There is a lot of confusion surrounding St George's Day; even the date it is supposed to fall on has people scratching their heads. It normally falls on 23rd April, but because it falls on Holy Saturday this year, it will move to Monday, 2nd May, a Bank Holiday (source: http://bbc.in/Y72Nl).

Sadly, more than a quarter of people living in England are unaware who their patron saint is. As childhood experiences can be so memorable, why not arrange some St George's Day-related art activities for children to get involved in to try and help it become an important date in the calendar; as much as St Patrick's Day is in Ireland.

Children will often be taught about St George's mythical feats at school. You can always fill in the missing gaps in their knowledge by looking at the BBC's St George's page (http://bbc.in/Y72Nl).

Little is known about St George and he is often treated as a mythical figure. He might not have existed but the legend surrounding him does really seem to inspire children. The story of a saint dressed in a white tunic, sitting astride a stallion, skewering a dragon while a fair maiden looks on, is always worth retelling!

Events

If you're looking for interesting things to do with the children on St George's Day, then you could always check out the St George's Holiday website (www.stgeorgesholiday.com) which has a county-by-county list of fun events.

Typical St George's Day activities include Morris Dancing, face-painting and Punch and Judy shows. How about getting the children to organise a George and the Dragon themed Punch and Judy show – they could sew and decorate Knight & Dragon Hand Puppet figures to illustrate the story.

Knights and Dragons Colour-in Finger Puppets are also fun to use to re-enact the tale of how brave George saved the king's daughter from being sacrificed to the dragon.

Recipes

Putting on a show can be hungry work! Luckily The Children's Society has some great St George's Day Bake and Brew recipes provided by famous chefs – Hannah Miles' Red White and Blueberry Muffins look particularly tasty! (http://bit.ly/eLBQ2d)

Arts and Crafts

The muffins should give children enough fuel to complete St George's Day arts and crafts activities such as designing a Jointed Knight. Once these knights are assembled and decorated with fabulous colour, they can be used as decorations to give your room a St George's Day atmosphere.

Knowing what to wear is essential for dragon-fighting role play. Wearing a visor is advisable so a Design-Your-Own Helmet Face Mask fits the bill perfectly and can be customised with stick-ons, feathers and sequins.

Getting the look right is pointless without having a sword. Children can colour and decorate the hilt and scabbard details on the Design-a-Card Sword - a must for any dragon slayer!

A Design-Your-Own Shield will complete the look. These fantastic kits will really encourage children of all abilities to bring their costumes to life using their own ideas and inspiration.

After a day of frenetic arts and crafts activities and battle enactments it is always nice to unwind with a DVD. George and the Dragon shows a dragon-slaying George returning from the Crusades on a quest to find a beautiful princess. The happy ending in the film will provide a happy ending to a successful St George's Day!