Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and while it usually is a simply wear-green-holiday at our house, this year seems like a fine time to make the day feel special. Here are some activities for kids which could make for some fun memories…
1. Start the day with green omelettes & green smoothies
These days are anything but “normal.” But making the day feel special doesn’t mean have to go above and beyond: sometimes it can be as simple making a variation on something they already enjoy. Pull out the green food-dye and add it to their omelettes (or make them with them) for a different start to the morning. Or, if you don’t like adding dye to food, here’s a recipe for a gorgeous green omelette. My kids might be excited to eat green (from Spinach) pancakes. You can also pair it with a green (but yum) smoothie. A very simple recipe for this is just adding some banana, mango, and spinach into a blender. They won’t be able to taste the spinach, but it will give them a healthy and nutritious start to their morning while embracing St.Patrick’s Day.
2. Start a St. Patrick’s Day time capsule tradition
St. Patrick’s Day is known for being a day of luck, and kids are great at coming up with all sorts of cute good-luck charms/keepsakes. (Skyler always has treasures in her pockets.) Grab a small, empty box and have them decorate it accordingly. When they are done, ask them to choose a “lucky” object or picture to save in it, or even to write a letter to their future selves. Every year they’ll get to reminisce over what was added last year, and add a new item in. (And even if you forget, spending the time crafting today will be worth it.)
3. Go looking for four-leaf clovers
Who knows, the “Luck of the Irish” might be on their side and they’ll get to enjoy finding a super-rare four-leaf clover. Regardless, find some open space, out in nature, and see what they discover.
4. Help them decorate their own green clothing or accessories for St.Patrick’s Day
Think green or rainbow bracelets, or green paper crowns. (Here’s a green clover crown tutorial.) Pull out and old white t-shirt (or even white tube socks) and some textile pens and have them make their own St.Patrick’s Day outfit.
5. Watch a St.Patrick’s Day movie
Tried and tested, watching a movie as a family is always a great idea. Granted there may not be many St.Patrick’s day movies out there, but The Secret of Kells is a great option for kids, and has even earned itself an Oscar Nomination. Other options include A Shine of Rainbows, Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O’Hara or Song of the Sea. For the older set, think favorite movies set in Ireland, like Circle of Friends, or Far and Away, The Commitments or my recent favorite, Once. Bonus: Get out some popcorn and add some green or rainbow sprinkles to it to make it look extra special!
And for the home-bound grownups…
Here’s a list of spring cocktails that would all be a fitting alternative to green beer—or try a favorite of mine, a “green beret.”
Do you usually celebrate St.Patrick’s Day? What will you be doing this year? Our kids have built leprechaun traps for school before—which lead to some really creative engineering ideas!
P.S. 10 more ways to celebrate (lots of recipe ideas in this one). And past photos of the beautiful St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York. Maybe we should listen to some bagpipe music, too!
[Pancakes photo: Nosh & Nourish / Omelette photo: Rosie Green Omelette]
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