Monday 15 March 2010

St Patrick's Day Kids' Crafts

St Patrick's Day Kids' Crafts
By Beverly Frank
St. Patrick's day is a great day for kid's crafts. It is a wonderful day to get out the paint, glue sticks, and crafting materials to create something to celebrate the holiday. The following are three great craft ideas of kids.
Blarney Stone:
A blarney stone comes from old Irish folklore. In southwestern Ireland, there is a very famous stone called the Blarney Stone. If you kiss the stone, you are said to be given the gift of eloquence. It is a big part of Irish tradition.
So, make your own Blarney stones at home as part of your St. Patty's Day crafts. To do this you need river stones, green paint, some googly eyes, and a black paint pen.
Start by painting the rocks green. You will have to wait for a while for them to dry, so it is best to do this in advance, and have an adult do it. Then, once the rock is painted, let your kids use the googly eyes, paint pen etc. to put a face on their very own Blarney stone.
You can use glitter, fabric, feathers, etc. to add a mouth, hair, and other accessories. Just don't forget to give it a smooch so that you can be eloquent.
Heart Shamrocks:
Shamrocks are a big deal in Irish culture as they are a symbol of luck. Any craft you make with shamrocks is a fun way to celebrate the holiday. A fun one for kids is to make a heart shamrock.
You need green construction paper, yellow construction paper, black crayons or markers, glue, scissors.
To make a heart shamrock you use the green construction paper and cut out three hearts. Arrange them into a shamrock shape, and cut out a stem. Use glue to attach them to the yellow construction paper. Then using the black crayons or markers, write out your felicitations of luck, such as "luck be with you" and then use it as a gift, card, etc.
Leprechaun Luck:
Leprechauns are mythic in Ireland, and are a great part of the St. Patrick's Day tradition. There are all sorts of lore surrounding leprechauns. So, one fun craft is to create a necklace using this lore.
To do this print out the following poem:
I keep three wishes handy,
In case I chance to meet
Any day a Leprechaun
Coming down the street.
Then create a shamrock, and write one wish on each leaf of the shamrock. Punch a hole in the top. Glue the poem to the side the wishes are not on, and string yarn through it to create a wish necklace. This can be worn during the day, to provide you with your green so that you do not get pinched, and is a fun way to grab hold of some Irish tradition.