This week, we’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day – and all things Irish. If you’re looking for creative ways to get your students involved in the merriment, we have some ideas that will help them “go green” – both figuratively and literally.

Start by reading about shamrocks, the iconic plant associated with the holiday, to get into the proper mindset! Eve Bunting wrote a lively book called Green Shamrocks, which tells the story of Rabbit, who is growing shamrocks in a pretty yellow pot in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day. Unfortunately, Rabbit’s pot goes missing and he must search for his plants before the festivities come around.

Why not work with your students to exercise their green thumbs and plant their own shamrocks? The best time to plant a shamrock is in the early spring, while keeping the following in mind:

The three leaves of a shamrock are said to stand for faith, hope, and love. If any of your plants sprout a fourth leaf, that is where the shamrocks are said to get their luck.

Saint Pat's Pot

After you’ve planted the seeds, encourage your students to go a step further and decorate their planters with 3D Doodles using this stencil that our resident Doodlers have created to help you reimagine your pots. The stencil is best-suited for planter pots that are 2” or 4.5” in size.

Check out this tutorial for more ideas on how to decorate your planters!

Not only is planting shamrocks a festive St. Patrick’s Day activity, but it is also a natural way to encourage students’ interest in gardening and botany. Encouraging your students to decorate their planters is a great way to put an artistic spin on this special branch of biology.

What do your students’ planters look like?

Share their pretty pot designs with us on social media: @3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate