Why not let the kids in on the St. Patrick's Day festivities? Fun grab-n-go snacks and small green desserts are perfect for busy little hands. One main dish recipe option introduces them to traditional St. Patrick's Day flavors—and pleases a parent's palate, too.
St. Patrick's Day Games for Kids
Pin the Pot of Gold on the Rainbow
Spin each blindfolded participant around three times, then point them toward the big paper rainbow, with a personalized sticky-backed pot of gold in hand. Whoever places it closest to the end (or ends) of the rainbow wins. Change the game to Pin the Hat on the Leprechaun if you'd rather!
Gold Coin Hunt
Right before the party, hide gold foil-covered chocolate coins outside or inside, depending on weather and space considerations. Plan for roughly a dozen coins per guest. If you have a mix of older and younger kids, consider marking coins hidden in lower, easier spots to designate them off limits for the older set. Send each kid hunting with a personalized paper bag in hand. Bonus: Make decorating this bag with stamps and stickers a pre-hunt activity. Or, toss a few extra St. Patrick's Day-themed goodies into each guest's bag as he or she leaves.
Irish Hot Potato
Gather the kids in a circle, either seated or standing. Whether you use a beanbag, soft ball or an actual potato, tell the kids to pretend it's very, very hot, so pass it on as soon as possible. (Decide beforehand if it should be passed around the circle in an orderly fashion or can be tossed to anyone.) Have someone, with back to the group, in charge of playing Irish music on a CD or iPod, then stopping it at random points. Whoever's holding the potato when the music stops is eliminated. The person left standing at the end gets to be in charge of the music during the next round.
Go Green!
A few simple tricks to make your kids' favorite food and drink St. Patrick's Day-special.
In Good Shape
Simply altering everyday-food shapes can make things fun. The Teddy Bear Sandwiches featured here, for example, could be arranged as a four-leaf clover instead. Use four sandwiches for leaves and a half-sandwich for the stem. For the Kid Salad, a few extra raisins and perhaps some well-placed celery and voila—a leprechaun. Other options include pouring pancake batter into a shamrock shape, or taking a cloverleaf cookie-cutter to items like sliced cheese or a PB&J.
Green It Up
Whenever there's a choice, today at least, go green. Choose mint ice cream instead of chocolate, for example, kiwi or grapes over apples, and green instead of multicolored candy sprinkles on The Menu's Kix on Stix.
Color Me Irish
A couple drops of food coloring go a long way in making drinks festive for St. Patrick's Day. Milk, light-colored smoothies, water and clear soda all color well. You can even try adding the color to some foods. Green eggs and ham, anyone?
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