Center activities that aim at broadening the base of support for environmental programs.

Target audience

-          Bi-National Centers’ students

-          Students at other public and private schools or institutions

-          Teachers/ Trainers

-          Community Members

1.  Key activities

Activity One – Create Saint Patrick’s Day decoration sets with squishy circuits.

“Squishy circuits” is a project from the Playful Learning Lab at the University of St. Thomas.  The goal of the project is to design tools and activities which allow kids of all ages to create circuits and explore electronics using play dough.

To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day students could stop by the Resource Center on March 16 and 17 for an informal demonstration of Squishy Circuits. They could make the conductive dough, mold it as a Shamrocks and light their work up to decorate school. Older students could be prompt to record tutorials to schools’ social media feed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDZo51k2BWQ

Activity Two– Saint Patrick’s Day Trivia Game

Students will engage in a dynamic trivia game. There will be questions about Saint Patrick’s Day in the Resource Center and QR codes on walls around school or in the Resource Center with the answers (no Wi-Fi connection required). Participants will be asked to download QR readers to their cell phones and go around scanning the codes to read the answers or use google search to find them. Participants who go to the resource center with at least five correct answers get a special treat. Get the QR codes here.

Question 01 – How did St. Patrick’s Day begin?

Question 02 – What is Saint Patrick credited with?

Question 03 – What countries celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Question 04 – What color is associated with St. Patrick’s Day and why?

Question 05 – What do people wear on their clothes for saint Patrick´s day?

Answer 01 – It began as a Catholic holiday honoring the feast day of one of Ireland’s most prominent patron saints.

Answer 02 - St. Patrickis widely credited with converting Ireland to Roman Catholicism.

Answer 03 -  Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide.

Answer 04 - Green, may have become popular through the phrase "the wearing of the green" meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing.

Answer 05 - Many People wear a Shamrock to celebrate Saint Patrick.

Activity Three – Draw your own Picture to celebrate Saint Patrick´s day

In the spirit of the holiday, “St. Patrick’s Day from Smithsonian Folkways” draws from the collection to highlight noted artists and varied styles, including singers in both English and Irish Gaelic, the sounds of uilleann pipes, and music you can’t help but dance to.http://www.folkways.si.edu/st-patricks-day/music/playlist/smithsonian

Have participants listen to the songs and watch a video about Saint Patrick to inspire them to draw or paint a picture to decorate the resource center for Saint Patrick’s Day. 

Alternative ways to make ink: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Ja0XwIS2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cued3Jfw6Z0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huKxRGbYD0o

Activity four – STEAM table (suggested by Larissa Goulart)

Play the video - Did Halley's Comet Convert the Irish to Christianity? http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/videos/did-halleys-comet-convert-the-irish-to-christianity/31864

Next to the table display all the things required to make some of the activities below. Give preference for materials that are green to help set the tune for the occasion. 

Magic finger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOF9TXCXvQM

Sink or float?

http://educador.brasilescola.com/estrategias-ensino/flutua-ou-afunda.htm

Balloon experiment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdplDwv0_1I

Fazer uma bolha de sabão com gelo seco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm35UujugFY