So if I'm being honest, St. Patrick's Day has nearly always been a bit of a boring holiday for me. As a kid, I never really got that into it. Wearing green was sort of fun, I suppose, but the lack of other excitement (and probably treats, hahaha) always made it a bit of a bummer for me.
Once, though, when I was in 7th grade, my super amazing science teacher had set up a crazy scene for us. He'd tipped over some tables and chairs, left green glitter, tiny green footprints, and gold chocolate coins for us. Of course, we were old enough to know it was him...but it was still so much fun. I still fondly remember it every St. Patrick's Day! So I set out to create something fun that we could repeat each year for S (and eventually X) to make St. Patrick's Day a bit more of a holiday to look forward to.
I prefaced this whole thing by talking a little about leprechauns off-handedly last night with S. I told her that their job was to keep pots of gold at the ends of rainbows safe. But sometimes, I said, they are a bit forgetful. They can lose gold as they travel around leading up to St. Patrick's Day.
When she woke up this morning, a green envelope with her name on it was waiting outside her bedroom door.
"S--, did you drop something?" I asked.
"Oh!" she exclaimed - "This has my name on it...it must be for me?"
Then Dada offered to help read the message to her.
The set-up is five days of activities to locate gold coins - ten coins in all. On the fifth night she's supposed to leave the envelope full of rescued coins outside her bedroom. I have a feeling that when she wakes up the following morning there will be a thank you note from the leprechaun...and probably a little St. Patrick's Day treat! ;)
Follow along with our activities to rescue the coins each day here:
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
What great family fun! I’m featuring it this week on Learn with Play at home. Thanks for linking it to Tuesday Tots. Have a great day :)
ReplyDeleteHi Deb! Thank you so much!!!! I'm very excited to be featured!!!!! We've really had so much fun with it. :)
DeleteI just love the activities you have linked to each day! Featuring on this weeks Kid's Co-Op on Triple T Mum :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Amie!!! It was so fun!
DeleteWhat a fun family tradition!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for linking up at Pink and Green Mama Blog and inspiring all of us with your sweet ideas - love the way you have different activities for each day.
Warmly,
Pink and Green Mama
MaryLea
Thank you for having a linky party! I think it's the only way anyone hears about my blog since I just started. :) And oh my gosh, you are such an inspiration to me!!!! Glad you like the activities - we had so much fun doing them. It's definitely the most exciting St. Patrick's Day has ever been around here. :)
DeleteGreat idea to extend activities out over the course of the week! Thank you so much for sharing with us today!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was a fun week. :) Thank you for the opportunity to share!
DeleteThe magic of this brought tears to my eyes! So cute!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so sweet, Devany!!! :)
DeleteSo much fun!! Can't wait to do this with my kids.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Malia!!! S is super looking forward to it this year. She remembers it really well!
DeleteWorking on the setup for this now! :) thanks for the fun ideas! ~Sarah
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!!!
DeleteAll set to start tomorrow! Starting with green jello in place of plaster since the store was out, but the other four I'm doing the same...can't wait for my little 3.5 to find her letter in the morning! (Sarah)
DeleteAww, I love it! She's going to be so surprised in the morning!!! <3 <3 <3
DeleteUpdate... This was a big hit! I think her favorite part was finding the letter with her name on it that launched the whole thing, and now even months later she still mentions finding the gold coins sometimes! The shaving cream was by far the messiest play we've ever done aside from mud puddles, and such fun.
DeleteFun story...I wanted to get one of your books for my birthday and was leaning toward the dirt one since we love to be outside, or the science one would be fun since my husband is a HS science teacher, but got the 150+ one from the library to review since I hadn't checked it out in awhile...well, after a rather eventful afternoon involving a narrow escape from my vomiting 15 month old, the book did not fare so well remaining unnoticed in the stroller basket when the vomit-covered stroller was hosed down by my sweet and thoughtful husband. So I am now the proud owner of a copy of 150+ Activities for Kids! Lol! True, some chunks are completely ruined, but a large bit of the middle is still okay! And the library will be getting a brand new copy for my birthday! Ahhh, life with kids :o)
~Sarah
Oh no! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Poor love! That is such a solid parenting story. Do you guys live in the US? I'm happy to send you a free copy of A Little Bit of Dirt for your birthday. It's the least I can do after you had to experience vomitgeddon. ;) ;) ;)
DeleteJust send me your address at funathomewithkids@gmail.com. :)
DeleteAhh, thank you so much, that's so thoughtful! I never turn away a birthday gift! ;) Thankfully little M is finally feeling much better! :)
DeleteSo glad she's better! And we're on vacation right now, but I should be able to send it out to you on Wednesday. :)
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