Thanks to Education World for use of my Mrs. Waffenschmidt illustration.

Thanks to Education World for use of my Mrs. Waffenschmidt illustration.
Click on icon to go to my website: http://www.gailhennessey.com

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Tulip Time is Coming! Fun Facts about Tulips and their Interesting History

 










Click here for a user friendly download of this resource: 





With spring, comes the sprouting of tulips.  Personally, I love purple tulips. Although I try year after year to grow them in my gardens, the chipmunks seem to find them and haul the bulbs away! 

Tulips have a very interesting history. Sharing information about the history of the tulip is a great way to show kids that EVERYTHING has a history.

In 1634, tulips caused people to go a bit crazy, in the country of Netherlands. The bulb, looking like a onion was as prized as diamonds. It got so nobody was planting the pretty posies, they were just buying and selling the bulbs. People used tulips to purchased homes, food, clothing and even horses. Government officials kept a record of tulip purchases. Tulipmania is what this time was called. One tulip could be worth over $35,000!(Yes, you read that correctly)

Fun Facts about Tulips:
1. To have a tulip in your home was a way to impress others!
2. Interestingly, the tulips with the most value, really were infected with a virus and were feathered and not solid colored tulips.
3. It is believed the tulip came from Asia and the area of Turkey,1000AD. Its name, is thought to come from the word dulban or tuliban(meaning turban), because the flower looks like an upside down turban. In Turkey, tulips were very much prized and in fact, for a time, it was forbidden to buy or sell the bulbs outside of the capital city. Such crimes could mean exile!
4. The tulip capital of the United States is Holland, Michigan.
5. During World War 2, people ate tulips and made tulip bread. Neither were very tasty but when you are hungry, taste isn't that important.

Your Turn:
1. Do you know which two flowers are more popular than the tulip?If, not, take a guess!________________ and ______________
2. What is your favorite flower?  Why do you favor this flower over other flowers?
3. What do you know about the country of Turkey? Write ONE fact:__________________
4. What do you know about the country of Netherlands? Write ONE fact:________________
5. Write a haiku about tulips. A haiku has 3 lines and each line has the following syllable pattern. 5-7-5. Not sure how many syllables are in a word? Place your hand under your chin. Count how many times your chin drops as you say the world. For example: ELEPHANT. It has 3 syllables. Don't worry about sentence form, think descriptive words. The Haiku comes from the people of Japan. Write TWO facts you know about the country of Japan. 



Extension Activities:
1. Read a fairytale about tulips:https://ririro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Fairy-Tulips_compressed.pdf Have students write a summary of the story. Have students write their own story about a tulip.

2. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/plants/tulips.html More Tulip facts. Illustrate one of the facts about tulips.




Sharing information about the history of the tulip is a great way to show kids that EVERYTHING has a history. The resource includes a reading passage, Did You Know? fun facts, comprehension questions, Map-skill activity, Teacher page with extension activities and key. Click here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-A-Reading-Passage-History-of-TULIPS-2426247. $3.85
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Friday, March 6, 2026

Ireland and St. Patrick's Day!

   






Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day
Did You Know? 
by
Gail Skroback Hennessey


1. The National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, Ireland, is dedicated to the folklore and mythology of Ireland. 
2.  In Irish folklore, there are only male leprechauns. Leprechauns are cobblers(shoemakers) and they usually carry a tiny hammer wherever they go!
3.  Ireland was the very first country in the world to tax plastic bags.(2002) 
4. Muckanaghederdauhaulia is the name for the longest place name in Ireland. 
5.  A burial tomb found near Dublin, Newgrange, may be older than the pyramids of Egypt,and was built about 4000 BC. 
6. The Irish monk, St. Brendan, may have reached North America before Columbus, in the 6th century. 
7.  Halloween has its origins in Ireland. It dates back to Samhain, an Irish festival. 
8. Famous people from Ireland include the lead singer for U2(Bono), Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels), writer C.S. Lewis(Chronicles of Narnia) and poet, William Butler Yeats 
9. Did you know that corned beef and cabbage, a favorite food on St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t have any corn? The term refers to a large type of salt(called “corns”) used to marinate the beef. 
10. Hurling is a very popular sport which originated in Ireland.
11. There are NO snakes in the country of Ireland. 

