March is Irish-American Heritage month, so we will be learning about and praying for Ireland this month. We will be listening to Irish Fairytales, going to watch some Irish Dancing, and more.
Books
Two books I have on hold at our library and will hopefully get by the end of the month are:
Tales from Old Ireland by Malachy Doyle This is a delightful collection of Irish fairytales from Barefoot Books. I have read some really good reviews and am really excited to get my hands on this one.
This Is Ireland by Miroslav Sasek This book is a fun, vintage introduction to Ireland and apart of the “This is…travel” series.
Podcasts
MPR Classical Kids Storytime has become one of our favorite podcasts. They expose small children to classical music using traditional fairytales. The stories are beautifully narrated, and fun for the whole family. Their retelling of Nora and the Fairy Queen is no exception. Nora and the Fairy Queen is an Irish folktale about a little girl who is quite sad, until she meets the Fairy Queen, and her life is changed for the better.
Stories Podcast has several episodes telling traditional folktales from Ireland. Perfect for bedtime or story tea time.
St. Patrick is also the Saint who is known for bringing Christianity to Ireland, and of course, St Patrick’s Day is March 16th, so we will be learning a little bit about St. Patrick using Saint Stories for Kids. A story-based podcast sharing the lives of Christian’s who have gone before us and set an example of what it means to live a life devoted to Christ.
Learning Irish
Gaelic Mammy is a blog I love following that is all about teaching the Irish language to little ones. We will definitely by attempting to learn a few words with her help.
Some of her best posts for St. Patrick’s Day Are:
Irish Words for St. Patrick’s Day
5 Activities to do with Toddlers On St. Patrick’s Day
Irish Dancing
We are fortunate enough to live next to the Mall of America, where they host a an Irish dancing performance every year for St. Patrick’s Day. Rince na Chroi is the Academy and their performance was wonderful! My girls were just awestruck watching them dance. And we are definitely planning to go see them this year.
Irish Worship Music
One of my all time favorite worship bands is actually from Ireland (it may be one of yours as well). Rend Collective is from Northern Ireland, and we love their new kids album, Sparkle. Pop. Rampage. Some other favorites are Bluetree and Eden’s Bridge.
Purposeful Baking
Finally, we will be using the Purposeful Bake: Ireland study from Willfully Serving His Children. This Pre-K curriculum features St. Patrick’s Day themed learning activities, a book list, and an Irish Soda Bread recipe, all crafted to keep Christ at the center of our learning.
Baby Devotions 