A Life In Review

I wasn’t sure if I was going to write this post because I usually see St. Patrick’s Day as a holiday for those that are (ahem…) 21 and older. However, I for one, love any excuse to do crafts and activities with my daughter. I’m not great with pretend play or sports, but I am great at following directions and making holidays fun! This will be very similar to my Valentine’s Day post. I will give you a shopping list (things you’ll need) and the directions.

You won’t be surprised (if you’ve been following along with my blog) that I do not have pictures ready for you. That’s gonna have to be my goal for 2023 because 2022 me just can’t get it together enough to get you cute pictures of each activity ahead of time.

St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt: This is probably one of the easier activities in this list, but it’s still pretty fun for kids of multiple ages. I love scavenger hunts and I went searching for a way to make one more holiday friendly. I found someone on Etsy who pulled together a print out for you to use, so I will share their shop in the “what you’ll need” section so you can find it.
What You’ll Need: Scavenger Hunt File (meaning you need to use a printer) || Small
Candy Tin || Chocolate Gold Coins || Scissors
Directions: The printable scavenger hunt will let you know where to hide the clues, so
make sure that you have them printed and cut out before you introduce the activity to
the kids. You can do all of the clues, or pick and choose depending on what you have
available to you in your home. At the end of the scavenger hunt the kids will need to find
their treasure, or in this case, their “pot of gold”. That’s where the candy tin and the
chocolate comes in. You can be as creative as you want with that part, I just tried to
make it super simple.

St. Patrick’s Day Edible Rainbow: If you need a snack time idea, this is it! Another simple and relatively quick activity to do, is to build an edible rainbow with the kids. Since I didn’t get my act together, here you will find a picture of the activity (there are a few different ways to make this snack, but this one was the closest to my idea).
What You’ll Need: Paper Plates (one per kid) || Pipe Cleaners || Fruit Loops || Mini
White Powdered Donuts
Directions: Each kiddo will get one plate, one pipe cleaner (try to get the longer ones),
and two powdered donuts. In between the kids, put a bunch of Fruit Loops in a bowl.
Tell them that they will be making their own rainbows. Let them be creative with how
they put their rainbows together. They will slip the Fruit Loops onto the pipe cleaner
until they are satisfied with their rainbow. When they finish, help them bend the pipe
cleaner into a half circle and place each end into a powdered donut. If done correctly
the rainbow should be able to stand up on its own inside of the donuts. Take pictures
(because, hello, memories are being made) and then let them eat!

Shamrock Painting: This super easy painting activity is great for your younger kiddos. Here you’ll find a cute picture of this project in case my description is confusing for you. It’s been done by so many bloggers, but I just couldn’t exclude it from mine, because it’s so toddler friendly and that’s where I’m at in life right now.
What You’ll Need: Bell Peppers (one per kiddo) || Paper Plates || Green Paint || White
Paper (if you can get a roll of paper, I think that would be more fun) || Sharp Knife ||
Spoon
Directions: Take each pepper that you plan on using and cut off the bottom (about 1.5
inches can come off). Scoop out the (gross) insides of the pepper (just where the seeds
are) so that nothing will fall out when the kids are stamping. Dab the bottom of each
pepper with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture and then they are ready to go.
Pour a good bit of the green paint onto a plate for each kid and show them how to use
the pepper as a stamp. They will hold the top of the pepper (where the stem is) and dip
the cut end into the paint. Then they will stamp the pepper onto the paper making a
shamrock of sorts. Let them do this for as long as it will entertain them. Again, this is so
easy, but easy can be fun too.

St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bottle: These are great for all ages. In fact, during my freshman year of college we made these for some sort of bonding experience in the dorms (I think it was around midterms or something) 😂. So we will take a holiday spin on a traditional DIY sensory bottle. A lot of the things you will need can be found at the dollar store. Don’t feel like you need to spend a ton to do this activity with the kids.
What You’ll Need: Clear Empty Water Bottles (one per kid) || Water || Clear Glue (the
liquid kind) || Green Food Coloring || Green Glitter || Small Lightweight Items (ex. foam
shamrock shapes, green pompoms, green sequence) || Hot Glue Gun w/ Glue
Directions: Begin by pulling the label off the water bottles, you want a clear bottle so
the kids can see the things floating inside. Fill HALF of the bottle with warm water, then
fill the rest with clear glue until it’s almost to the top (you need a little space for the
objects you are going to drop in). Drop one to two drops of green food coloring in.
I would not suggest adding more than 2 drops because it will make the liquid too dark
for the kids to see what’s inside. Add a little glitter, along with a few of the lightweight
holiday items you found. Once they are satisfied with what’s inside, use hot glue to seal
the cap to the bottle and then let the kids have at it.

Sink the Pot of Gold: I saved the best activity for last. This idea came from the Little Bins Blog. It’s the cutest holiday science activity (they have others too if science is your thing). It’s relatively simple and great for your pre-k to 3rd graders (older kids might enjoy it too, but it’s aimed at pre-k – 3rd graders). If you head to the link, you can see a picture (and their description of the physical science) of this activity. For the sake of my post, I am going to break this activity down the same way I’ve broken down the others. As always check the Dollar Store before you go off and spend more than you need to.
What You’ll Need: A Shoe Boxed Sized Bin || 1, 3″-4″ Plastic Cauldron || Bowl of
Pennies || Bowl of 30 LEGOS || Paper Towels || Water || Paper and Pencil
Directions: Fill the bin up with enough water for the cauldron to float on top (make sure
that no liquid gets into the cauldron ahead of time. Place the cauldron in the water and
let it float for the kids to see. Show them the bowl of pennies and the bowl of LEGOS.
Ask them how many pennies they think they can put into the cauldron before it sinks into
the water and write it down on the paper (under their name). Do the same with the
LEGOS. Then let each kid individually test out their hypothesis. There’s no grand prize for
this activity, but it gets them thinking and that’s the fun part. Plus they get to play with
water and for some reason, kids love water.

I write these the way that I do so that even a person who isn’t very crafty, can get involved in a family activity. The best part about doing these activities, is doing them together. The kids aren’t going to remember if the project was perfect, they are going to remember doing something with you. So throw on some dance music and make it a family affair. As always, if you try one of these, be sure to tag me so I can see!