Food, crafts and activities you and your brood can use to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
Surprise your children this St. Patrick’s Day with a special lunch at school, and continue the festivities when they get home with a true celebration...
1. A Touch of Green in Food...A little green food coloring can go a long way on St. Patrick’s Day. From green milk in cereal to a four-leaf clover on your children’s sandwich bread, it’s easy to turn your everyday meals into a fun treat.
2. Rainbow Cake...Start the cake with vanilla cake batter (buy the box in the baking aisle or make from scratch) and split it into a few small bowls based on how many colors will be in your rainbow. The classic rainbow, remember, is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Add food coloring to your batter to make a variety of colors, and then pour them one by one into the center of a round cake pan and bake as normal. What comes out of the oven will be a treat — and one you can use beyond St. Patrick’s Day.
3. Go Traditional...If you opt to skip the leprechauns and rainbows this year in favor of a traditional Irish dinner, try a few Irish-inspired dishes you’ve never had before. Irish stew and Irish mashed potatoes (with bacon and kale) are sure to please kids and adults alike.
4. Blarney Stone...Known as the Stone of Eloquence, visitors come from around the world to lean down and kiss the Blarney Castle’s famous stone.
Luckily, you don’t have to travel to Ireland. Just make your own! Take any small, smooth rock you can find and decorate it with green paint, glitter, and anything else you’d like and you’ll be awarded with the gift of oration.
5. Paper-plate Leprechaun...Children love making paper-plate leprechauns; they’re the perfect St. Patrick’s Day decoration to hang on the fridge.
Use the paper plate as the leprechaun’s head. Paint the plate’s border orange, glue on googly eyes and draw in a smile. Make a hat out of construction paper and glue this to the leprechaun’s head to pull the face together.
6. Lucky Clovers...Any clover-making craft will be a hit with the kids — whether it’s making thumbprint clovers or clover stamps (made from a cut green pepper dipped in green paint).
For a project you can display as art, simply place your child’s painted hand onto a canvas four times to make four leaves and then paint a stem. The hand prints come out much smoother if you paint your child’s hand instead of having her dip it in the paint.
7. Scavenger Hunt...Hide treasures around your house or yard with clues for your children to follow. You can even make leprechaun footprints from construction paper to leave a trail they can follow. They’ll have tons of fun trying to find the next pot of gold or yummy treat.
8. Leprechaun’s Gold...You and your kids will have a great time trying to see who can slip the leprechaun’s gold through their fingers. Place your hands together and fold your middle fingers. Have someone place a coin between your ring fingers and try not to let go of it.
9. Movies...Snuggle up on the couch with the kids and some of your St. Patrick’s Day treats for a movie. There are plenty of family-friendly options to choose from that range from children’s cartoons to movies teenagers and adults can enjoy.
St. Patrick’s Day is a great reason to celebrate your good luck and gratitude while teaching your kids a bit of Irish history (and pride for Irish families!) and spending some quality time together. Enjoy!
DavidTheLocator
