Turn leprechaun-themed crafts into fun games and activities for kids to play on St. Patrick’s Day, taking green-crafting to another, more enjoyable level! In the spirit of reduce, reuse and recycle, these two craft activities and games require minimal supplies so you will only be supplementing the items you already have on hand!
Sticking Coins on a Pot-of-Gold
Using your kids’ crayons and colored markers I’m guessing you’ll only need to buy a poster board, Leprechaun stickers, and glue dots. Supplemental (optional) St. Patrick’s Day quick crafts, listed below are easy to access from my source page at: AssociatedContent.com/cmajors.
To create a St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun-themed “Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey” type of game, first craft and then play my safer version, “Sticking Coins on a Pot-of-Gold.” Simply draw long, arching rainbow outlines onto a poster board using permanent marker pen, drawing a black pot-of-gold at the end of the rainbow. Have your kids add real shamrocks (clovers) with glue dots (or Leprechaun stickers) on the poster as they color-in the rainbow with crayons and markers.
You can make children’s rainbow crayons by referring to the simple instructions found in “St. Patrick’s Day Lesson Plan for Preschoolers” on my source page. Once your rainbow poster has been colored, rustle up a blindfold, a bag of golden plastic or chocolate coins and a roll of glue-dots (to adhere coins to poster).
Blindfold one child at a time, spinning around and with coin-in-hand, steer straight into the rainbow poster. Extra points are given for coins stuck onto the pot-of-gold at rainbow’s end. To craft a Leprechaun’s hat for use during the game, see instructions for “Making a St. Patrick’s Day Foam Hat” on my source page site above.
Leprechaun Treasure Hunt
A Leprechaun’s hat could also be worn during a St. Patrick’s Day “Treasure Hunt,” indoors or out. Make an old treasure map by ripping a brown paper-grocery bag apart, tearing an 8″ by 11″ (approximate) blank sheet and draw your map. Sketch and label neighborhood/backyard (child-recognizable) landmarks, plotting dotted path-lines for your kids to follow as they journey toward the X-marked treasure spot.
To create an authentic-looking (worn-out) treasure map trace around the edges with a black marker, crumple into a trash ball and then smooth out with a quick ironing (no steam). Roll up your map and tie with raveled string to secure the secret treasure until hunting begins. Create a Leprechaun’s treasure by filling a shoebox with inexpensive toys and individually boxed raisins, nuts and granola bars from the dollar store, or by raiding the kids’ school lunch-box stash.
To construct the chest, first make a hinged lid by snipping two top shoebox corners, leaving the opposite two corners in-tact. For easy lifting, fit the lid back onto the shoebox and tape the cut flap to the box using shipping or Scotch tape. Paint the entire box inside and out with black poster paint or wide-tipped black marker pen and allow to dry, while you hunt down an old household pad-lock.
Attaching a real pad-lock is easy, once the paint has dried and treasure has been placed inside. Cut two holes through the box lid, pulling the lock through and snapping it closed. Don’t worry about lock-keys as your kids will find a way to rip open the Leprechaun’s treasure chest once found, locked or not. Hide the Leprechaun’s treasure at the “X” location on your map before turning your kids loose to use their map-deciphering skills.
Two Leprechaun games your kids will enjoy playing on St. Patrick’s Day after easy craft assembly. Use these green-recyclable crafts to teach your kids how to reuse old household items, turning them into games everyone can enjoy.
