Years ago, I started a delightful St. Patrick’s Day tradition in my classroom—a baked potato bar! I invited parents to donate various toppings, baked the potatoes myself, and paired the activity with a reading of Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie DePaola. What began as a simple treat has since blossomed into a collection of fun and engaging potato activities for the classroom. Whether you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or simply looking for creative classroom activities, these potato ideas will bring a little luck and lots of learning to your students!
Baked Potato in a Cup
I recently transformed my original baked potato bar idea into an easy, no-fuss snack activity called Baked Potato in a Cup! My family and students have loved it, and it’s such a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the classroom.
A Week of Potato-Themed Fun!
This year, I took my St. Patrick’s Day potato tradition a step further by researching more fictional picture books about potatoes. If you want to have a week of spud-inspired learning, here are some fantastic titles:
1. The Enormous Potato
The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis has a similar story line to Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato. They pair well together for a little compare-and-contrast lesson. These stories are perfect for discussing teamwork, sharing, and problem-solving.
2. Potato Pants
Potato Pants by Laurie Keller is a hilarious and heartwarming story about misunderstandings and the power of apologizing. This story is great for problem-solving, cause-and-effect, and sequencing activities. I mean, who doesn’t love a cute potato in some potato pants?
3. The Couch Potato
Everyone loves the Jory John food stories! They are clever and have wonderful messages. The Couch Potato by Jory John encourages kids to step outside their comfort zone, explore new things, and appreciate the world beyond screens.
4. Rot, the Cutest Potato in the World!
Rot, the Cutest Potato in the World! by Ben Clanton is a story I just discovered, and it is sure to be a hit with your students. This creative book fosters discussion about self-confidence, taking chances, and believing in yourself.
I bundled all these units together in a Potato Bundle, along with Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato and Baked Potato in a Cup. This would make a fantastic week full of potato fun and help you end with a little bit of St. Patrick’s Day. These book companions are filled with differentiated reading strategies, writing extensions, vocabulary, work work activities, and a few fun math games. Each one comes with its own craft and bulletin board letters to display them. Check out my Amazon list of Potato books here. I do earn a small commission from the sales of these books.
More St. Patrick’s Day Fun
If you’re all in for St. Patrick’s Day, I have a blog post filled with my Top 5 St. Patrick’s Day Activities, including two freebies! Some of my favorite student-approved St. Patrick’s Day activities include:
Leprechaun Theme Day
Last year, I created a Leprechaun Themed Day packed with everything you need for March 17th and beyond! This resource is loaded with phonics activities, math games, writing prompts, comprehension strategies, and so much more. Highlights include:
- Adopt-a-Leprechaun activities
- A Leprechaun Poem with fun extensions
- Leprechaun crafts
- Lucky cereal snack and graphing
- Rainbow-themed nonfiction book and activities
You can grab the Leprechaun Theme Day and use it all month long!
I love finding ways to make learning fun, and St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect excuse for hands-on activities, engaging stories, and a bit of magic in the classroom. Whether you go all out with a week of potato activities, dive into leprechaun mischief, or keep it simple with a festive snack, I hope you and your students have a wonderful time celebrating!
Do you have any special St. Patrick’s Day traditions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Wishing you a joyful and lucky March!
