Faith and b'gorra! It's almost St. Patrick's Day! Time to break out yer' green clothes, and celebrate bein' Irish! (even if you're not!) Take a peek at these fun craft and activities to celebrate this festive holiday!

 

LUCKY CLOVER BOOKMARK

Although it would be nice to use a four-leaf clover for this craft, the more common three-leaf variety will do very well indeed! The bookmark will be lucky, in that it will help prevent you from losing your place when you stop reading!

Here's what to do: Put your clover between 2 sheets of white paper, and press between the pages of a heavy book. In a few days, when the clover has dried, take it from between the pages of paper. Cut a strip from some colored construction paper, and carefully glue your clover to the top end. You can also laminate your bookmark to make it last longer!



SHAMROCK ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Mmmm! These are yummy, and a great GREEN dessert option for St. Patty's Day! Just make some green sugar cookie dough (you can cheat, and buy the refrigerator rolls and then mix in green food coloring!), roll out the dough, and cut out shamrock shapes with a cookie cutter, or a pattern. Bake as directed and allow to cool.

Now take some green ice cream (vanilla with food coloring, pistachio, mint chip- whatever you prefer!) and allow to soften slightly. Spread some ice cream onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place the remaining cookies, flat side down, on ice cream. Press cookies together lightly. Wrap each sandwich in foil and freeze for at least 2 hours.



LEPRECHAUN FINDERS

Have fun hunting for leprechauns! Draw a magnifying glass shape on cardboard or card stock and cut out 2 patterns. Don't forget to cut the middle for the "glass." Cut out a piece of green plastic wrap, just larger than the magnifying glass hole. Glue the two cut-outs together, with the wrap between them to form your magnifying glass look-alike. Decorate the frame of the finder with shamrock stickers, green marker, glitter, etc.

Now write the directions that follow on an index card on how to use the finder to hunt for leprechauns! Attach to the handle by punching a hold in the handle and another in the card, then tying the card on with a length of green ribbon. Now you're ready to hunt!

How to Use my Leprechaun Finder
1. Be very quiet
2. When you hear a sound tiptoe toward it
3. Look through the leprechaun finder
4. Say "Leprechaun little, leprechaun green, come on our where you can be seen!"



LEPRECHAUN TRESURE HUNT

Here's a fun way to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day! Cut out lots of shamrock shapes out of green construction paper. Take these, and some chocolate gold coins, and hide them in the backyard, or a neighborhood park. See who can find the most leprechaun treasure!


ST.PATRICK'S DAY

St. Patrick's Day is here, you see,
We'll pick some shamrocks, one, two, three,
We'll count the leaves and look them over,
And maybe find a four-leaf clover,
I'll sew green buttons on my vest,
Green for St. Patrick's Day is the best,
I'll wear a green hat, very high,

And dance a jig-at least I'll try!



LEPRECHAUN MUSHROOMS

Use a potato to paint a leprechaun mushroom! This is a fun (but messy) painting project, using different objects dipped in paint to make one picture!

You'll need:
1/4 sheet of 9" x 12' blue construction paper
1/4 potato
1/2 straw
a building block
several small paper circles
red, white and green tempera paints
glitter and glue

To print the top of the mushroom, dip the flat end of the potato in red paint and press on the paper. Then print a white stalk under the mushroom using the building block. Print green grass around the bottom of the mushroom using the side of the straw. Allow to dry. Glue on the white paper circles to make spots on the mushroom. Spread glue around the mushroom cap and sprinkle with glitter. Allow to dry.