St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

March 16, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It’s nice to have a new clump of playdough for every theme, and this recipe is my pick for St. Patrick’s Day. It is an easy-to-make, no-cook playdough that keeps well. In this post, the dough is showcased in a St. Patrick’s Day playdough tray.

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St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Recipe

Shamrock leaves add interest to a St. Patrick's Day playdough invitation. Two homemade playdough recipes are featured.

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The white playdough in this post is a fantastic homemade no-cook variety. I discovered the recipe for it on The Artful Parent website. The green and yellow playdough varieties featured are a result of minor tweaks to the recipe.

For the deep green playdough, gather the following ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon green gel food color
1/4 teaspoon glycerin (optional)
1 cup boiling water

In a large metal bowl, measure the dry ingredients and mix them together.

Make a well in the center and add the oil, gel food color, and glycerin.

Boil water in a kettle and immediately add the liquid to the dry ingredients.

Stir the mixture well until all the ingredients are combined.

Let it sit for a bit until it firms up into a dough.

If the mixture is still a bit goopy after you have given it a few minutes to thicken, add a little more flour and stir again.

When cooled, knead the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a sealed bag.

Three different colors of playdough are featured in a St. Patrick's Day playdough tray for early learners to explore.

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To make the vivid yellow playdough, substitute yellow gel color for the green.

Glycerin is optional in the recipe but adds a little shine to the playdough.

Note: I’ve made the plain white no-cook playdough recipe several times, and never had to add more flour. But adding a little more flour at the end worked well for me this time when including gel food color in the recipe.

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The St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Set out this fun St. Patrick's day playdough tray for your little learners to explore. Three different colors of playdough are featured.

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Collected for this fun playdough invitation are:

rainbow, shamrock, and leprechaun hat erasers
green buttons
metallic and wooden shamrocks
small shamrocks and gold coins
gold beads
green necklace garland
shamrock cookie cutters

These St. Patrick's Day-themed loose parts are perfect for a playdough tray or a sensory play experience.

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All the shiny loose parts, from the large shamrocks to the tiny coins, are cut from St. Patrick’s Day necklaces.

Themed erasers are always a great addition to a playdough tray, as are a variety of buttons.

Setting the playdough and loose parts on a party tray is an eye-appealing way to offer the St. Patrick’s Day playdough invitation.

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If you have a shamrock plant available, snip off a few leaves to add to each participant’s playdough experience.

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More St. Patrick’s Day Activities

Shamrock Paper Plate Lion

Shamrock Rolling Pin Art

Scissor Skill Shamrock Collage

St. Patrick’s Day Sheep Craft

St. Patrick’s Day Painted Shamrock

Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock

St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Tub

Leprechaun Sensory Jar

St. Patrick’s Day Woodland Sensory Bin

St. Patrick’s Day Jewelry Bin

Leprechaun Sensory Play

St. Patrick’s Day Treasure Blocks

St. Patrick’s Day Light Table Tray

Shamrock Dissolving Candy Experiment

St. Patrick’s Day Activities

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This St. Patrick's Day playdough invitation will help children celebrate the special day. Two no-cook homemade playdough recipes are featured.

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[Read more…]

St. Patrick’s Day Light Table

March 14, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Setting up activities for the light table is one of my favorite things to do, and the light table is a well-loved center in our classroom. A perfect center for March, this St. Patrick’s Day light table setup is full of captivating loose parts for early learners to explore.

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Supplies Collected

This oh-so-green St. Patrick's Day light table activity filled with transparent loose parts is super fun for early learners to explore.

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The following transparent loose parts are gathered for this very green light table center:

light-up rubber bear
bear figurine
shamrocks
numbers
stir sticks
tiny cups
gem animal figurines
reusable shamrock ice cubes
shamrock serving tray
pebble-shaped gems
light-up shamrock necklaces
pair of party eyeglasses
construction toy

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A vase with artificial flowers, a leprechaun figurine, and a pair of St. Patrick’s Day glasses round out the supplies on the table.

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The St. Patrick’s Day Light Table Center

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For this light-illuminated center, I started off by checking my St. Patrick’s Day supplies for green transparent objects. These have been collected over the years from Dollar stores and party supply stores.

Next, I scrounged through my tub of green loose parts for interesting things to add, selecting the light-up bear, transparent pebbles and stir sticks.

