Fun Freetime: DIY Lucky Charms: St. Patrick’s Day Crafts to do with Your Kids

--> Post by Tracy Layden of Alert-1, a personal safety technology and consulting firm.
 

St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish cultural celebration that has spread to more than just the Irish. Everywhere you look on March 17^th you’ll see people wearing green, searching for shamrocks, and eating corned beef.

Get your kids in on the fun with these crafts that will have them celebrating the luck o’ the Irish.

Coffee Filter Shamrocks

No shamrocks or four-leaf clovers to be found in your neighborhood? Sometimes we need to create our own luck – and our own shamrocks.

You’ll need:

·       Large coffee filters

·       Green pipe cleaners

·       Green food dye

·       Paper towels or newspaper

·       Shallow dish

How to make it:

1.     Flatten one coffee filter and place into the bottom of a shallow dish.

2.     Drip the green food dye onto the filter until it is swirled with green but not saturated.

3.     Move the filter onto a few layers of paper towels or newspaper and allow to dry.

4.     Once dry, use your index finger, middle finger and thumb, pinch from the outside of the filter towards the middle, gathering the coffee filter to create three ‘leaves.’ (If you want to make a four-leaved cover, use scissors to make four small snips evenly spaced around the edges to make the gathering easier.)

5.     Take one pipe cleaner and wrap it around the center pinch point of the leaves several times to secure the shape.

6.     Leave the reminder of the pipe cleaner as the stem of the shamrock.

You can gather a bunch of shamrocks into a wreath or bouquet, wear them as a broach or headband, give to friends, or simply decorate the house. These good-luck charms won’t wither away.

Wooden Clover Clips

Get your kids ready to show their Irish pride with these cute wooden clover clips. They’re perfect for pinning to clothing for a little extra luck.

You’ll need:

·       Wooden clothespins

·       A bag of small wooden hearts and stars

·       Glue (school glue/Elmer’s)

·       Green paint

·       Gold glitter

How to make it:

1.     Pick out 1 small star and 4 small hearts. The star will be the base of the clover and the hearts will be the leaves.

2.     Place a drop of glue on the middle of the star. Attach the hearts to the star with the points at the center.

3.     Allow the clover to dry.

4.     Glue the clover to your clothespin on the end that pinches things (not the end you press on) and allow to dry.

5.     Paint the clover and the clothespin green. While the paint is wet, sprinkle liberally with glitter. Allow to dry.

These clovers are easy to grab and go and are guaranteed to be green enough to prevent pinching.

Leprechaun Gold

No need to go searching for rainbows when your kids can create their own gold!

You’ll need:

·       River rocks or stones from the yard

·       Fine or extra fine gold glitter

·       Mod Podge

·       Foam brush

·       Newspaper

How to make it:

1.     Cover the work area with newspaper.

2.     With the foam brush, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge onto a rock or stone.

3.     While the Mod Podge is still tacky, sprinkle the stone with gold glitter.

4.     Tap the rocks to remove excess glitter and avoid clumps.

5.     Set aside to dry.

6.     Repeat the previous steps on uncovered sections of the rock until the entire rock is covered in glitter.

7.     Once completely dry, coat the entire rock with one last thin layer of Mod Podge to seal the glitter. It dries clear and will keep the glitter from rubbing off.

Now your kids will have their own St. Patrick’s Day treasures without stealing from your local leprechauns.

Leprechaun Hat Container

Your kids may not be leprechauns themselves, but they can have their own place to store their newly-minted gold with this leprechaun top hat container.

You’ll need:

·       Green, black, and yellow construction paper

·       A piece of cardboard

·       Green poster board

·       Glue

·       Scissors

·       Stapler

How to make it:

1.     Create a tube with the green construction paper. Glue or staple together. This will create the main section of the hat.

2.     Create the brim of the hat by cutting out a circle of cardboard that is larger than the green tube. Cut out a matching piece of green construction paper and glue the two pieces together. (The cardboard helps make the container sturdier.)

3.     Attach the tube to the brim with glue.

4.     Cut out strips of black construction paper. Glue or staple them together until long enough to wrap around the bottom of the green tube. Attach to the green tube with glue or stapes.

5.     Cut the shape of a belt buckle out of the yellow construction paper. Glue the belt buckle to the black band above the brim of the hat.

6.     Add any final decorative touches to the hat.

Once complete, you should have a leprechaun hat with the top left open. It will be ready for your kids to stash away their leprechaun gold.

St. Patrick’s Day Fun

With their new green accessories and their leprechaun gold in hand, your kids will be all ready for St. Patrick’s Day. Steal some of their gold and hide around the house or yard for a fun game of hide and seek. Wishing you the luck o’ the Irish to find it!