Who is St. Patrick? Isn't he an Irish priest? Is he a leprechaun? Is he a legend or a real person?

St. Patrick is an English missionary and Apostle to the nation of Ireland. He was captured by Irish pirates as a young boy. St. Patrick is a Christian hero that your children will enjoy learning about.

In a day where our heroes are robots, terminators, or men lacking integrity, it is so good to learn about a true hero, brave in every situation.

Kidnapped!

Patrick was born in English during Roman times. Patrick was enjoying life in a Roman colony seaside village. His father was a priest in the Celtic church, but Patrick did not want to serve God like his parents did. It took a disaster to bring him to the Lord.

One day, Irish pirates stormed Patrick's seaside village and killed many of the inhabitants. At the young age of fourteen, he was kidnapped, taken as a slave to Ireland, and worked as a shepherd. Ireland was a land of pagans and Druids who worshiped idols. Patrick was very homesick.

During his captivity, he remembered his parent's faith in God and surrendered his life to Jesus as Lord and Savior. He grew closer to the Lord during these years and did his best to be a shining light for His Messiah.

Called to the Irish

One night, God spoke to Patrick in a dream to go to the coast so he could leave Ireland. Patrick waited on the Lord for the right timing. Finally, an opportunity came for Patrick to make his escape, so he made his way to a port city where he caught a ship bound for freedom. Sailors, who took pity on him, smuggled him aboard the ship sailing for England. He was reunited with his family, to his great joy!

During this time of happiness to be home again, Patrick had another dream. In this dream, the people of Ireland were begging him to come back to Ireland. His heart was moved with compassion for those poor Irishmen and women who would die in their sins. A burden to share the Gospel with the Irish began to beat in his heart.

So, he began his preparation for the priesthood and his call as a missionary to Ireland. Patrick spent almost twenty years in preparation. 

Ministry in Ireland

My friend, Candie Donner, has created 2 Thanksgiving lapbooks for you to use with your children. Use one for your younger children (K-3rd grades) and one for the older ones (4th-7th grade). They are perfect for use with the whole family because they cover the same information, with the older lapbook digging a little deeper.

I was amazed at how beautifully the lapbooks were laid out. The final product, a lap book to enjoy, will be lovely. With so much information, I can't think of anything about Thanksgiving that was not included.

What on earth is a laptop you might be asking? It is a project that children create using file folders. They cut out and make all kinds of quick and easy projects, gluing them to the file folders in an attractive way. The lapbook becomes a keepsake, a permanent record of what you've learned together.

Topics Covered

The lapbook covers information, definitions, and celebrations. Here are some of the topics included in the lapbook.

• Scriptures
• Mayflower Compact
• Recipes
• Measurement Math
• Cornucopia
• All kinds of learning booklets to make and paste on to folder
• Pilgrim's Journey Game
• Quiz with Answer Key

Booklets