Family Activities

About Family Activities

The Family Activities area offers many fun ways to learn about Irish culture through crafts, activities, worksheets and reading. Family Activities are on the west side of the Cafeteria and available from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM. These activities are available for people of all ages. Everyone is welcome to participate.

The List of Family Activities

• Learn the First Written Alphabet in Ireland - Ogham

  Ogham was used to carve names, words and phrases into rocks and trees. You'll learn how to write with the Ogham alphabet and create your own Ogham sign on stone-like card stock paper.
  











• Color Celtic Knots

  Color Celtic Knots - Snakes, turtle, tree, shamrock, and traditional Celtic knots.
  











• Make Celtic Knots

  There will be many squares that include different parts of Celtic knots that you can place together like a puzzle to make your own Celtic knots or make the knots that are displayed on an Easy, Medium and Hard Celtic Knot sheet. For example, you would have the pieces below to make this Celtic Knot:
  
                                    





• Make Books about Ireland

  We'll have three different books you can make about different aspects of Ireland: Irish Bogs, Irish Mythology and Irish Fairies. The pages will be printed for you. The instructions will step you through putting the pages together, putting a cover on the book and binding it with string and decorating the cover.
  
  




















• Make a Bridget's Cross

  Weave a Bridget's cross out of local cattail rushes, hang it over your hearth or front door. It is believed to protect your house from fire and disease.
  
  














• Irish Place Names....What Do They Mean?

  Just like in the United States, many of the names on Irish maps include commonly used terms, but they come from the Irish language. Examples: baile (BALL-ee), carraig (CARE-igg), cill (keel), cluain (clone), dubh (doo), dún (dun), gleann (glen), inis (IN-ish or EN-is), loch (lo[kh], a guttural sound between "h" and "k"), ráth (rah or rahth), ros (ross), trá (trah). There will be images of each of these words to show you what their meaning is. There is a worksheet to document their meaning and listing an example of each term from a map of Ireland. In addition to taking the worksheet home, you will earn shamrock stickers.

• Learn About Irish Bogs

  Learn about many aspects of Irish bogs - the uniqueness of it's ecosystem, who the Irish used the bogs, the different types of plants and animals that live there. As you go through these information boards you will have a worksheet and pencil and fill in the answers as you read the information boards. When you have finished reading the boards and filling in the worksheet, a volunteer will check your answers and if all are correct you will get to take home with you an authentic piece of peat from Ireland and your worksheet. If you've gotten any incorrect, once you fix the answers you will get authentic piece of Irish peat to take home with you. The volunteer will be there to help you if you can't find the answer.
  
  












• Make a High Cross (also called a Celtic Cross)

  There is a three-dimensional design of this cross that you can cut, fold, anchor the bottom with the weight of a small stone by gluing it to the bottom, gluing the edges together and then taking home a three-dimensional High Cross.

  














• Grow Your Own Shamrocks

  Sow shamrock seeds in a small pot and learn the symbolism of the shamrock.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Ancient Celtic Body Art and Temporary Tattoos

  We'll have temporary tattoos with Irish themes for sale for 50¢ and the history of body art in Ireland. They can be put on here, or you can take them home with you to be put on for St. Paddy's Day, or any other day.

• Earn an Irish Coin

  Visit each table, learn something about Irish culture, complete a worksheet that has a question about each activity and earn a coin from Ireland when all of your answers are correct.