St. Patrick's Day Crafts

St. Patrick's Day legend says that fairies catch rides on bubbles from leprechaun pipes.

What You'll Need:

Acorn

Kitchen knife

Nail

Straw

Cool-temp glue gun and glue

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup green dish-washing liquid

1 teaspoon salt

Bowl

Plastic spoon

Find a large acorn. With adult help, cut the top off and dig out the meat to make a little bowl. Make a hole in the side near the bottom of the bowl, just big enough for the straw to fit into.

Using the cool-temp glue gun (with adult help), put the straw into the hole and fill the area around the straw with glue. Blow gently through the straw to make sure no glue is clogging the hole.

Set the bubble pipe aside. Mix up some bubble solution by adding 1 cup warm water, 1/2-cup green dish-washing liquid, and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl. Stir until the salt dissolves.

Dip the pipe in the bubble solution, and blow gently.

Next, conjure up St. Patrick's Day fun with some green-magic rings.

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You don't have to kiss the Blarney stone to make some magic this St. Patrick's Day -- just these green-magic rings.

What You'll Need:

Plastic screw-on cap

3-1/2 inches of narrow elastic

Glue

Spring clothespins

5-inch circle green fabric

Dried rose petals or mint leaves

Jingle bell with small holes

Rubber band

Glue both ends of the elastic inside the cap, on opposite sides. Turn the cap over, and glue the elastic to the outer sides of the cap. Clamp the elastic to the lid with clothespins until the glue is dry.

Put rose petals or mint leaves and the jingle bell (the holes in the bell should be small so the dried petals or leaves don't get inside) in the middle of the fabric. Gather the edges, and wrap them with a rubber band to make a ball.

Pour glue into the cap. Set the fabric ball in the glue, opening side down. When the glue is dry, slip your finger though the elastic loop under the cap.

Shake your ring to make magic.

Everybody knows that you wear green on St. Patrick's Day. On the next page you'll learn a fun craft to make your St. Patrick's Day costume extra green.

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You don't have to be Irish to enjoy making and wearing this special green pin. Here's how to make a lucky leprechaun's corsage this St. Patrick's Day.

What You'll Need:

Embroidery needle

Thin green yarn

Scissors

Pencil

Acorn cap

Glue

Small safety pin

Thread the needle with a 5-inch length of green yarn. Wrap more yarn around a pencil thirty times. (Not too tight.)

Slip the threaded needle under the loops. Pull the pencil out. Tie the ends of the thread around the loops, and pull the knot tight.

Cut loops to make a pom-pom. Glue the bottom of the pom-pom into the acorn cap. Glue a safety pin to the back of the acorn cap.

Continue reading to learn how to make even more luck this St. Patrick's Day -- grow your own.

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Find luck this St. Patrick's Day by growing your own Lucky Sprouts.

What You'll Need:

Compressed sponge

Pencil

Scissors

Plate or pie pan

Quick-sprout seeds, such as cress or alfalfa

Plastic wrap

Markers (optional)

1. Download the PDF of a shamrock stencil to help you trace and cut out a shamrock shape from the compressed sponge. Dampen the sponge so it expands, and squeeze out any extra water. Set the sponge on the plate or pie pan, and sprinkle the seeds on top of the sponge.

2. Your seeds should sprout in a few days (see instructions on the seed package) if you take good care of them. During the night, cover the sponge lightly with plastic wrap to help it stay moist. During the day, place your sponge in a sunny spot, making sure the sponge stays wet -- water around the sponge; don't put water directly on the seeds.

3. For variety, draw and cut out different shapes from the compressed sponge. You can even try sprinkling seeds over just certain areas of the sponge. For example, you could cut out a shape that looks like a person's head and sprinkle the seeds over the area where hair would grow. Then you could draw on a face with markers. Pretend he's a leprechaun for even more luck.

Leprechauns are hard to find. But they'll be appearing everywhere this St. Patrick's Day with the help of the craft you'll learn about next.

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This St. Patrick's Day, make your own band of lively leprechauns out of chenille stems, paper, and imagination.

What You'll Need:

Green chenille stems

Scissors

Green paper

Markers

Cotton balls

Craft glue

Small safety pin (optional)

Bend a green chenille stem in half. Cut out a paper circle, draw a face on it, and add a cottony wisp of a white beard. Cut out and glue a hat to the top of his head.

Twist a second chenille stem around the body to make wee arms. If you'd like to make a pin out of your friend, glue the back (the side that doesn't open) of a small safety pin to the back of the leprechaun's head.

Now you've got a green friend you can carry or wear to inspire a smile. You'll be in the green as long as your little friend is near. Make other people when you finish your leprechaun. Use your imagination, and come up with your own fun guys and gals.

Keep reading to learn how to make a festive balloon shamrock.

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All you need is a balloon and some practice to have some shamrock balloon fun this St. Patrick's Day.

What You'll Need:

1 Balloon (green)

Begin by inflating a balloon, leaving a nine-inch tail.

Fold the balloon over. Pinch and twist.

Pull the knot through the fold. Repeat the last two steps twice to make the shamrock's other leaves.

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About the Craft Designers

Leprechaun Bubble Pipe by Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton

Green-Magic Rings by Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton

Leprechaun's Corsage by Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton