St. Patrick’s Day Crafts

This is a partnered guest post.

Craft Some Irish Luck of Your Own

St. Patrick’s Day is one of the few holidays that casually pass by without too much preparation. If you’re not Irish, one of the only ways to celebrate is to wrap yourself up in some green attire (even though green isn’t always everyone’s color.) If by chance you forget to decorate yourself with green accessories, prepare to get heckled by your friends for skipping out on the celebration. This St. Patrick’s Day, educate your children about the Irish holiday by creating affordable homemade arts and crafts projects. All of the listed crafts can easily be made with household items that you more than likely have lying around. Also, all of the cute crafts will add some festive green décor to your home so you start feeling the luck of the Irish!

CEREAL RAINBOW

Do you have a box of Fruit Loops in the cupboard that are getting a little stale? Turn that aging oat cereal into an art project by having your child assemble the O’s in a rainbow shape. Group all the red Fruit Loops together in a curved line formation, then the oranges, greens, blues, and so on. Glue the cereal pieces down to a sheet of paper to form a magical colorful rainbow. Give your child a handful of pennies to glue at the end of the rainbow to represent the magical pot of gold! These fun projects will keep your little ones occupied so mommy can feel like the ole’ Irish luck rubbed off on her while she enjoys some relaxation.

SOURCE: http://www.kiboomu.com/2011/08/05/fruit-loops-rainbow-craft

PAPER TOWEL TUBE LEPRECHAUN

Ancient legends state that leprechauns are protectors of treasure. However, if you catch a leprechaun, then they are required to reveal where their treasure is hidden. This year, make your own little leprechaun with an empty paper towel roll. Hide the crafted leprechaun throughout the house for a week or so before St. Patrick’s Day so the kiddies can have fun trying to find it.

First, paint the empty toilet paper roll green and let it sit and dry. Trace the end of the towel roll onto some green construction paper, then make a bigger circle around the one that you just traced. Cut this shape out, so the result looks like a donut. Slide this donut shape around the top of the toilet paper roll. Next, paint a round little face with beige under where you just placed the leprechaun’s hat. Let the paint dry then draw a smiling face on top of the beige circle. You can really accentuate your jolly leprechaun by assembling a furry beard with some yarn!

PAPER PLATE LEPRECHAUN

If your child is detail oriented and artistic then they might enjoy making the paper plate leprechaun, which basically utilizes all the same materials as the toilet paper roll. You want to start out by making the leprechaun’s most important accessory: his hat! Cut out one large square and one rectangle shape from green construction paper and glue them together (the long rectangle will be the brim of the hat). Assemble it to make a hat shape and glue it at the top of the paper plate. Paint the paper plate with skin colored paint and let it dry. Have your child use some of your pocket change to trace a pair of eyes and a circular nose on some construction paper, then cut them out and place them on the plate. Glue them down, but be sure to wait until the paint is dry. Use a red marker to make a great big grin.

Next, cut out some thin pieces of red construction paper and wrap them around a pencil. Hold it for a couple seconds to make the paper curl, then place the pieces around the edge of the plate to form a funny beard. Encourage your children to show their creative expression by adding whatever detail they want to the face or hat!

SOURCE: http://www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com/paper-plate-leprechaun.html}

SHAMROCK POM-POM

Our simple Shamrock pom-pom pin craft is a fun and easy way to add a flash of green to your child’s wardrobe without opting for a full leprechaun costume. First, cut out a shamrock shape from felt. Just make sure it has 3 roundish leaves and a slender stem at the bottom. Next, glue three green pom-poms on each leaf and also glue the safety pin to the back of the felt. If your child is too young to handle a sharp pin, you can glue a tiny magnet on the back for a fun refrigerator decoration.

Cady D’Ambrosio writes for HalloweenCostumes.com, where you can find great a St. Patrick’s Day costume that will keep you free of pinches on the holiday.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!