Then I looked through my light table supplies and gathered mostly green and a few yellow transparent objects, such as a bear figurine, transparent construction toys, numbers, and tiny animal figurines.

An opportunity to sort shamrocks on a St. Patrick's Day light table filled with green transparent loose parts.

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An opportunity to sort green loose parts on a St. Patrick's Day light table filled with transparent treasures to explore.

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Finally, on a recent trip to a dollar store I purchased two light-up necklaces. I included them after little learners had a week to explore the center, offering my little charges new items that continued their interest in this St. Patrick’s Day activity.

A green shamrock light-up necklace is a highlight in a St. Patrick's Day light table center.

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A green shamrock light-up necklace and pair of glasses are highlights in a St. Patrick's Day light table center.

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View this center as a St. Patrick’s Day Light Table Video.

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More Light Table Activities

St. Patrick’s Day Light Table Tray

Canada Day Light Table

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[Read more…]

Shamrock Leaf Print Art

March 12, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Shamrock leaf print art is an activity I’ve wanted to try for a few years now, and this spring I carved out time for it. The art project is easy and enjoyable to do, and I am sure you will like it too.

A good time to try this leaf print art activity is around St. Patrick’s Day, as shamrock plants are plentiful in stores then. The compound leaves on the plant look like the shamrock symbol that the country of Ireland is known for. Irish people think shamrocks represent good luck, and they are prominent in clothing, decorations, and tableware during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

An Oxalis Regnelli shamrock plant with compound leaves composed of three triangular leaflets.

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The shamrock plant I found is called Oxalis Regnellii, which comes from Africa and some parts of the Americas. It has delicate leaves with three triangle-shaped leaflets. The leaves fold up neatly on overcast days and anytime it is dark, and open up when they are exposed to sunlight. The tiny, white, long-stemmed flowers have five petals.

A tiny white flower on an Oxalis Regnellii plant.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this nature-based art project:

shamrock plant
green and purple acrylic or tempera paint
paint pots
paintbrushes
purple and green pencil crayons
all-purpose art paper
green and purple construction paper
newspaper or manila paper
magnifying glasses

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Making The Shamrock Leaf Print Art

Before using the shamrock leaves for printmaking, give participants a chance to study the plant. Offer magnifying glasses to view the leaves and dainty flowers with yellow stamens. Set the plant out in a sunny place and then put it in a dark area to see how its leaves fold down and spread out depending on how much sunlight the plant is getting.

To prepare the art activity, snip a few leaves off the plant to use for making paint prints.

Steps to make beautiful shamrock leaf print art. This is an easy-to-do all-ages nature art project

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Next, lay down newspaper sheets or a large piece of manilla paper for participants to work on.

Then add an art station with a sheet of all-purpose art paper, leaf sprig, paintbrush, and green acrylic paint for each participant. My paper size is an 11-inch x 14-inch inch sheet cut in half, creating a 7-inch x 11-inch piece to work on.

Note: Non-toxic tempera paint is a good choice for young children taking part in the activity.

Afterward, invite participants to brush the tops of the leaflets on their sprig thoroughly with green paint, flip the leaf over, and carefully press the painted sides down on the paper. Have them gently rub their fingers over the leaflets and pat the edges down to transfer as much paint to the paper as possible.

Beautiful shamrock leaf print art with leaves from the Oxalis Regnelli plant. This is a nature art project that is perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

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Then ask everyone to slowly lift their leaf off the paper canvas and repaint it to make more leaf prints. The shamrock leaves are delicate, but when handled gently they can be used a few times. If someone’s leaf tears, offer a new sprig to use.

When the paint prints are dry, ask participants to use a pencil crayon to add stems to the leaves.

As a finishing touch, mount each shamrock leaf print art project on a similar-colored construction paper background.

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Making Purple Shamrock Leaf Print Art

A purple shamrock, called Oxalis Triangularis, has similarly shaped leaves and flowers as the Oxalis Regnallii. This purple shamrock showcases deep purple, dark-edged leaves that respond to darkness and light in the same way.

A purple shamrock plant with compound leaves composed of three triangular leaflets.

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With purple acrylic or tempera paint, let participants create shamrock prints just as they were made in green.

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If there are any leaves left on the plant after the printmaking activity is done, add them to a playdough activity. Or have someone without pets take the plant home to care for.

