The Luck of the Irish
By Ashley Gibbs
My sister-in-law has made St. Patrick’s day ‘her’ holiday to celebrate with my four kids. Every year she turns up with more green gear and goodies for them – green hair wigs, cans of Sprite, sour cream & onion flavored Pringles, green Sour Patch straws – whatever green items she could find at the store that day. My kids love it and look forward to it each year. As soon as they know she is on her way over they quickly take off scrambling through the house to see who can put on the most green to avoid being pinched (a tiny love pinch, of course). When kids are involved, every holiday can be an opportunity to start a new tradition or simply make the day a little extra fun. Here are a few ideas to help you make sure that this St. Patrick’s Day is a lucky one.
A Pot of Gold
Get kids involved in helping make your St. Patrick’s Day decorations. Nothing feels as happy as a good old-fashioned paper chain. Put together one (or several) using strips of construction paper the same colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple). At the end of your rainbow paper chain you will of course want to attach a pot of gold. Cut out a simple black pot and handle out of black construction paper and a few gold coins (add gold glitter for an extra touch), and attach to the end of your paper chain. You could display your chain on a wall or hang it from the ceiling.
Lucky Charm Treats
There are several ways you can use Lucky Charms cereal to easily create a few cute food items. One option is to make traditional Rice Krispy treats, but add in some of the marshmallows from the cereal. Kids can help by picking out all of those marshmallows from the cereal box! To make it extra festive add in a little green food coloring. Another option is to make Lucky Charms cereal treat bars. You will need 1 stick of butter, a 10-ounce bag of marshmallows and 6 cups of Lucky Charms cereal. Melt the butter in the microwave, add in the marshmallows, and melt for another minute. Stir well while slowly adding in the Lucky Charms cereal. Next, pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and let it chill in the refrigerator. A few simple steps that your kids will think are super fun!
Rainbow Seeds
Skittles make a perfect St. Patrick’s Day favor. Send these colorful treat bags to school for all the students in your child’s class, or just make them a special addition to their lunch boxes that day! Fill snack-sized bags with Skittles, staple a festive tag to the top, and you will have “rainbow seeds” all ready to go! You can create your own party tags at home!
