This project was inspired by the children’s book, Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola. It’s a wonderful kid-friendly explanation of the life of Saint Patrick. The illustrations are simple, but engaging enough to keep their attention. It’s wonderful addition to your library at home or classroom!

I chose to focus on the last page where it explains the legend of how St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity… one stem (one God), three separate leaves (Father, Son & Holy Spirit). It’s a beautiful way to help children begin to understand the love of God.

As I was reading more about Saint Patrick and his life, I came across the most beautiful prayer credited to him: Saint Patrick’s Breastplate. I included a small part of it in the form of a prayer poster part in the FREE project guide for you to display in your home or classroom along with the art. Click below to download:

Print the templates onto card stock. Using a yellow dot marker or paint stick or marker, color around the border of the miter. Then paint a straight vertical line in the middle. Paint or color the shamrock green. Let dry for a few minutes.

Using a crayon, draw a large U shape under the miter for the face. Then draw a curved edge rectangle shape for the collar of his robe. Draw too curved lines going down to the edges of the paper.​

Using a skin tone marker or crayon, color the face. I like using the marker on its side slowly to color in the space. Plus it’s easy to draw the facial features with oil pastel right over the marker. But you could also use a skin tone crayon if you prefer.