Note: All Oxalis plants are toxic to dogs, cats, and grazing animals such as horses and must be kept out of their reach. These plants are slightly toxic to humans. Make sure to supervise all shamrock leaf activities closely so that no one ingests the leaves.

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Horse Chestnut Leaf Art Activities

Maple Leaf Activities

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[Read more…]

Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock

March 17, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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They say “variety is the spice of life,” and it is certainly true in this art project. The crayon resist watercolor shamrock features variety in line, shape, and color. The project is easy for little learners to do, and is great for language development.

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Supplies to Collect

12 inch x 18 inch manila paper
crayons in shades of green
tempera blocks (paint pucks) in gold and shades of green
paint cups
paint brushes and pots
scissors

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The Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock Process

Cut large shamrocks out of manila paper. (This is a sturdy cream-colored paper that comes in larger sizes and is economical to buy.)

Note: Cardstock or construction paper can be substituted for manila paper.

Use crayons in shades of green to decorate a sample shamrock with dots, lines, and shapes.

Explore variety in line and shape through a crayon resist art technique.

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In my demo, there are wavy and curvy lines and straight ones. There are dots and circles, and stripes and dashes. A heart fills the center.

Show the crayoned shamrock to your little learners, highlighting the variety of lines and shapes.

Invite little learners to draw their own crayon designs on a shamrock.

A tempera block paint set-up for a crayon resist art technique.

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Then have them add watercolors using tempera block paints in yellow and shades of green. Encourage children to rinse their brushes in water between colors.

Draw attention to darker and lighter paint shades. Discuss hues with words such as lime green, apple green, emerald green, and forest green. Use descriptive words that match the paint colors you have available.

Offer this simple crayon resist watercolor shamrock activity that explores variety in line, shape, and color.

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Note: Liquid watercolors or water with food coloring mixed in can be used instead of tempera paint blocks.

After the paintings dry, you could add on an Irish St. Patrick’s Day blessing.

This is a simple two-step art activity that all children can do. A younger child’s paint added scribble drawing looks just as stunning as an older child’s project with more defined lines and shapes. This is especially true if a variety of shades of crayons and paints are used.

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Related: Shamrock Rolling Pin Art

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[Read more…]

St. Patrick’s Jewelry Bin

March 8, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This St. Patrick’s jewelry bin lets children explore the bling in an additional way to wearing it on the official celebration date, March 17th each year. It makes a great discussion starter about the world-renowned St. Pat’s celebration and the significance of shamrocks and the color green. And it introduces the tricky leprechaun, most entertaining for children!

St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland and started out as a religious one. It evolved into a celebration of Irish culture, and people around the world take part in it. One of the biggest ways people do this is by wearing green on March 17, or at festive events that take place near this date. They may wear t-shirts, socks, hats, glasses, and/or jewelry with a green theme. Irish sayings and shamrocks are a huge part of the designs. Touches of orange, gold, and white also make an appearance.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

For this sensory bin, gather the following economical and easy to find supplies:

white rice
gold coins and bells
green and rust necklaces
yellow and green gem rings
shamrock-themed bracelets
green bowl, spoon, and tongs
leprechaun legs
sensory tub

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The St. Patrick’s Jewelry Bin

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Pick a sensory tub for the activity. A serving tray will work for one or two children. I feature a food and tableware tub here, large enough for a few children to participate together.

Generously spread white rice on the bottom of the tub. The neutral base allows the accessories to “shine.”

Next, layer in the loose parts.

Lastly, press in the leprechaun legs.

Note: The leprechaun legs are taken from a St. Patrick’s Day wall plaque. A figurine would make a great substitution.

Early learners can explore the colors and textures of the jewelry, and wear it if they like. They will have fun with the gold coins and bells in the bin. And they may decide to find a way to trap the somewhat exposed leprechaun!

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To learn more about St. Patrick’s Day, view the blog post “St. Patrick’s Day” by National Geographic Kids.

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[Read more…]

Shamrock Dissolving Candy Experiment

March 5, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Try this stunning, easy-to-perform shamrock dissolving candy science experiment today! It brings a WOW factor.

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Lately, I cannot get enough of candy color science. So, in addition to previous endeavors, I tried a shamrock dissolving candy experiment. It’s got all the WOW factor similar experiments offer.

Since it is difficult to find a clear or white shamrock-shaped plate or pan, a shamrock outline taken from a St. Patrick’s Day wall decoration helps create the aesthetic appeal. And it does the job beautifully!

