Happy St. David’s Day! Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant! – 10 ways to celebrate in class

Today is the 1st of March already, the first day of the first month of spring. And I would like to take some time to talk about something cultural: The feast of St. David, patron Saint of Wales.

There are so many things a teacher can prepare and bring to class for this day. Here are some ideas:

  1. Read and discuss Wordsworth’s poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud”, commonly known as “Daffodils”. Daffodils are the national flower of Wales, and indeed one of spring’s great ways of making its way through and over winter! Here is where you can find it in the Poetry Foundation website, also including an analysis and an audio, really useful for teachers.
  2. Find a nice and easy recipe for Welsh cakes, like this one here. Why not try and prepare a Welsh breakfast in school?
  3. Make bookmarks from a green cardboard base and a daffodil petals/crown combination OR keep the green cardboard base but put a sheep on top! Wales is a sheep-farming place, with a tradition in the woollen industry.
  4. Knit an easy snood scarf with your students. Any wool yarn will do, it doesn’t have to actually be from Wales! Find a pattern for beginners here.
  5. Read about the life of St. David, an important Saint of the Christian Church before the East-West Schism. This is a good start. More info here.
  6. Make a castle craft from paper rolls! Wales is the castle capital of the world, with 600 castles! You can get ideas here.
  7. Read about the Red Dragon! If you like mythology, you could even get as far as King Arthur. This should give you a deeper understanding of the name “Pendragon” in the Game of Thrones. Or not. Who knows?
  8. Find a recipe for Welsh leek and potato soup, and prompt your students to try it at home and make a healthy meal! Leeks are another emblem of Wales, for some reason.
  9. Wales is traditionally referred to as “the land of song”. Its music festivals attract lots and lots of thousands of visitors each year. Find out here.
  10. Make a love spoon out of clay! Love spoons are only decorative nowadays, but you can find out about them here.

Happy St. David’s Day, and be sure to share your ideas in a comment!