St. Patrick's Day Bulletin Board Idea

Inspired by the creativity I found out there in blog-land, I decided to add these cute little Leprechauns to my bulletin board. 

I got such a kick out of this Leprechaun's goatee.  Oh and in case you are wondering why he looks mad, I was told because his gold was being stolen.  Haha.  I guess that would make a Leprechaun mad.

I even got some girl Leprechauns.  Hey, why not?

I have found several teachers who have used this idea so I am not really sure where it first came from.  To give credit, I have seen this idea on The First Grade Parade and Erica Bohrer's First Grade.  I know that I downloaded the template that says "I feel lucky when" from somewhere, but now I am not sure.  If you know, please let me know so that I may link to their blog.  Thanks a million for sharing!
*Update - Thank you Rachelle for letting me know the other blog I was leaving out.  Primary Perspective is where I found this printable "I Feel Lucky When..."   Thank you!!!

St. Patrick's Day Centerpiece and Treasure Hunt

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!

Wow!  You might think that I was Irish by that greeting!  Anyway...Jesse Kate Designs had a few St. Patrick's Day ideas from last year that I filed away.  So a year later...here we go. 
This has me thinking green.  Send this off with your child to school or greet your child as they come home from school.  Check out this centerpiece:

OR...you could send your kids on a teasure hunt like the one I did here or like the one Jesse Kate did for her kiddos.  I have to say, hers is cooler because she has included a FREE download of clue tags.

St. Patrick's Day Math Center

Making Learning Fun has some great St. Patrick's Day math ideas to use for centers.  I like to meet with my 1st grade students in small settings as opposed to teaching it whole group.  For me, that allows me to see more clearly who is "getting it" and who isn't.  I like to do 3 math rotations with 6 students per group.  I happen to be using the roll and color addition game this afternoon.

I explain my centers at the rug whole group first and then send them to their tables.  I am at one of the "centers" to work on math from their math book.  Yes...I am the boring center, but the one that has to be done.  My others centers usually consist of a game, activity, or a (dare I say the word) worksheet to  go along with the concept being taught.  I usually have directions typed up to go along with the game so that if kids have questions (and I am busy) they can be reminded of how to play.
Here are the directions to this game:

Roll and Color St. Patrick’s Day

Addition

 Items needed to play: 

Pot of gold paper – 1 per person

Crayons

2 dice per partner

Directions:

Roll 2 dice and add the numbers together.  If the answer IS NOT already colored, then you may color it.  If the answer IS already colored, then your turn is over.  The first person to color all the coins and the pot is the winner.

How do you teach math??

Lucky Charm Graphs

I have noticed in my Live Feedjit feed lately (yes, I do look there from time to time) that a lot of you out there are searching for a lucky charms graph for elementary aged students.  Well...I have what you are looking for.  Actually, I have found what you are looking for!  I posted about a place where I found one before, but I have since found two others.

What the Teacher Wants has a complete St. Patrick's Day Unit ready to download (for FREE) and it is filled with fun things.  You will find a Lucky Charms graph among many other things.

Another great blog that has super ideas is Stay and Play.  She is a temporarily retired teacher (that's what I use to all myself) as she stays home to raise her kids.  She also shares a great St. Patrick's Day unit (for FREE).  There is a Lucky Charm graph inside her unit as well.

I can't believe how many wonderful and inspiring teacher blogs I have come across lately!  Make sure to tell these ladies thank you if you use their units.  It is amazing the hard work they put into these units (and others) and are willing to share.  THANK YOU both!!

St. Patrick's Day Treats

Thinking about giving a treat to someone for St. Patrick's Day this year?  Look no further.  It Is What It Is has some great ideas and free downloadble tags.
You're My Pot O' Gold:

Not quite what you had in mind?  Well I think anyone would consider themselves LUCKY to receive these:

Taste the Rainbow

No...I am not talking about Skittles.  Fun Snacks 4 Kids has a fun idea for preschool aged kids.  Match the Fruit Loop color to the color on the rainbow.  What a great activity for kids just learning their colors!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Last night I made these super fun rainbow cupcakes for my kids (for St. Patrick's Day). If you are interested in making some too, I found the idea at Family Fun.
1. Use a box of white cake mix and make as directed.
2. Divide the cake batter into 6 bowls, evenly and add food coloring. (For an exact on the food coloring, visit the Family Fun link above.)

