This Wednesday we celebrated St. Patrick's Day at HIS. It was such a fun day and is one of my favorite holidays. I enjoyed celebrating the day with the class and sharing with them the reason for the holiday. We all wore green on the day, which is the color of Ireland. We made Irish Potato Sweets that day. These sweets are very yummy and got their name for their resemblance to potatoes, a popular food in Ireland. We made enough to share with the elementary staff and we received all good reviews. Hope you enjoyed the ones that your student brought home to share.
Here is the recipe if you would like to try making them at home.
Irish Potato Sweets
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Using your hands if necessary, mix in the coconut.
2. Roll into balls or potato shapes, and roll in the cinnamon. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll potatoes in cinnamon again for darker color.
* I mixed the cinnamon for rolling with sugar, so the taste was not as strong for the students.
As a nice break from the Iowa Testing our class joined the Second Graders for a visit to the local Fire House located behind the school on Wednesday. It was an informative and fun visit. The firemen there showed us their equipment, told us what it was for and how they use it. The class was also told how to react if they ever find themselves dealing with a fire. Then to help the students get a full understanding of the work a fireman does and to understand how hard it is, they were given a chance to try somethings for themselves. The students were able to spray the hose and try on the jacket and helmet that the firemen wear. It was a great visit, the fire house was very welcoming and the students did a wonderful job venturing outside of the school together. 
The class was very excited to have the opportunity to make their own pottery. Some of the students had experience doing it before and enjoyed the chance to try it again. For those that were sitting at the wheel for the first time, it proved a very positive experience. The kids were happy to get a little messy touching the clay and were truly amazed at how easily they could manipulate the shape of the clay, but just applying pressure and moving their fingers. When they were finished with their design , the students were then able to sit at a table and decorate it. They each picked a color and are waiting anxiously to see their finished products when they are returned to school. 