12. Since the Bronze Age, Ireland has had their own type of Olympics Games. They are called the Tailteann Games. 

13. Leprechaun Day is May 13th.(YES…there is such a day!)

14. The Flag of Ireland has the colors green, white and orange. 
The harp is the musical symbol of Ireland.

15.  The language of Ireland is called Irish(Gaelic). There isn’t a word for “yes” or “no” in Irish.

16. People who visit Blarney Castle, in Ireland, often try to kiss the Blarney Stone. The legend says kissing the stone gives you the gift of being a great speaker. It’s a difficult thing to do as you have to  hang upside down to reach the stone!

17. The first St. Patrick’s Day in the United States was celebrated in the city of Boston, 1737.

18. Ireland is called the Emerald Isle because Ireland has lots of green fertile land.

Your  Turn:
  1. Illustrate one of the facts.
  2. Write down the 3 most interesting facts you learned.
  3. Create a postcard pretending you are visiting Ireland. Include 3 facts in the information you are writing to a friend or relative. Draw/ color a picture to go with your postcard.
  4. Would you wish to kiss the Blarney Stone? Why or why not?
Teacher’s Page:

1. Before giving the students the factoid handout, ask the students to share prior knowledge about the country of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day.

2.  Show the students a map of Ireland: http://www.mapsofworld.com/physical-map/ireland.html  Have students make 4 questions using the map to exchange with another group.

3.Have small groups of students review information on the country of Ireland and share 5 facts with the rest of the class.

4. Learn some Irish: 
A. Phrase: Thank you
Irish: Go raibh maith agat
Pronunciation: Guh row mah aguth (row as in cow)

B. Phrase: You're welcome
Irish: Tá fáilte romhat
Pronunciation: Thaw foil-cheh roath

C. Phrase: Hello
Irish: Dia dhuit
Pronunciation: Djee-ah gwitch

5. St. Patrick's Day is coming-a wonderful opportunity to introduce your students to the country of Ireland. Did you know that Ireland is called the Emerald Island because of its green fertile lands? Did you know that the Celtic knot is a very famous symbol of Ireland? Other well know symbols of Ireland include the harp, leprechauns and shamrocks. Learn more about Ireland with my fun and informative web quest on Ireland includes 12 questions and lots of extension activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Ireland-Webquest-and-Activities-517483

6. Another resource about Ireland to consider:This fun/informative play has Ms. Bie Ografee's guest being McSean, a leprechaun. McSean is asked questions by the studio audience about the country of Ireland and the long Irish folklore about leprechauns. Great for a unit on folk stories/folklore or as an activity around St. Patrick's Day. The play has 11 questioners, a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension activities and links as well as the key: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/LeprechaunsSt-Patricks-DayIreland-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2315668

7. The Green Game: Need a fun activity where kids have to find answers that have the word GREEN in it or are the color GREEN? Great for St. Patrick's Day or for a Friday. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-The-GREEN-Game-1666115
NOTE: This resource is INCLUDED in my Ireland Webquest/Activity Resource:

8. Test Your Knowledge Challenge Activity. Learn about Ireland and St. Patrick's Day with this 
"Challenge" activity. There are 25 informative/ fun questions where students test their knowledge on Ireland and the history of St. Patrick's Day. A couple of extension activities are included, too. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ireland-and-St-Patricks-Day-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9196311



Gail 
Feedback appreciated! 
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Sunday, March 1, 2026

PI DAY is COMING! MARCH 14th

 




HAPPY PI DAY!
FUN FACTS:
1. Pi is the circumference of any circle, divided by its diameter. No matter the size of the circle, Pi is always the same!(3.14)

2. In 2015, Rajveer Meene, of India, memorized the first 70,030 digits of pi! It took him 17 hours and 14 minutes to recite the digits. Prior to this, Chao Lu, in 2005, was the record holder when he was able to recite the first 67,689 digits of pi.  Amazing feat of memory for both men!

