Updated january 2013
PAPER PLATE SHAMROCKS
Materials: 3 paper plates, Green Crayons or paint, Green Construction paper, glue, scissors
1. Color or paint all three paper plates green.
2. Cut a stem from green construction paper.
3. Glue the three paper plates together in a triangle type shape.
4. glue the stem at the bottom.
HAND HELD RAINBOW
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple crepe paper streamers
1. Cut the center out of a paper plate.
2. Cut long pieces of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple crepe paper streamers. Each streamer should be about two to three feet long.
3. Staple a rainbow of streamers onto the paper plate. You now have a Rainbow Streamer to help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
SHAMROCK GREEN PEPPER PRINTS
Materials: Green Pepper, Paper, Green Paint
1.Cut the pepper in half. Remove all the seeds.
2. Children dip the cross section pieces of the green pepper into green paint and use it to create shamrock prints on paper
IRELAND AND POTATOES...
1. Talk abut Ireland and the importance of the potato.
2. Cut some potatoes in half and carve out coin shapes, shamrocks, and a kettle.
3. The children can use these "stamps" to make colorful prints.
Tip: Make a bulletin board border by having kids stamp sheets of long paper...
SHAMROCK POTATO PRINTS IDEA #2
Paring knife and or plastic knifes-- (Depending on the ages of the children, adults may have to use the knives to create the potato "printers")
1. Cut the ends from the potato.
2. On the cut end of the potato---draw the outline of a shamrock. The potato AROUND the drawing on the potato is removed so that only the shamrock remains raised on the surface.
3. Use the potato like a stamp dipped in paint -- to decorate paper or create prints cards for St. Patrick's Day.
(This is using two St. Paddy Day things; potatoes and shamrock shape!)
POTATO PLAY DOUGH
Potatoes are commonly associated with Ireland.
Making homemade play dough out of mashed potatoes connects the Irish theme to a creative activity.
Mix mashed potatoes with flour to create a workable consistency. A good ratio for the dough is three-parts flour to four-parts potatoes. Another option is to use instant mashed potato flakes. Make them according to the directions but use less water so they have a stiffer consistency.
NOISEMAKER FOR DRIVING OUT THE SNAKES
1. Place some pebbles, dry beans or gravel-inside of a small milk carton - secure it shut with a glue gun.
2. Cover the carton with construction paper that is glued and fitted to it.
3. Force a craft stick into the bottom of the carton and hot-glue it in place.
4. Decorate the milk carton with yarn, markers and streamers of crepe paper.
(For younger children you may need to cover the cartons--- and then have them decorate it)
WANT TO MAKE SOME SNAKES TO GO WITH THE NOISEMAKER? (This is from the Recycled Materials Craft category)
MAKE A SNAKE
Paper towel tubes, paint, google eyes, decorations of choice
•Cut the paper towel roll into six sections of similar width.
•Paint the sections- decorating with glitter glu, and other details as desired.
•Once the paint is dry, apply googly eyes and glue a red felt forked tongue to the 'head' tube section.
•Loop yarn around last section and tie
•Thread the yarn through the rest of the section, leaving it loose at the head as a leash to pull the snake. Idea/Photo is from FreePreschoolCrafts by Devanie Angel
1. Cut out shamrock shapes
2. PUT a box of green collage materials such as yarn, fabric, ribbon, buttons, glitter, pom poms, etc.
3. Add green coloring to glue and have kids decorate to make a St. Patrick's Day collage.
ST. PADDY DAY POM-POM PIN
green pom-pom's, green paper or craft foam sheet, green pipe cleaner, pin back and either hot glue or craft glue
1. Cut a circle from the green paper; make sure it's large enough to hold all three pom-poms in a "Shamrock shape cluster".
2. Glue the pom-poms to the paper, to form a cluster.
3. Next cut the green pipe cleaner into thirds. (Each pin will use 1/3 of a pipe cleaner.)
4. Push the pipe cleaner through the paper or craft foam (this is done at the bottom of the pom-pom shamrock cluster)
5. Twist the pipe cleaner to make it look like shamrock stem--The twisted shape will look like an upside down "V" at the bottom of the shamrock...