3. Put the cake batter into the cupcake cups, starting with purple and begin layering the colors. Purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. This does take some time to do this to each of the cupcakes, so if you are short on time, make a rainbow cake instead of the cupcakes.

4. Bake the cupcakes as directed on the box. Here they are when they come out:

5. Finally, add some frosting or cool whip and dig in!

Quick & Easy St. Patrick's Days Snacks

Here are a couple of quick and easy ideas for serving up a snack this St. Patrick's Day.  Remember anything green works!
*Green fruit such as grapes, kiwi, green apple, and honey dew melon, served with yogurt dip
*Raw green vegetables such as green beans, celery and cucumber, served with dip.
*Cheese sandwiches or quesadillas cut with a shamrock cookie cutter.
*Green Jell-O.  Pour the gelatin into clear plastic cups before chilling so the kids can see the green.  Can top with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.
 
Tonight with dinner, I plan to serve lucky lime drinks.  I have never tried one before, but it looks like the same idea as the root beer float.  If you want to give it a try too, here's what to do:

LUCKY LIME DRINKS:
Put one, or two small scoops of lime sherbet in a clear glass ice cream cup. Pour 7-Up over the sherbet. Add a spoonful of whipped cream, green sugar sprinkles and a green maraschino cherry!

St. Patrick's Day Games

End of the Rainbow Treasure Hunt
Make a rainbow using markers and poster paper.
Hide a pile of chocolate or plastic gold coins with the rainbow.
Create fun Irish clues that the children will use to find the rainbow.
Variation:
Use a permanent marker to write a number on each coin. The number will correspond to a prize that the child can collect after the hunt is complete.
Prizes can be small such as candy bars, a box of Lucky Charms cereal, green bubble bath or nail polish from your local dollar store.

Hot Potato
A traditional game of hot potato using a real potato. Play a CD of Irish music while the children pass the potato around the circle. The player holding the potato when the music stops, will be in charge of the CD
player for the next round.
Variation:
Play the same game using a "Blarney Stone" ( a regular old rock).

Also look through some of the recent posts at SMARRT Ideas for some fun ideas to do with the kids!  I love this idea for shining your pennies with ketchup!?!  Who thought to try that out for the first time?  Anyway, if you want to see what to do...check it out HERE.

St. Patrick's Day Cookie Pops

I realize that St. Patrick's Day is over, but I just came across an idea I am hoping to remember for next year. These treats would be fun to make with your children, grandchildren, as a preschool activity or at a school party. These cookies are a variation to the ever-so-common decorating sugar cookies activity.

You will need:

20 vanilla wafer cookies
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 12-ounce bag white chocolate chips
green and yellow gumdrops
green Dots
green and yellow Nerd candies
Cake decorating writer gel in green, yellow, red, orange, and black
1 tube of green cake decorator frosting with tip
green and yellow decorator sugar
green food coloring
ice cream or lollipop sticks
wax paper or paper plates

Spread peanut butter onto the flat side of the cookies. Place an ice cream stick into the peanut butter on half the cookies. Top with another cookie so the stick is sandwiched between the two cookies. (*Instead of using peanut butter, you could use vanilla or chocolate frosting for the filling.)


Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, one minute, then in 20 second increments, stirring until smooth. Before melting, separate the white chips into two bowls. After melting, add a few drops of green food coloring to one of the bowls of white chips to make green chocolate. Dip cookie pops in the melted chips, covering completely. Sprinkle with green and yellow sugar and lay or stand on waxed paper or paper plates. Place in refrigerator to chill.

Fun Variations

Leprechaun
After coating with white chocolate, dip top of pop into green sugar. Slice two yellow gumdrops to make beard. Allow to dry on wax paper. Use black and red decorator gel for eyes and mouth, and for trim on hat.

Rainbow with Pot of Gold
After coating with white chocolate, cut a green Dot in half lengthwise, adhere to chocolate. Before chocolate has a chance to dry, place 3-5 yellow candy nerds "in" pot. Create a rainbow with various colored decorator gel.

