17 Fun Things to do for St. Patricks Day!

1.  Send your kids on a Shamrock Hunt.  I am going to do this on a family night well before St Pattys day.  There are so many fun things to do that I need to space out the FUN!!!  I found these cute Shamrocks (below) at Jo-Ann Fabrics for $1 per bag of 25.  I am going to use them for my version of a Shamrock Hunt.  I got this fun idea from a friend last year (thanks Cami.C) but I never got to do the Shamrock hunt because we were busy moving!  So this year, I will do it.  First I will number the Shamrocks, then I will hide them.  Next I will send the kids on the Shamrock Hunt.  Once all of the Shamrocks are found, the kids can trade for different numbers (but they wont know what they are trading for).  Then its time to see who gets LUCKY!!  They get to choose prizes from numbered bags that match the numbered Shamrocks. 

I think I will do 5 shamrocks of each number and then 5 different surprise bags.  Here is what I think I am going to put in the bags: 

1. Green Packs of Gum (I think I will put in four 5-stick packs and one 17-stick pack for the LUCKY one)

2. Greenbacks (as in real money, I think I will do four $1 bills and, for whoever gets LUCKY, one $5 bill)

3. Green Fruits (apples, kiwi, grapes, and for the ones who are UNLUCKY, limes and green bananas!) 

4. Green Candy (I am going to do four yummy treats and one really Sour one)

5. Green Accessories (I cant wait for my 9 year old boy to pull out the green flower for his hair! I am also going to try to find Green socks, Green underwear, a Green tie, and maybe some green lipgloss or nail polish)

2.  Host a Mommy Luncheon where all of the food is St Patty themed. Here is a Green meal I made last year.  (shown below is:  Green fruit ke-bobs, Green bean casserole, Green pudding cups, Green salad, and Green Lemonade) And for fun, make a cute St Patty's day mommy craft like this one from my friend, Amy, at mytalkingwalls.com, while the little ones are playing (hopefully!).

3.  Have a St Patty's breakfast!  Give your kids a brand new box of Lucky Charms (we got these large boxes last year for less than $1 with coupons!) for breakfast. Make a sign that says "You are my Lucky Charm!" Serve it with green milk.  This is ours from last year.  We had just moved so this boring hand written sign was all I could make that morning.  The kids didnt care though!  If you can find them, it would be cute to do the tiny boxes of Lucky Charms and do one per child.  If you arent a cereal family there is always the good old Green eggs and Green shamrock pancakes idea!

4.  Set a Leprechaun trap by the front door.  Here is a link to a really cute one.  I think this is one of the cutest ideas/traditions I have ever heard of (thanks Amber T) ...but we have never done it because I always forget the night before!  This is the year though, I am going to plan on it!

5.  Make a "Lucky" banner.  Hang paper clovers around.  Let the kids put holiday clings on the doors.  Never underestimate the importance of DECORATIONS!! (I hope my husband doesnt see this!).  I am planning to make a banner soon and I will post a photo then.

6.  Fill the kids shoes with green treasure and gold coins.  These photos are ours from last year and the year before.  That leprechaun used Green shampoo, soaps, candy, gum, and juice boxes (this is all stuff that we had in our house that I got for nearly free with coupons! Check out my post on that here, scroll to day 5) and then he also gave them Green glow sticks, Green balloons, and Green headbands (these you can get for $1 at Michaels) and gold coins.  In our house they earn these gold coins for chores and they cash them in for $.25 each so they were excited!!

7.  Keep the fun going and hide a few more gold coins (you could use chocolate ones but my kids hate chocolate, Crazy, I know!) around the house where your kids will be...in the pantry, the silverware drawer, the refrigerator...to name a few.

8.  Give the kids a Green bubble bath. Use your regular bubble bath and add a few drops of green food coloring to the water or make this homemade Green Apple Bubble Bath (you might still want to add green coloring to the water for fun. Dont worry, I tried it last year and it turns the water green but not the kids!).

9.  Make corned beef and cabbage.  This is a photo of ours from last year.  I found a recipe online to make it in the crockpot!  I wasnt sure how this would be received in my family of picky eaters but it is something worth trying.  I think we will do it again this year.  I also served only Green sides and drink (see the photo above).  If you are ambitious, make (or buy) fun Green hats to wear while eating dinner!  I am going to try making these super cute homemade ones (thanks to tipjunkie for the link!).

10.  Give your kids Green T-shirts.  They have to wear Green that day or risk being pinched!  I usually go to Old Navy and get their St Pattys shirts or just give them a Green (non St Pattys) one that I have gotten on clearance for really cheap.  This would be fun to do closer to March 1st so they get lots of wear out of them before the Holiday is over.  Just make sure they are clean for the 17th!

11.  Wreck the house (I turn over the chairs, tip over decorations, nothing too messy!) and make little green footprints all over with washable paint.  I do this every year and my kids love it.  I remember my teachers at school doing it to our desks and I thought it was so fun! 

12.  Send the kids on a Scavenger Hunt with a Pot O' Gold at the end of the rainbow.  This idea is from Family Fun.  It is really cute.  Again, I do this EARLIER, rather than on the 17th.  For us, this is another pre-St Patty's family night activity... Just to space out the fun! 

13.  Take the neighbors a bag of Green treats and wish them a Happy St Patricks Day! We took our neighbors little bags of Green apples, Green glow sticks, and Green gum last year. My kids love being little Leprechauns! This is a photo of a St Patty's bucket that my sister in law, Jen, made for us.

14.  Host an Adult Dinner Party. Serve a "Green only" or corned beef and cabbage dinner. Play a game that involves only luck, like Bunco!  Or, I was thinking a "Host A Murder Party" would be lots of fun. I have to admit that I haven't hosted a St Pattys dinner party yet. We were invited to one 3 years ago but I ended up in the hospital that day! Maybe this is the year.....but St Pattys is on a Wednesday so I need start planning when to do it.....you should too......

15.  For the LDS ladies out there:  Have a "Lay up Treasures In Heaven" Family Home Evening.  Do #12 as the activity!  Make a fun St Patty's treat too.

16.  Make green carnations for a centerpiece or for Grandma.  We used to do this in school and it is a science experiment as well as a decoration!

17. Send the kids to school with a Green St Patty's themed cold lunch.  My son even has a green lunch box!!  Here are some things I think I will do:  Green tortilla turkey wrap- filled with Green lettuce, Green pickles, and Green avocados, Green Sunchips, Green fruit (grapes, kiwi, apples), Green applesauce cup or jello cup, Green juice box, and dont forget a Green spoon and a Green napkin with Green writing that says "I Love You!"!  And maybe a gold coin or two.

Now go plan some good, Green, St Patty's fun for your family!

Happy St Patty's Day!!

 Show me what you did or share your family's St Patty's traditions or ideas!  Leave a comment below!