Happy St. Patrick's Day! ( a wee late)

Our St. Patrick's Day party was a big success this year. It fell over Spring Break and we invited a few new families into the green chaos. We had a green potluck breakfast. (We provided green pancakes and rainbow shaped platters of fruit and let everyone else bring a green side. We had green donuts, and green shamrock shaped banana muffins, and well... I can't remember what else people came up with because it was over two months ago! :) We all feasted like fat leprechauns and then played some fun games of hot potato (to Irish music), tied green balloons to the kids feet and made them dance an Irish jig as they tried to pop each other's balloons, and the hunt for the leprechaun's pot of gold as the grand finale!

Eli and his BFF, Rani.

(His shirt that HE picked out says, "Irish girls love me!" :)

The goal for this year's "treasure hunt" was to help the kids learn a little more about St. Patrick's Day (other than to just wear green. :) Here were my awesome clues:

1. Me name's a Danny O'Brian

and I'm a leprechaun ya see.

I'm small and clever

and you'll never want to take yer eyes off me.

(I then explained what leprechauns were (not all the kids knew!) and that according to Irish folklore if you keep your eyes on them they can't escape... but as soon as you do... they disappear.)

Us Leprechauns like to hide our treasure.

To find it...

You'll have to prove yourself beyond measure!

Me travels have been long

and me bladder is wee

I skipped to the loo my darlin'

and took meself a green pee.

(This clue is a kid favorite and I use it in my treasure hunt each year. They have to find the bathroom with the green food coloring in the toilet water to find the next clue.)

2. Thee flag of me land is beautiful

and brings me much pride.

Yell yer mum the colors

and you'll find yer next hide.

(They had to figure out where leprechauns are from: Ireland. And then had to figure out what are the colors of their flag: orange, white and green... once they got it right, I pulled the next clue out of my pocket)

3. I'm a prankster by night,

and a shoemaker by day.

But if ye want me to fix yer stanky shoes

you'll have to triple the pay!

(more folklore that leprechauns are shoemakers. clue hidden in one of Seth's stinky shoes:)

4. St. Patrick was a saintly man,

one of the best I knew.

Tell yer Dad the day he died

and you'll earn yer next clue.

(March 17th- believe it or not, this was one of the hardest clues for the kids to solve! We then talked a little bit about who St. Patrick really was. The next clue was on Seth)

5. If you got this far

ye must think yer pretty smart

I hid the next clue

on an Irish piece of Art.

(Hidden behind a framed piece of Celtic Art that my mom gave me when I got married)

6. Look for the symbol of Ireland.

It represents divinity...

The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost,

and is a symbol for the trinity.

(Answer: Shamrock. Then they had to find a shamrock that was hidden in the house to get the next clue)

7. As I walked on by

I saw a lovely lass with eyes of blue

she stole me heart

and yer next clue!

(I have an Irish doll with red hair and blue eyes my mom also gave me... under her hat was the next clue. It took them awhile to figure out it was a doll and not an actual person this time. :)

8. I've got this on me side,

but you'll need it more.

It comes from four leaf clovers...

if you believe in this Irish folklore.

(Answer: Luck. Then they had to figure out to look behind my cute letters that spell LUCK to find the next clue.)

9. Ahhh, ye kids are clever

and me gold is hidden nearby.

It's hidden in a place warm and dark

and keeps me britches dry.

Answer: In the dryer! :) (It has to be hidden somewhere the kids won't see it while playing and eating and hunting!) Yes, it was my best treasure hunt yet. Pretty sure I should stop this year while I am on top. :)

The kids waiting patiently to divvy up the pot o gold!

The gold here is butterscotch candy, Rollos, Hershey Secret Treasures (gold bricks), and Chocolate gold coins. Basically anything wrapped in gold foil works great! Also I put individual packages of Skittles at the bottom this year (for the non-chocolate lover kids) to "taste the rainbow". Yes, I am a genius. :)

Till next year... may you have Love and Luck at your side always!!