St. Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Irish: Naomh Pádraig), along with St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Columba, is one of the patron Saints of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped as a young man by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, escaped and returned to Britain, and then later returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Many details of St. Patrick’s life and works remain obscure, even the dates of his birth and death, however there are many legends about him, including the claim that he banished the snakes of Ireland (there were in fact no snakes in Ireland since the Ice Age), and that he explained the concept of the trinity using the shamrock leaf (a 3 leaf clover).
St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17th, is the Christian feast day which celebrates St. Patrick’s life. The day is a public holiday in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador, but is also a day that Irish people around the world celebrate their roots and their culture. The day is usually marked by parades and other activities, including family and community gatherings. Of course, no such gathering would be complete without Irish-themed games and entertainment – and one such game that is ideal for the occasion is St. Patrick’s Day bingo.
St. Patrick’s Day bingo is played exactly likely the standard game of bingo, except that instead of using bingo cards containing numbered squares, each square on the bingo card instead contains a word or phrase on an Irish theme. The cards can easily be prepared in advance by the event organizer using some bingo card maker software, and the game itself is a lot of fun for people of all ages, as well providing an opportunity for younger players to learn about their culture.
By: Sunil Tanna
Thanksgiving is a harvest festival that is celebrated principally in the United States and Canada. In the United States it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, and is a federal holiday (in Canada it is held on the second Monday in October, coinciding with Columbus Day in the United States). Common activities associated with Thanksgiving include a break from work or school, a Thanksgiving dinner, parades, and American football games.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is very much associated with the survival of early English settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, with the help of the local Native American population. As result, the run-up to Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about their history. Schools often organize events such as Thanksgiving plays, but individual teachers can also introduce Thanksgiving-activities into their classroom – why not a game of Thanksgiving bingo?
Thanksgiving bingo is played just like a normal game of bingo (with the teacher taking the part of the bingo caller), but, instead of using standard bingo cards, cards printed with words or phrases related to the Thanksgiving holiday are used instead. It can be a lot of fun, and can also help remind students of the history of Thanksgiving.
You might be wondering where you can obtain Thanksgiving bingo cards, but this is actually quite easy – you print them yourself using your computer! You can download ready-to-print cards from the Internet, or if you prefer, you can download bingo card maker software that allows you to print custom bingo cards on almost any topic you like.
By: Sunil Tanna
Most people are familiar with the game of bingo. It is play using bingo cards contain a five by five grid of squares, with each square containing a word or number. Each player is given their own bingo card, and marks off the squares from their card when the corresponding item is announced by the bingo caller. In most games, the winner is the first player to achieve a continuous line of five squares, in any direction (regardless of whether the line is horizontal, vertical or diagonal), and call out “Bingo”. For a longer game, players can aim for larger or more complex target shapes than a single line, for example, two intersecting lines of five squares, a postage stamp of three by three sequares, or even all squares marked off.
In the standard or traditional game of bingo, each of the squares on a bingo card is printed with a different number between 1 and 75. Today however, variants of the game, but using cards printed with words or phrases instead of numbers, are becoming increasingly popular. Using a computer and bingo card maker software, it is dead easy produce custom bingo cards of this type. In fact, the ease of producing custom bingo cards has been one of the main contributing factors to a renaissance in the game’s popularity: teachers are increasingly using custom bingo cards in their classrooms, and themed versions of bingo are also growing in popularity for religious and secular holidays and events.
St. Patrick’s Day is the Irish national holiday, named in honor of one of the patron saint’s of Ireland. It usually falls on March 17th, although the date is moved in those years when March 17th falls within Holy week. The day is used as a celebration for all things Irish, and is of course an excellent opportunity for playing an Irish-themed version of bingo. All you need to do is prepare some bingo cards containing words or phrases relating to Irish history, culture or geography, and you’re ready to play.
By: Sunil Tanna
