Five Ways to Make St.Patricks Day Fun

Many people "celebrate" St. party's day and do nothing or only decorate their house green or go drinking at the local pub. We are a bit Irish. I am very much into helping my kids know their heritage as well as making a home and life full of fun and whimsy for them. Yes, I am "that" mom. 😊 

St. Patty's Day is a day of fun my kids look forward to, so I thought I would share my top 5 fun ideas we do in our home. 

ONE:  The Leprechaun’s Home

Every year the Leprechaun comes on St. Patrick’s Day and builds his house somewhere in our yard.  The kids have to find it.  As they have gotten older, I have hidden it in not so obvious places.  I put the door in front of a tree.  I tell them to knock on it, but when they open it, there is a tree!  The leprechaun’s magical spell so we don’t go into his house.  

I bought the  lil door here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ozarkkountrycrafts However, I noticed that recently they are not taking new orders.  You can find another door maker on Etsy or make your own...future tutorial?? 

Two: Green Eggs and Ham 

Why not have some green eggs and ham…or in our case, veggie bacon??  Add some food coloring and there you go.  The kids get a kick out of it.  We also have cabbage and corned beef for dinner, but I recently read that this is an American tradition, not Irish. 

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Three:  Golden Coins

When the leprechaun comes that means mischief.  So one of the things the leprechaun does is drops his gold.  However, he put a spell on the coins.  They are not really gold, but chocolate!  YUM!  The girls found some out side by his house when they were young and around the house. Now that they are older, he hides them throughout the house in difficult to find places. You can switch this up a bit by also bidding plastic coins some years with the chocolate and silver dollars mixed in.  This year he left them a note.  Please feel free to copy the one below and use. You may have to adjust some words like the number of coins.  

A wee leprechaun am I, 

Many moons old and spry.

I visit the 17th of Mi Marta.

While you were but asleep,

Into your home I creep

Making mischief and saying “how-ya!”

Aye found my pot ‘o gold, 

With many treasures untold,

A spell I am a puttin’ upon it.

With mischief in mind, 

Coins I have hidden for lads and lasses to find,

14 if you can ever find them! 

Four: Leprechaun Mischief

When the kids wake up in the morning the house is topsy turvy.  Chairs upside down on tables, Barbies hanging from odd places, streamers all over them and their bed, green painted feet on the toilet seat with green water inside, etc.  The crazier the better!  All day the Leprechaun does mischief.  When they get home from school…more has happened while they were gone.  This cracks them up and they love it….even as they get older.   Here is a great tutorial on the feet prints for the toilet:http://differentiatedkindergarten.com/how-to-make-leprechaun-feet-becuase-you/

The pictures below are not my own, but it gives you an idea of the mayhem.  

Five: Locked Up Leprechaun

There are tons of decorating ideas you can do.  One of the things I have done is this Leprechaun Jar.  I put it on the table as a center piece, however, the day he comes…the leprechaun in the jar disappears.  You can find the tutorial here at my much neglected and older blog:  http://lillollipopsdesigns.blogspot.com/2013/02/locked-up-leprechaun.html