6. Attach the pin to the back of the shamrock.
LEPRECHAUNS WITH HAIR #1
1. Cut the bottom off of a potato so it will stand/sit straight.
2. Cut the top of the potato off and hollow it out about one inch deep.
3. Have the children paint the potatoes green and decorate them making a face -- use beads, pipe cleaners, other paint colors, etc.
4. Finish by filling the hollowed out top of the potato with soil and grass seeds.
5. Water them and give lots of sun.
As below...Do this a couple weeks before St. Paddy's Day with the anticipation of the leprechaun's growing green hair!
LEPRECHAUN WITH HAIR #2
Have each child plant grass seed in a clear plastic cup. They can also draw a face with permanent marker or on a small round piece of paper and glue to the front of the planter. Do this a couple weeks before St. . Paddy's...with the anticipation of the leprechaun's growing green hair!
LIVING LEPRECHAUNS #3
Materials: Styrofoam cups, markers, paper, cotton balls, dirt, grass seeds
1. Give each child a Styrofoam cup.
2. Have children draw or paste precut facial features on the cup. You can use cotton balls for beard.
3. After the glue dries, fill the cup with dirt; plant grass or alfalfa seeds. Each Leprechaun should have a green head of hair soon!!
#1 HAND-SHAPED RAINBOW
(Display Board group project)
1. Using colored construction paper of yellow, orange, red, blue, green and purple trace THE CHILDREN'S HANDS. Make about 10 hand prints of each of the colors of the rainbow.
2. Put the children's names on the hand-prints; form the hands into a large, curved rainbow shape. (All the reds in one curved arch of the rainbow...all the yellows to form a curve, etc.
Nice on wall or bulletin board. From Cassie/Michigan...
#2 DISPLAY BOARD PROJECT (Make a huge hand print rainbow using different colored finger-paint and white butcher paper as the background.)
1. Have kids dip their hands in one color and print a few along one row.
2. Have other children do another row,(with colors of the rainbow) until you've made a huge rainbow.
Add a pot of gold at the end...
MAKE THE ABOVE AN ON-GOING MURAL!
After March 17th...Consider removing anything St. Paddy Day. Keep the rainbow up for springtime---rainbows make people smile---so just keep adding "spring-time" things to it! (Barb)
FROOT-LOOP AND SHAMROCK NECKLACE (For younger children)
Using a rainbow picture as an example, have children follow the pattern using fruit loops and string to make necklaces. Put a foam or felt shamrock in the center ...
PAPER SHAMROCK PLANT
Give each child a ball of model magic to press into the bottom of a Styrofoam cup. Decorate a pre-cut paper shamrock (Or a few) with glitter, etc. Tape a pipe cleaner to the back of the shamrock shapes. Put the pipe cleaner into the "pot". The model magic will dry quickly around the pipe cleaner and hold up the planted shamrocks!
SMOOTH AS GLASS SHAMROCK
1. Make a few templates of shamrocks for the kid to trace; Cut them out and have kids trace the template on tag board. Cut them out.
2. Next take light karo syrup and pour a small amount in the center of the shamrock; add a few drops of green food coloring.
3. Have kids mix/combine the syrup and food coloring until the two have blended.
4. Let dry and admire the finish!
ST. PATRICK'S DAY DRY BREAD MOBILE
1. Leave white bread out until it is hard. (It'll take a couple days)
2. When hard--use shamrock shaped cookie cutters and cut into shamrocks---Put a hole in each bread shamrock to insert yarn, ribbon or fish line
3. Paint them green and when dry hang them --or put together and hang at different lengths from a mobile hanger.
MAKE A LEPRECHAUN FACE SAND ART JAR
Materials for one project
Glass baby food jar
Green pom pom
Green construction paper - formed in cone shape for hat and also ears cut into points
St. Paddy Day colors of green, white, orange and yellow sand Curling ribbon (green and white) or a feather to decorate the top of the hat and orange yarn for hair
1. Fill baby jar with layers of the colored sand.
2. Glue on eyes, pom pom for nose, ears and hair.
3. Put top on jar and close tightly.
4. Put cone shaped hat on with streamers coming out of the top. Cute!!!
SHAMROCK NECKLACES (For young kids)
Green and white construction paper
Ribbon or yarn for stringing
1. Cut several sizes of shamrocks from green and white construction paper. Punch a hole in the top of each shamrock.
2. Give children a a length of a ribbon or yarn with masking tape wrapped on each end; show them how to string the shamrocks, alternating colors, to make a Saint Patrick's Day necklace.
