St. Patrick’s Day Craft and Recipe Ideas for Kids!

This story was provided by contributor From Scratch with Maria Provenzano.

Ready to go green on March 17th? I’ve got all the fun crafts, DIY’s, and recipe ideas that’ll make your kids want to celebrate! St. Patrick’s Day is a fun way to talk about Ireland’s heritage and culture with your little ones. I know that my kids can’t wait to wear green and gold to school, so to help all those other parents out there, I’ve gathered some helpful tips that are the equivalent of a pot of gold to help you celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day with your kiddos.

Create a DIY Mossy Maze Leprechaun Trap

SUPPLIES:

• Sheet moss
• Floral moss (loose); I recommend using a couple of different colors
• Wood tray
• Hot glue gun
• Paper in rainbow colors
• Paper cutter; optional (scissors can also be used)
• Paper cup and lollipop stick for the trap
• A Fun Additional Option: wood rounds, rainbow sprinkles, gold pieces

DIRECTIONS:

• Measure out the sheet of moss so that it will fit into the tray.
• Hot glue the moss sheet into the bottom of the wood tray.
• Add the loose moss into the tray with your hands and create your own maze
• Once you plan how you want your maze to look, glue the loose moss in with a hot glue gun.
• You can add extra details like wood rounds, fake pieces of gold, and sprinkles along the trail to entice the leprechaun. 
• To create the rainbow simply cut red, orange, yellow, green, purple, and blue strips of paper approximately 1-inch wide. 
• You can make them as long as you like depending on the size of your tray
• Glue the 1-inch strips of paper together with a hot glue gun.
• Once the glue has dried, fold the bottom of each end of the paper under about ¼-inch and add some glue to the ends, then glue the rainbow into the tray on top of the moss leading to the end of the maze.
• To create the trap I simply cut a small white paper cup and held it up with a lollipop stick so that when the leprechaun enters the rainbow and sees the gold then he will be trapped by the cup.

Lucky DIY Hair Pin

This adorable DIY accessory is sure to make you feel lucky (and add that pop of green to your ensemble) all St. Paddy’s Day long! 

SUPPLIES:

• Green Felt
• Green Thread 
• A needle
• Scissors (See note below)
• Glue (I used a hot glue gun)
• A hair pin or headband

DIRECTIONS:

• Use fabric scissors for the cleanest lines while cutting any fabric or thread I recommend buying a pair of craft scissors that you just use for crafting. 

Shamrock Cookies

Satisfy your sweet tooth while also baking together as a family with this easy and tasty shamrock cookie recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups (312 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (two sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup (165 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 egg
• 2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or almond if preferred)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1/2 cup green sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down sides as necessary.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture to the bowl. The dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When touched, it has a little give, but does not stick to fingers.
• Flour the work surface and roll dough to about 1/4 inch thick, using flour for dusting as necessary. Use a shamrock cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Gather up scraps and reroll dough. Repeat until no dough remains.

DIY St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape

Looking for even more St. Patrick’s Day ideas? Look not further than this party tablescape that will make you and your little one’s feel the luck of the Irish!  these heavenly homemade St. Patty’s Peppermint Patties and head to From Scratch with Maria for even more festive ideas.

Some Additional Fun Easy Crafts for Younger Children

• Ages 2+ Make an “all things green” collage by taking a walk around your yard or neighborhood, collecting green things. When you’re back home glue your items (or pieces of it if the item is large) onto sturdy paper.
• Ages 3+ (Math, Fine Motor, Art): Gather a few pennies and a crayon with its paper removed. Have your child place the pennies under a piece of white paper and rub the crayon long-ways against one penny at a time, creating a rubbing print. Ask your child questions as they work like, “How much money do you think should be in your pot of gold?” and “What would you do with all your pennies?” When your child thinks they’ve rubbed enough pennies, count them up! Have them extend the activity by cutting out the pennies and gluing them onto a black “pot” cutout, creating a lucky pot of gold! Watch out for leprechauns!
• Rainbow Watercolor Salt Shamrock: Trace a clover shape onto heavy duty paper (card stock, construction paper). If your child’s old enough they could draw their own, if not, help them out! Once your shamrock is drawn, outline the shape with white glue and make swirls on the inside. Then, pour salt over top of the glue and shake off the excess. The child will then use watercolor paints or food coloring mixed with water and a paintbrush, to drip a rainbow of colors into the salt. (The colors will bleed and blend a little.) Viola!