St. Patricks Day - Kid Style

Many schools have Sta. Patrick's Day parties, or parties for each holiday in general. This year, St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday so I'd recommend a party with your kids and whatever cousins or neighborhood kids you can round up. Need another snack idea besides green-sprinkled whipped cream over lemon-lime Jello? How about a game to play or crafts to do? ABMS has assembled some of the finest ideas to occupy this Saturday's afternoon.

Pot of Gold Chex Mix

Ingredients

4    cups Lucky Charms® cereal
2    cups Corn Chex® cereal
1 1/2    cups broken mini-pretzel twists (about 65 twists)
1    cup dry-roasted peanuts
1/2    cup packed brown sugar
1/4    cup butter
2    tablespoons corn syrup
1/8    teaspoon baking soda
1/4    cup green mini candy-coated milk chocolate candies

Directions

    1 In large microwavable bowl, place cereals, pretzels and peanuts; set aside.
    2 In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High about 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
    3 Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl every 30 seconds, just until cereal begins to brown. Cool 5 minutes; stir in candies. Spread on waxed paper to cool; break into bite-size pieces. Place in gold foil baking cups if desired. Store in airtight container.

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St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt

Follow fun all the way to a faux pot of gold.

What You Need
        Paper
        Marker
        Black pot
        Chocolate gold coins
        Scissors
        Green construction paper

Instructions

1.         Hide a pot filled with gold chocolate coins either inside or out, depending on the weather.
2.         Cut out several four leaf clovers from green construction paper. Cut one clover larger than the others.
3.         Write clues leading up to the pot on the smaller clovers.
4.         On the large clover, write the first clue and place it under your child's breakfast dish.
   

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Take Home Leprechaun

Materials

• Toilet paper tube
• Green craft foam
• Acrylic paints: green, skin-tone, pink, and brown
• Black permanent marker

• Tacky glue
• 4 brown pipe cleaners
• Decorative button

Instructions

1. For this crafty little decoration, first trace around the end of a toilet paper tube onto a piece of green craft foam.


2. Draw a 2 1/2-inch circle around the first circle, then cut them both out to create a hat top and brim and set them aside.
   
   
3. Next, using acrylic paints, paint the paper tube green. Add a skin-tone face and hands, plus rosy cheeks, as well as a band of brown paint around the back for hair.
4. Once the paint has dried, use a permanent marker to draw on facial and clothing details, then use tacky glue to stick on 3 coiled brown pipe cleaners: 2 in the back for hair and 1 around the face for a beard. For feet, fold another pipe cleaner in half, then tightly coil and pinch the ends, as shown.
   
   
5. Place the folded pipe cleaner inside the tube and glue the feet to the edge. Glue on the hat top and brim and a 5 1/2- by 1/2-inch strip of craft foam for arms.
   
   
6. Finally, glue a decorative button to the hat brim.