MARBLE PAINTING SHAMROCKS
1. Cut out a large clover shape on white construction paper. Place it in an pan, shallow box or deep box lid.
2. Put several spots of paint in each corner about the size of a half dollar. Dark green, light green, gold and yellow all work ...alone or together.
3. Put a marble in the center of the Shamrock and have the children tilt the pan so the marble goes through the paint spots and across the paper. A golf ball also works well.
4. If you want, sprinkle with gold powder when complete.
A BLARNEY STONE
Supply or have children bring in a rock before St. Patrick's Day. Look for rocks that are the size of a slice of a bread.
1. Paint the rocks green and adds glitter with a lot on the top! This is the Blarney Stone.
When the rocks go home--put each one into a large zip lock bag with the child's name on it... (so the glitter doesn't get in book bags)
These can be used as paper weights, door stops, etc.
BLARNEY STONE #2
(If you kiss the Blarney Stone, it is supposed to give you the gift of eloquence.)
Materials: A smooth, clean river rock, green paint, brush, markers, glue, decorating items such as-- plastic jewels, glitter, sequins, google eyes, yarn, etc.
1. Take a dry and clean rock...and paint it green.
2. When the paint and glue are dry, add details of a face such as eyebrows, hair, etc.
3. When all is set...finish decorating rock using glitter, sequins, beads, etc.
When complete...you have a small Blarney Stone to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
MAKE LEPRECHAUNS BY TRACING CHILDREN'S BODIES
Before tracing, pose each child on the paper as if dancing a jig. Add a leprechaun hat to each child's shape. Use colors of green and black to decorate the shapes. Cut out--and hang about the room next to each other. A room full of dancing leprechauns!
TWO EASY CRAFTS
MAGIC LEPRECHAUN SUN GLASSES
Take green tagboard and cut it into shamrock shaped glasses. Put green cellophane to cover the eye openings.
Take 2 toilet paper rolls and staple them together. Paint them green. If you have a parade--use them to look for leprechauns--if no parade---look anyway!!
PAPER SHAMROCKS MADE FROM COFFEE FILTERS
1. Precut shamrock shape out of coffee filters.
2. Mix water and yellow food coloring and place mixture in a baby food jar. Do the same with blue.
Have the children use eyedroppers to drip colors on the filter shape. The colors will run together and make beautiful shamrocks.
Submitted by Jenny in Michigan
1. Cut Shamrock shapes out of tag board or heavy construction paper.
2. Paint them green and sprinkle salt on them while still wet.
The salt will make the shamrocks shine and sparkle when they dry.
You could make really nice St. Patrick's Day mobiles--with them or hang from ceiling or in windows.
Materials: Green Construction Paper, Glue, Markers or Crayons
Tip: My favorite way in working with any craft that incorporates shapes is to make templates for the kids to trace and cut.
1. Make templates of shamrocks for the children to trace--or PRE-MAKE shamrocks for the younger. With older children, have them draw and cut-out their own shamrocks.
2. With the green construction paper, create the shamrock shapes. 3. Draw FACES on the LARGE shamrocks.
4. ADD accordion-folded arms and legs (either from white paper or the green construction) ...
5. Cut smaller shamrocks for the hands and feet and glue them to the ends of accordion arms and legs.
These could be nice to hang from the ceiling, on the bulletin board for decorations--or glue to a straw or large tongue depressor stick for a puppet.
Materials: Yarn, Straws, Green Construction paper, Scissors.
Cut about ten 3 inch wide Shamrocks out for each child. Cut Straws into 2 inch pieces.
String the Straws and the shamrocks. One Straw, One Shamrock, One Straw, One Shamrock, One Straw, One Shamrock, etc....
Tip: A good Idea is to put tape on one end of the string so it does not come apart while stringing. Tape the second end to the table so the objects don't come off the other side.
When it is done tie a knot in the yarn on both side.
HANG IT FROM THE CEILING. You can make them as long or short as you wish.