Shamrock
After coating with white chocolate, sprinkle with yellow decorator sugar, then draw on a shamrock using green cake decorator icing.

Four Leaf Clover
After coating with green chocolate, use green sliced gumdrops to create clover leaves. Slice a small strip out of remaining gumdrop for stem. Use a green candy Nerd for the center of the clover.

Note: These can also be made without sticks. Use one stick to be able to dip the cookies in chocolate and roll in sprinkles, then remove the stick and put on wax paper or paper plates, then chill.

(This idea was found at family corner.)

St. Patrick's Day Shirts

Last night the 2 older kids and I made shirts for them to wear for St. Patrick's Day. Thankfully my 3 year old fell asleep before we started the project, otherwise it would have been very difficult to have done! If you would like the tutorial on how to make these cute shirts and templates for the shamrocks, click HERE. The project took us about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish, including blow drying to speed up the process. My daughter thought it would be fun to make a shirt for each holiday (eggs for Easter, pumpkins for Halloween, etc.) We will see if we get that crazy!

As an activity I did with my kids on St. Patrick's Day, I created a treasure hunt for them. I started by taping an envelope to their bedroom door that told them not to open until their room was clean. (I know...mean mom!) My daughter told me that if they could have a treasure hunt every day, their chores would be done in two minutes...tempting. LOL Anyway, here are some of the clues I used (there were a total of 10 or so)

Way to go now there’s no time to talk,
Go look in the thing you use to take the babies on a walk. (stroller) - In the bottom of the stroller was a bag of skittles for each kid (rainbow) with the next clue.

You found the rainbow, so the gold isn’t far, run outside and jump in the car.

The car is nice so you can go faster than a snail, now hurry up and go check the mail! - In the mail box was a note that said Happy St. Patrick's Day with a small bag of gold chocolate coins for each child.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

What do you get when you mix this

with these?



Mint Chocolate Cookies: (You thought I was going to say cake huh?)

I was experimenting yesterday and made some St. Patrick's Day cookies. They were super easy and really good (if you like the combo of chocolate & mint). Here is the recipe:

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix (I used German Chocolate)
1 egg
1/3 c. oil
3-4 Tbsp. Water

Mix cake mix, water, egg, and oil together by hand (mix will be stiff). Stir. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake at 360 for 9 minutes. Really hard so far right!?! Did I lose anyone in those complex instructions? Moving on...melt a bag of (Guittard) green mint chips either over the stove or in the microwave. Drizzle on the cookies and let let them set up. The mint frosting will harden on the cookies. Once the frosting has hardened enjoy! (or enjoy before if you can't wait that long). I thought they were de-lish!

Edible Crayons

I just came across this recipe for edible crayons at Gourmet Mom on the Go. She has even included several wrappers to choose from to create your own crayons. If you don't like what there is to chose from you can customize your own wrapper! How cool is that?!? What a fun idea and they don't look too hard either! I was thinking you could make these at the first of the school year, when teaching colors, or even St. Patrick's Day (because of the rainbow assortment). Now how am I going to teach my toddlers that these crayons are okay to eat?

St. Patrick's Day Treat Ideas:

• "At the end of the rainbow, you are my pot of gold!" (tied to anything with gold in it!)
• "If I had a Pot of Gold, I'd want to share it with you. I couldn't find one anywhere, so I hope that this will do!" (tied to a Twix, Rolo, Caramello, or gold chocolate coins)
• "A Friend is like a 4 leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have!"

• "Tis better far at the rainbows end, to find not gold, but the heart of a friend!" (tie to package of rainbow skittles, gold coins, a "friend" token)
*At the end of the rainbow, what did I find? A teacher that is one of a kind! (skittles)
• Leprechaun Droppings - (a bag full of chocolate gold coins or green Appleheads)
• Shamrock Attack Kit: "You're lucky, lucky, I've been told - you've just been hit with shamrocks and gold!"
• Lucky Leprechaun Lunch: a green gable box with a tag on the outside that says "Lucky Leprechaun Lunch". Perfect for sending a green lunch with the husband or kids on St. Patrick's Day.
• "Lucky Me" tags: "Lucky Me..." and end with something different. "Lucky Me... to have such a great friend!" or "Lucky Me... to have such a great hubby!"
• Money Tree: "Happy St. Patricks Day to a Million Dollar Guy/Gal/Kid!" or "Who says Money doesn't grow on trees...Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

(Featured on Studio 5.)

