Celebrating St. Paddy’s with Littles – We’re going on a Shamrock Hunt!
St. Paddy’s Day is quite literally just around the corner and I don’t know about you but St. Patrick’s Day was one of those holidays as a kid that has so many light and bright memories that center around fun and laughter. I remember Leprechaun hunts at school and finding teeny tiny footprints all around the school, my mom giving little love pinches if I forgot to wear green and my brother giving me big pinches either way because that’s what big annoying brothers do LOL. When I had Kamden I knew that I wanted to make sure he had these core memories to look back on and it’s my hope that he looks back as fondly on his childhood as I do on mine. Now don’t get me wrong, I do fully understand that sometimes celebrating holidays with littles can feel a little extra and if it’s not your cup of tea then that’s ok, but if you’re like me and like a little extra sparkle now and again then this series is for you! Over the next few days, I’ll highlight simple ways for you to get festive with your littles in ways that can be equal part core memories and sneaky learning opportunity.
Hunting For Shamrocks
What you’ll need:
A paper plate (a gold one is extra festive)
A pen
Scissors (or an Xacto knife)
Packing Tape
An outside area that has greenery
This was such a fun and simple activity to do as a family. The prep work can be done in advance by mom (or dad), or it can be something you work on together with little hands. First thing first, you’re going to use your pen to roughly trace and cut the shape of a four-leaf clover in the middle of the plate (be sure to not cut the side of the plate). Once that is done, you’ll put a layer of clear packing tape over the open portion of the plate so that when you flip it over you to the back of your plate, it feels sticky. That’s all the prep work, super simple right? From there, take a walk with your family and prompt your kiddo to search for green leaves, clovers, grass etc. and then have them stick it to the tape on their paper plate. Be sure to keep an eye on what they pick to ensure they aren’t getting poked or poison ivied. Once your shamrock is all filled up, head home and add some tape on the back side of your plate to “seal” the craft!
This is such a low pressure, high impact craft/activity that has the potential to touch on so many growth, development and educational areas – you can use this to teach about Irish culture and symbolism, practice rote counting as they pick their items and add them to the plate, basic horticulture by explaining all the different plants that they’re seeing or even tapping into dexterity by allowing them to practice their pincer grasp when picking their greens!
We live on a greenbelt walking trail so our neighbors got a kick out of our project, granted Kamden was dressed in a full captain America costume that is a size to small and wont fully close in the back but at this point I think its part of the endearing nature our household brings to the neighborhood – LOL. What do you think? Would you give this one a try?