Fun Activities for Wee Ones on St. Patty's Day

Children love legends and magic, and St. Patrick Day surely delivers! Here are some ideas for crafts and activities that the whole family will enjoy.

Lads and lasses, get ready to have a wee bit of fun on St. Patrick's Day. March 17th is an Irish holiday honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity in the fifth century.

In America, St. Patrick's Day is a time to wear green and celebrate. The first American commemoration of St. Patrick's Day was in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. The St. Patrick's Day parade up Fifth Avenue in New York City is the largest and most famous. And the St. Patrick's Day parade in Savannah, Georgia, first held in 1824, is one of the largest and oldest in the United States.

As the saying goes, on this day everybody is Irish!

Green is associated with this holiday because it is the color of spring, Ireland, and the shamrock. Children love the legend of the magical Leprechauns. Plan a green gala at home with the family in honor of this holiday with the following fun activities.

Green Food

Kick off your celebration by assembling a smorgesborg of green foods:

• Add green food coloring to your favorite dishes—try green mashed potatoes, green scrambled eggs, green milk, or green shamrock pancakes!
  
  
• Bring out green whole foods, such as green apples, kiwi, green grapes, celery, zucchini, spinach, lettuce, pickles, and more.
  
  
• Get your child in the spirit by painting a green shamrock on your child's cheek with theatrical face paint or a green eye shadow pencil.
  
  
• Serve meals on green paper plates, cups, and napkins.
  
  
• Invite your child to cut out paper shamrocks from green construction paper to decorate the house. An easy tip for making shamrocks: Cut out and assemble three hearts and attach them at the points. Add a stem if you wish.
  
  
• Make lucky coin barrettes. Find an old barrette and glue shiny pennies on top. Use tacky glue or a glue gun (adult supervision is necessary). Your child will feel like she has found the pot of gold when wearing this hair accessory.