Shamrock Rolls

Check out these fabulously fun and yummy looking Shamrock Rolls as featured on Studio 5:

12 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls or Texas™ Rolls, thawed but still cold
flour

Flatten each roll slightly and cut into 3 equal pieces that are shaped like a triangle. Cut a small V out of the curved side of each triangle. Dust each piece with flour and place on a sprayed baking sheet to form a shamrock. Roll the cut out pieces together to make a stem. Place stem beneath shamrock. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and allow to double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 12-15 minutes.

Numbered Shamrock Game

I found an activity that would be good for Kindergarten/preschool age dealing with recognizing numbers. Print a numbered shamrock for each child. Partner up the children (or could be individual) and have them roll a die. Have them identify the number on the die and then color the portion of the shamrock with that number on it. The first one to have their entire shamrock colored is the winner.

Lucky Charms Graph

I just came across a site with some fun ideas for the classroom for St. Patrick's Day. I especially like the idea of using Lucky Charms cereal to help with graphing. Check it out.

Lucky Leprechaun Hats

Celebrate St. Patrick's day with these decorative Shamrock Green clay pots to make with the kids!

I saw this cute idea to use as a St. Patrick's Day decoration on Good Things Utah. I think the kids would love it...especially the suckers!

Supplies Needed:

1 small terra cotta plant
green paint (spray or acrylic)
2 - 5 1/2 inch green cardstock circles
Green & White Suckers, covered with cellophane bags and tied with ribbon
20 inches of 2" black ribbon
1 slide mount sprayed with gold glitter paint
green styrofoam

Instructions:

1. Glue the 2 circles together, using the terra cotta pot trace a circle in the middle of the circles that are glued together and cut out.
2. Paint the terra cot pot green, glue the circles to the top, glue the black ribbon around the bottom of the pot, glue the slide mount to the black ribbon.
3. Inside the pot put a piece of styrofoam to hold the suckers.
4. Using as many suckers as desired, cover each with cellophane and wrap with green/white ribbon and stick into the styrofoam

Lucky BINGO Cards

Check out these FREE, printable BINGO (or should I say "LUCKY") cards.

Leprechaun Hat

A fun table decoration that can be used to hold chips. We found our green tortilla chips at our local grocery store. You can use regular tortilla chips and then tint your dip with green food color. Whatever you do, have fun!

What you'll need:
1/2 gallon Round ice cream container, clean and dry (you do not need the lid)
2 or 3 sheets of Green construction paper
1 sheet of Yellow or Gray construction paper
1 sheet of Black construction paper
Scissors
Ruler
Pen
Double stick tape
Large circular object (however wide the construction paper is)

1. Trace around the large circular object on the green construction paper with the pen.
2. Cut out the circle.
3. Use the double stick tape to adhere the circle to the bottom of the ice cream container.
4. Cut a piece of green construction paper to fit around the container. You may need two pieces of construction paper or be able to piece them together.
5. Use the double stick tape to adhere the construction paper around the container.
6. Cut a strip about 2" wide out of the black construction paper.
7. Cut a 4" square out of the gray or yellow construction paper.
8. Cut a rectangle in the middle of the gray construction paper about 1 1/4" x 2". Discard the little piece of construction paper. Hint: Fold the square into fourths and cut a square out of the middle of the folded area. Open up the square.
9. Check positioning of the black band by laying it around the hat about an inch above the brim. Cut off any excess construction paper where it meets in the back.
10. Lay the gray or yellow (buckle) over the black band as shown in the photograph. Once the layout is satisfactory, tape in place.
11. Add green tortilla chips, if available, and get ready for your feast.

*I was thinking that with this cute idea, you could also use the hat as a game. By gold covered chocolate coins and mark a line on the floor where the kids should stand. Have them try to toss the gold coins into the hat.