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Supplies To Collect

Supplies for a science experiment couldn’t be any easier to gather. Just four items are needed:

shamrock outline
striped green and white candies
round, square, or rectangular leak-proof tray
measuring cup

Steps to perform a shamrock dissolving candy science experiment that delivers a WOW factor.

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Performing The Shamrock Dissolving Candy Experiment

First, set the shamrock outline in the center of a tray that is a little larger than the clover shape.

Next, position the striped candies next to each other around the inside of the shamrock.

Then, fill a 500 ml measuring cup with warm water.

Slowly pour the warm water into the tray, aiming for the area near the rim. Cover just the bottom of the tray with liquid.

Watch what happens!

This stunning, easy-to-perform shamrock dissolving candy science experiment delivers a WOW factor.

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After the color has spread from the candies into different patterns, a leprechaun could be floated in the center of the shamrock outline for added visual appeal.

The leprechaun is the finishing touch to this stunning, easy-to-perform shamrock dissolving candy science experiment.

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Participants may wish to taste the colored water. It will likely have a noticeable mint flavor. The candies will slowly dissolve, but a few could be scooped up for tasting as well.

Note: The shamrock outline can be washed and dried afterward, and used as a tracer.

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The Science Behind This Candy Science Experiment

The candies are made of sugar. The water breaks the sugar molecules apart. Then the food colors move through the water from areas of higher sugar concentration (near the candy) to areas with less sugar (the center and rim of the tray.) When the sugar concentration is the same in all areas, the colors stop moving.

Water temperature is a variant in this experiment. Sugar dissolves quicker in warm water, and food coloring moves at a faster pace.

This science experiment is so easy to set up and has immediate results, perfect for little learners. And participants get to use their senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch. Try it today!

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Heart-Shaped Dissolving Candy Science

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[Read more…]

Leprechaun Sensory Jar

March 4, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Leprechauns are notoriously hard to catch, but your little learner will be up to the task by making this leprechaun sensory jar. It has all the loose parts leprechauns love-especially gold!

Leprechauns are small, bearded legendary creatures who live in forests and woodlands. If you capture one of these sneaky, solitary men, he must grant three wishes to be let go again. For more leprechaun facts, visit my blog post “Leprechaun Sensory Play.”

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Supplies To Collect

To make this leprechaun sensory jar, gather the following loose parts:

wide-mouth plastic jar
green and yellow crinkle paper
rust and green necklaces
green beads cut from garland
foil shamrocks and pots of gold
shamrock, leprechaun hat, rainbow, and pot of gold erasers
small gold coins
jute twine string
leprechaun figurine

A tiny leprechaun is the highlight of this ready-to explore St. Patrick's Day loose parts tray.

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The jar I feature is a container saved from an acrylic gem purchase. A plastic mason jar would work well too.

The leprechaun figurine may take a little time to find (just like legendary ones!) Mine is a plant poke topper. If procuring one is difficult, a leprechaun sticker glued to a popsicle stick will do fine.

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Making The Leprechaun Sensory Jar

Gotcha! The mini trickster is caught in this leprechaun sensory jar.

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Set a clear plastic jar on a table, along with a tray of loose parts.

Invite your little learner to layer loose parts in the jar, saving the leprechaun for last.

Then have your little one tuck the leprechaun in the middle of the jar. Or leave the jar out overnight and secretly add the leprechaun later.

Screw on the lid and wrap jute string around the neck.

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This St. Patrick’s Day sensory jar can be made over and over again. The loose parts can be sorted back into the tray, and then layered back into the jar. Or when complete, the jar can be part of a tablescape and will make a great conversation starter.

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Related: St. Patrick’s Day Activities

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[Read more…]

St. Patrick’s Day Sheep Craft

March 10, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky 1 Comment

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St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Ireland and around the world each year on March 17. It is a special day to remember St. Patrick, a missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5^th century and to celebrate Irish culture.

So how does this St. Patrick’s Day sheep craft fit into the celebration?

Patrick was born in the British Isles. His father had a key position in the Roman government. Patrick’s life was comfortable until age 16 when he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland. There he was forced to live a rugged life working as a sheepherder until he escaped six years later.

As for Irish culture, there are tons of sheep who roam the countryside in oh-so-green Ireland. Hardy breeds are raised. The sheep need to be able to handle the hilly land and tolerate cold, rainy, windy water.

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