St. Patty's Jokes
Irish Recipes
Irish Stories
Irish Coloring Pages

Here's a few ideas for a St. Patty's Day party for kids:

Pin The Shamrock on the Leprechaun

Supplies:
Big picture of a Leprechaun
A green shamrock, for each child, with adhesive on back and their name on the front
Blindfold
How To Play:
Blindfold the player, spin 'em around and let them try to stick the shamrock where it's supposed to go.
Give a prize for the player that gets the closest.

Irish Hot Potato

Supplies:
Potato
Celtic or Irish Jig Music
How To Play:
Sit the children in a circle. Hand one child the potato.
Explain to the children that when the music begins they will pass the potato to the person on their right.
When the music stops whoever's holding the potato scoots out of the circle and playing resumes.
This game also provides a great opportunity to discuss agriculture in Ireland.
Perhaps they could pass while you talk and when you stop (every once in awhile)
the person holding the potato has to recap what you said.

Gold, Gold, Who's got the Gold

Supplies:
A large gold coin (or create our pot of gold craft).
How To Play:
A child is chosen to be the Leprechaun and hides her eyes
as a gold coin is given to a child to hide in his lap or behind his back.
The Leprechaun then has three chances to guess which child has their gold coin.
(All children hide their hands in their laps/behind their backs like they have it.)

Pot of Gold Toss

Supplies:
Large cardboard pot. Good size hole cut-out in center of pot, or
a few small holes for older kids.
Gold circular bean bags (gold coins)
Bucket to hold bean bags
Tape to mark distance line
How To Play:
Place cardboard pot a little distance from a wall with a paper box lid on floor to catch chocolate bean bags.
Mark your distance line according to age and skill of children.
Line children up behind the line and place a bucket of gold coin bean bags beside them.
Give each child three tries to get their bean bag through the hole.
Get all three gold coin bean bags in and earn a 'chocolate' coin reward.
Consider our pot of gold game as a fun alternative for smaller groups.

Shamrock Shake

Supplies:
Instant Pistachio pudding
Small container with lids
Milk
Plastic spoon for each child
How To Make:
Put a teaspoon of pistachio pudding in each container,
add milk and let them shake and shimmy for about three minutes
until the pudding thickens up and turns green.

How to Make Leprechaun Trap
Begin your celebration by building a Leprechaun trap.
Start by gathering your supplies. Items from around the house will do;
shoebox, glitter, pipe cleaners, markers, construction paper, wrapping paper, glue stick, egg carton, tape etc.
Children will love creating the design, from the bait to the trap.
Everyone knows that leprechauns arequick and crafty….
So you'll have to lure them inwith bait…
a piece of gold (chocolate coin), a pennyor a4 leaf clover.
Try using Lucky Charms cereal!
Leave your trap out the nightbefore St. Patty's Day and in the mornin' see what's happened.
It's hard to actually catch the leprechauns,
but they always leave little green foot prints and some chocolate coins behind.



St. Patrick's Day Party Decorations
Of course the color scheme for this party will be green and white with some yellow.
But, you may also want add a rainbow or two.
Decorate the room with green and white balloons, streamers etc.
Hang paper shamrocks from the walls and ceilings.
Enlist your kids help to make the shamrocks. they'll enjoy participating in the preparations.
Dress up the table with a white table cloth.
Scatter any of these items to make a festive table; paper shamrock's that the kids have created,
green sequins or curling ribbon, gold wrapped chocolate coins or kisses.

An Irish Welcome
Upon arrival, magically transform each guest into a leprechaun
with a hat and a face painted shamrock or rainbow.
Tip: Enlist a friend or teenager for the face painting.
You'll need to be with the children.

End of the Rainbow Treasure Hunt
Before the party make a rainbow using markers and poster paper.
Hide a pile of chocolate or plastic gold coins with the rainbow.
Create fun Irish clues that the children will use to find the rainbow.

Or even easier...hide the coins around the party area
and send the kids on a hunt.

Variation:
Use a permanent marker to write a number on each coin.
The number will correspond to a prize that the child can collect after the hunt is complete.
Prizes can be small such as candy bars, a box of Lucky Charms cereal,
green bubble bath or nail polish from your local dollar store.



Pot Of Gold Coin Toss
Use a cast Iron or any black pot. Establish a reasonable distance from
the pot and tape a paper shamrock to the floor. The children will take
turns trying to toss the coins into the pot. A small prize such as a sticker,
or small candy, can be awarded each time.

Feeding Your Little Leprechauns
Obviously anything green is in order for a St. Patrick's day party.
You can choose to serve a large Irish meal of Corned beef,
potatoes and soda bread.
However, I recommend lighter fare for a kids party.
Potato skins with melted cheese.
Green fruit such as grapes, kiwi, green apple, and honey dew melon,
served with yogurt dip
Raw green vegetables such as green beans, celery and cucumber,
served with dip.
Cheese sandwiches or quesadillas cut with a shamrock cookie cutter.
Green Jell-O Jigglers or green gelatin, topped with marshmallows.
Pour the gelatin into clear plastic cups before chilling.


St. Patrick's Day Drinks and Treats

Lucky Lime Drinks
Put one or two small scoops of lime sherbet in a clearglass ice-cream
cup or mug. Pour 7-Up over the sherbet.
Add a blob of whipped cream,green sugarsprinkles anda green maraschino cherry!

Irish Mint Floats
Drop two scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream into a glass mug.
Pour milk over the top add a drop ortwo ofgreen food coloring.
Top with whipped cream andgreen sugar sprinkles.

Peppermint Candy Shake
You'll Need:
2 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Peppermint Pattie bars, or Junior Mints cut into pieces
Blender

Directions:
Place candy pieces and place into the freezer for 15 minutes.
Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Stir with a spoon and blend for 30 more seconds. Repeat until desired consistency is reached.
For a thicker shake, place blended milkshake into freezer for a few minutes.
Top with whipped cream and more mint candy pieces on top.

A Good Luck Party Favor
Send each guest home with a lucky green carnation. Use your computer
to generate Irish Blessing notes, that you'll tie to each carnation.
Your children can make the green carnations a day or two before the party.
Simply place white carnations in water with several drops of green food color added.
Like magic, the next day the flowers will be green!

An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

A Wish for a Friend
Wishing you a rainbow
for sunlight after showers.
Miles and miles of Irish smiles,
for golden happy hours.
Shamrocks at your doorway,
for luck and laughter too,
and a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!