May your St. Patrick's Day be touched by some Irish luck... or at least by some St. Patrick's Day-themed crafts to keep those kids engaged and happy.
We've got your pot o' gold in terms of projects for the kids this St. Patrick's Day: green glitter slime, a rainbow of modeling dough, and let them get uber-creative by building their own leprechaun trap!
Read on for all the details, then get to mixing, playing, and building. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Easy Glitter Green Slime
 Photo by Jennifer So |
Are you searching for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this month? Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green slime and gold glitter, a STEM project from Jennifer So, the publisher of Macaroni KID Birmingham-Troy.
Kids of all ages will enjoy making this themselves and playing with it for days.
What You Need:
- 4 ounces of clear glue
- 4 ounces water
- 4 ounces of liquid starch
- Green food coloring
- Gold glitter
What You Do:
- Mix 4 ounces of clear glue with 4 ounces of water until well blended.
- Add food coloring and glitter and mix thoroughly.
- Add liquid starch last and mix until slime begins to form.
- Knead and mix with your hands until everything is well combined.
- Store in a sealed bag or airtight container.
St. Patrick's Day Modeling Dough
 Getty Images via Canva |
Make green, black, and gold play dough, then add rainbow ribbon to make this homemade modeling dough recipe a St. Patrick's Day charm.
What You Need:
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of salt
- 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon of cream of tartar
- Food coloring in colors of your choice
- Glitter (optional)
What You Do:
Note: If making multiple colors, cut the above recipe in half or thirds and do each color in separate batches.
- Add all the ingredients except the glitter to a stainless steel pot and stir continuously over warm heat.
- Continue stirring until it begins to form a ball (it will only take 3-4 minutes). It may still feel wet, but the dough will be dry somewhat after kneading.
- Pour your dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Be careful, as it may be hot!
- Once it's cool enough to handle, add glitter and knead.
Then it's time to play!
Build a Leprechaun Trap
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Leprechauns are notorious troublemakers. One St. Patrick's Day, we woke to discover that a leprechaun had snuck into our house and tossed my boys' shoes all over their rooms. It was quite a mess, but the leprechaun made up for it by leaving a couple of games for my boys!
The next year we built a leprechaun trap to try to catch the naughty little visitor. How do you make a leprechaun trap? Any way you like! But if you need inspiration, here's how we did it...
What You Need:
- A shoebox
- Wrapping paper, tissue paper, or construction paper in various shades of green
- Gold coins
- Craft sticks, paper, and a marker to make a sign
- Glue and tape
What You Do:
- Wrap the shoebox with green paper. Tissue paper works well because it is thin and folds easily. You can also use wrapping paper or construction paper!
- Cut out some shamrocks to decorate the inside and outside of the box. Or cut sets of three small hearts to glue together to form a shamrock.
- Add your "pot of gold." We used double-sided tape to adhere a paper muffin baking cup to the box and added gold Mardi Gras beads. You could also use novelty coins, foil-wrapped chocolate coins, Rolo candy, or Hershey's Almond Kisses for the "gold."
- Since leprechauns love gold, make a sign to let them know there's gold inside your trap! Put double-sided tape around the pot of gold, so the leprechaun gets stuck when he tries to steal the gold!
Good luck catching your leprechaun!