LUCKY LEPRECAUN HATS
Materials: Paper bowls, green paint, paintbrush, hole punch, ribbon
Optional - gold glitter
Directions: Have children paint the backside of a paper bowl with the green paint. When bowls are dry, punch one hole on each side of the rim of the bowl. Lace ribbon through the hole so you can tie the hat on. Great for a St. Patty's party.
(OPTIONAL) While paint in wet on the hats, sprinkle gold glitter on them
Materials: Oak-tag or heavy white paper, rice, green food coloring, brushes, glue, glue containers, paper towels or pie tins, shamrock patterns.
Directions: Prepare rice a day ahead of project. Place rice in a small amount of water to which green food coloring has been added. Let it soak until desired shade of green had been reached. Drain off the water and let rice dry on paper towels or in pie tins overnight.
Make shamrock shape templates.
1. Trace and cut out the shamrock shapes.
2. Have the children brush diluted glue on their shamrocks and sprinkle green rice over the glue. (A drop or two of alcohol in a few drops food coloring will darkly color any kind of pasta: macaroni, etc. (See dying pasta recipe in the "Paint Recipe Thread".)
Materials: Paper and glue...
1. To make the flag--use a full sheet of white construction paper, have children glue 3 pieces of paper that have been cut to fit the white paper.
2. Starting from the left side of the white paper--in vertical stripes glue on 1/3 of green construction paper, 1/3 of white paper & 1/3 of orange paper.
SHAMROCK CRAYON RUBBING
Materials: cardboard, pencil, glue, paper, crayons
1. Draw shamrocks on cardboard or mat board.
2. With bottled glue, thickly outline the shapes of the shamrocks. Let the glue dry.
3. When dry, take a sheet of paper and lay it on top of the shamrocks.
4. Peel the crayon's paper. Turning the crayon side-ways, rub the shamrock shape.
Magic -- the kids have a shamrock!
POT OF GOLD
Small terracotta pots
Gold acrylic paint-
Gold wire ribbon or pipe cleaner
Hot glue gun
Green "Easter grass" and Gold foil wrapped chocolate coins
1. Using a paint brush or sponge, paint the inside and outside
of the pot with the gold paint.
2. After the paint is completely dry, cut a strip of gold wire ribbon or pipe cleaner--long enough to make a handle.
3. Attach each end of the ribbon/pipe cleaner to the top sides of the gold pot with the hot glue gun. Fill with green grass and gold coins.
4. Children can add rainbows, shamrocks, etc., to the outside of the pot with paint pens.
Idea of Sam from Amazingsmoms.com
ST. PATRICK'S DAY MAGIC WAND for younger children
Green construction paper
3-inch diameter cardboard circle or plastic lid
1. Draw 3 circles on the green construction paper by tracing around the lid or cardboard circle.
2. Cut out the circles.
3. Glue together a section of the circles' edges to form a clover shape. Dab glue onto the shamrock and sprinkle on glitter.
4. Glue the straw onto the back of the middle circle to form a handle. Let the glue dry.
MAKE ST. PADDY FINGER PAINT!
#1 GREEN PISTACHIO FINGER PAINT
You can use green pistachio instant pudding to fingerprint on a large piece of paper. When it is dry, you can cut it out in the shape of a large shamrock and glue a colored picture of a leprechaun in the middle.
#2 REGULAR FINGER PAINT WITH GRITS!
Mix green finger paint with grits and give it some texture... Then cover a shamrock shape......
The kids notice the difference in texture and like the feel of the paint with the grits added.
LEPRECHAUN MUSHROOM (A messy but fun painting project)
1/4 sheet of blue construction paper
A building block (Lego)
Several small paper circles
red, white and green tempera paints
glitter and glue
1. To print the top of the mushroom, dip the flat end of the potato in red paint and press on the paper.
2. Next -print a white stalk under the mushroom using the building block.
3. Print green grass around the bottom of the mushroom using the side of the straw. Allow to dry.
4. Glue on the white paper circles to make spots on the mushroom. 5. Spread glue around the mushroom cap and sprinkle with glitter. Allow to dry.
Using face paint...CELEBRATE ST. PATTY'S DAY by painting a shamrock or rainbow on the cheeks of the children! :-)
Complete Menu for St. Patty Day Activities...