3. Scientists Sir Isaac Newton and Greek mathematician Archimedes studied the numbers for Pi.
4. Scientist Albert Einstein was born on March 14, or 3/14, now Pi Day.
5. The ancient Babylonians(of present day Iraq) knew about pi more than 4000 years ago. Other cultures including the ancient Chinese and ancient Egyptians knew about pi. The oldest reference to pi dates back to 1650 BCE. It was mentioned in the Rhind Papyrus.
6. P is the 16th letter of the alphabet and pi, the Greek letter, is also the 16th in their alphabet.
7. The very first Pi Day was held in 1988, on 3/14. Why this date? The digits for pi start with 3.14. Larry Shaw, a physicist, celebrated the day by eating pie and walking in a circle. Shaw is nicknamed the “Prince of Pi”.
8. Did you know that an episode of the original Star Trek television show had Spock confused a computer by asking for the last digit in the value of pi?
9. The Ludolphine Number is named for Ludolph van Ceulen, who in the late 1500s, calculated the first 36 digits of pi.
10. In 2018, a scientist named Peter Trueb, used a computer to calculate 22,459,157,718,361 digits of pi. It took 105 days to list the numbers!
11. Pilish is a text using the numbers of pi. Michael Keith wrote a 1000 word short story using the digits of pi. For example: Tap a tree(3-1-4)
12. Write 3.14(pi) in BIG letters and hold it up to a mirror. Backwards, 3.14 looks like the word-PIE!
Many people eat PIE to celebrate Pi Day!
Do you remember singing “Four and Twenty Blackbirds”? 
Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was open the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?
During the Middle Ages, there was a dinner course called the ENTREMET. During a banquet, it was an entertainment surprise for an important guest.
Some say that King Henry got a surprise when the pie that was served was cut open and 24 blackbirds flew out of the crust.
The birds were placed into the thick pie after it was baked. The crust would rise forming a type of pot shaped pie. This top was removed and the birds were placed inside just before serving. Note: Another pie was served for eating, thank goodness!
Some sources say that in addition to birds, live frogs, dogs and rabbits were also sometimes placed inside a surprise pie!
Your Turn:
1. Illustrate a factoid
2. Write a three word Pilish.
3. Write a fact about Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.
4. Write a diary entry pretending to be attending a party where blackbirds came out of a pie.
5. Did you know that telephone numbers are 7 digits because most people can’t easily remember more than 7 numbers. How many digits of pi can you memorize?
6. What is YOUR favorite type of pie? Write a paragraph explaining what it is the BEST type of pie.
TEACHER PAGE:
Give the Interactive Notebook handout to students and after completing the Your Turn, regroup and discuss.
Ideas for Pi Day:
Sources for Teachers:
https://www.piday.org/million/ one million digits of pi 




1. Looking for a reading about math? Check out this reading passage on Hypatia, the first known female mathematician: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Womens-HistoryFamous-WomenAncient-HistoryHypatiaFirst-Woman-Mathematician-4018160

2. Share this STEM reading resource with your students. This particular reading is on Ada Lovelace, thought to be the world's first computer Programmer. The short reading shares(in the first person) a recounting of the person's life(in this case Ada Lovelace) There are several Did You Know? fun facts, comprehension questions, a map skill activity for the area of the world the person lived, a teacher's section with extension activities, the key and additional links.
Great for a STEM reading on a women mathematician, a Friday activity, for Women's History Month, Pi Day, a substitute lesson and more. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ada-Lovelace-Woman-MathematicianWorlds-First-Computer-Programmer-7890823?st=df7b7a7c8420a6b06834cfa34ec76f63



3. Learn about Katherine Johnson, a physicist, space scientist and mathematician, who played a very important role with NASA’s early space missions. The movie Hidden Figures highlights the role of NASA's "computers" such as Katherine Johnson and their contributions. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series of Reader's Theater Scripts, there are comprehension questions, a Did You Know? section, a Teacher page with extensions/links and key. A great STEM biography! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Katherine-Johnson-ScientistThe-Computer-that-Wore-SkirtsPlay-2961216




I also have Reader’s Theater Scripts on Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie and Galileo.


Illustration from openclipart.org

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