The Spread

By Maddie Sievers

1. A Visit From a Leprechaun

When I was in kindergarten, it was a very big deal because a REAL leprechaun came to visit my class while we were at the library. When we came back, we had to search around the classroom to find all the clues the leprechaun had left behind, which included a trail of green Fun Dip. Looking back, I’m not sure why this was so exciting. I mean, you hear of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus visiting, but never the St. Patrick’s Day leprechaun. I guess it’s not hard to impress a group of five-year-olds.

2. Convincing Others Not to Pinch You

One of my fondest memories of St. Patrick’s Day as a child was when my classmates forgot to wear green. The older you get, the less appropriate it becomes to pinch someone for an arbitrary rule for a minor holiday, but this is the kind of stuff that’s important as a kid. There were always a few kids who forgot to wear green, so they would try to show you a tiny piece of green on their shirt that would make them exempt from getting pinched. Otherwise, they would mark themselves with a green marker.

3. Green Foods Party

The second most memorable St. Patrick’s Day festivity I participated in as a grade schooler was the Green Foods party my third grade class had. Everyone was required to bring in a different green food, and everyone had to try at least one bite of every food. This was not really all that enjoyable, because most green foods are not appealing to kids, who are typically picky eaters. Thanks to my third grade teacher, I was forced to eat a jalapeño, some spinach, and a sport pepper against my will that year.

4. St. Patrick’s Day Crafts

I cannot tell you how many leprechaun, shamrock, and pot of gold crafts I made as a grade schooler. I was all for arts and crafts as a child, and my teachers never failed to provide a new St. Patrick’s Day-themed craft project for me and my fellow classmates each and every year.

5. Learning About Saint Patrick

My teachers always felt the need to educate their students about the actual Saint Patrick for whom St. Patrick’s Day is named after. He was actually a pretty cool guy, and apparently he banished all of the snakes from Ireland. Personally, my favorite book I read about him was Saint Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons.