Okay, I'm actually Irish
But don't really know what to do with the kids for St. Pats day. They asked "What do we do on St. Pats Day?" and I'm like "Um, hmmm, dunno." I told them we could try to catch a leprechaun, but I was wondering -- do I put green food coloring in the milk, or leave "signs" that the leprechaun was here?
Any ideas would be fabulous!
Thanks!
Other than the traditional corned beef and cabbage which I doubt any kids would eat, the only thought I have is make everything you can green. **** you can find green beer for the occasion so why not.
For a sign the leprechaun was there, you could leave gold coins of some sort around. When I was in 2nd grade, I told a girl that her "leprechaun gold" pieces were really Canadian dollars and she cried (um, hello, I just told you that you have like $10 in your backpack, why are you sad? I was so confused! ). So maybe you'd want to use fake coins.
All I remember from St. Patrick's Day as a kid was corned beef... it was the only time of year my mom would make it, and I was looking forward to that starting in mid-February!
You could go on a treasure hunt and leave clues everywhere. You could bury a "pot of gold" somewhere and fill it with gold plastic necklaces, stickers and stuff.
I love St. Patrick's Day, although I'm mostly Scandinavian and not a drop of Irish. My kids have a few drops from their dad, though. I'm dressing them in green, serving corned beef and cabbage (they actually do like it), soda bread (not for me), and greensprinkled shamrock cookies (for them). At school they try to capture leprechauns in little traps they will build today. When they show up tomorrow it will look as though the trap has captured one, but they will have tricked the trap and leave chocolate coins in gold wrappers. So, maybe hide gold coins. Also, leprechauns love to make a mess, you could be the one to make a mess for a change. Read Irish fairy tales. Also, I usually have a shamrock plant around this time of year, but I was unable to find one this year.
Last edited by shrinkingviolet; 03-16-2009 at 11:55 AM.
I found a pot of gold with toy gold coins in it at Walmart, I felt stupid paying ten dollars for it, but oh well. I guess I will hide some of the gold coins and see if they find the hidden pot of gold.
I looked for choc. candy gold coins but didn't find any. I am assuming the ones in the pot are not candy..just toys.
I also heard to take a food coloring pill and place it in the tip of the faucet, just unscrew the tip and insert the pill...then it turns your water green.
I didn't find the pills at walmart though...I do have green liquid food coloring so I could make the milk green or something.
Thanks for your ideas!!!
They have gold coins (like the Hannukah gelt) at Trader Joe's for a couple of bucks....you could make a decent Pot O'Gold with a small flower pot.
We got some of that flowering clover at TJ's also, it looks cute in the window sill, of course, if it ever gets loose in your garden it's the most obnoxious weed!
What we always do get little bagles and make green cream cheese with food coloring. My kids would NEVER touch corned beef and cabbage (one has always been a vegetarian since age 5) but they like cole slaw, so basically we have a make your own dinner thing with bagles, green cream cheese, steamed broccoli, cole slaw and some turkey and cheese.
I make green scrambled eggs, we make leprechaun traps and then have a green dinner. Girls love finding their traps sprung with a chocolate gold coin left behind.
Our tradition has always been green pancakes for breakfast. I'm not sure where it came from or why, but in about January my kids start asking "when is green pancake day?"
Any fun ideas for kiddos for St. Pats Day?
). So maybe you'd want to use fake coins. 
