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Leprechaun Trap: St. Patrick’s Day Fun For Kids
You know the story. Trap a Leprechaun and he (or she!) will turn over their pot of gold to you! But Leprechauns are tricky! You need a game plan. And you need to be prepared for a few tricks!
At our house we start setting traps for the pesky Leprechaun in the beginning of March. We make our trap (directions for our trap here.) and try luring him with a shiny, gold chocolate coin. Then it’s off to bed and hope to find something in our trap the next morning!
I’m not sure about at your house, but at our house it’s always the same thing. That sneaky Leprechaun always takes our bait…and avoids getting caught!!! Which always makes Mom a little annoyed because I ONLY buy the exact number of coins that we need. So this means I have to go to the store again to pick up some for the next night. Geez… 🙂
Not only does the Leprechaun take the coin, but he usually plays a trick! Last night was no exception!
The traps were laid….
Caleb even put a shiny red car our (which we thought was the perfect size for the Leprechaun!)
And Josh put out his DS. (Because Leprechauns love to play games!)
When we woke up the coin was gone… 
And his DS was covered in Shamrocks!
And so was the car!
I guess there is always tonight to try to trap them! I wonder what kind of tricks they will play tonight?
If the Leprechauns want to play at your house too….
Sometimes they leave fun things like
etc.
And after all the tricking…on St. Patrick’s day they always end up giving all the gold coins back! 🙂
If your Leprechaun would like to leave a note too you can print out some of these:
They are designed as 4X6. You can just save them on a flash drive and take them to your local Staples/Office Max and have them printed. (You can also email them directly to your store!) Our Leprechaun likes to write little notes on the back!
We will keep you posted on the rest of our Leprechaun run ins! If you have a Leprechaun in your house we would love to hear about it!
Email it to us or on Facebook! Or tag us on Instagram!
Check out what other tricks our Leprechaun has pulled:
We are linking here.
St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun Hat DIY Craft Project For Kids!
If you are looking for a fun project to do with the kids for St. Patrick’s Day then this is the perfect project for you! These hats are easy to make and make great storage containers (perfect for a treat!) or in our case – perfect for trapping a leprechaun!
You will need:
Plastic containers – we used small Ziploc containers in the 1 cup size
Green paint – we used DecoArt Americana Pant in Leaf Green
Foam Brush
Construction Paper
Tape
I do highly recommend newspaper and an apron (which was put on shortly after this picture!) 
Coat the outside of the containers a nice pretty green.
And make sure to get the sides and the outside of the lids too!
The good news about this project is the paint dries really quickly! 🙂 Instant gratification…why yes!
We didn’t have black construction paper so we did what any other normal person would do and colored a piece of paper black. Cut out a yellow buckle and taped them on.
Then just tape the band around. EASY!
Set them out as decoration or fill it with a treat.
OR you can do what we like to do….
Turn it into a trap for those pesky leprechauns! Each night leading up to St. Patrick’s Day we set the trap (with a chocolate covered gold coin as bait!) But that tricky leprechaun always seems to steal the coin and ends up playing a trick! (Although on St. Patrick’s Day he always leaves a pile of gold coins behind in the hat!)
Want to see what kind of mischief our leprechaun has made?
We are linking here.
12 Dr. Seuss Crafts
Yesterday I shared with you 10 fun foods to help celebrate Dr. Seuss and today we are going to share some fun crafts! Don’t forget – Dr. Seuss’ birthday is March 1st! I’ve included links to the corresponding books just in case you would like to have them to go along with the projects! Remember you don’t need a Kindle to download a Kindle book. You can download it right to your computer or to the Kindle app (available for phones/tablets)
(Shipping will be free with purchases over $25 or with your Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom accounts. If you do not have a Prime or Mom account you can sign up for a free trial here.)
Yertle The Turtle:
Yertle The Turtle is a great book to teach children about greed and opens the door for discussions on how to be a good leader (and friend!) and how we should treat others. After the book, make these easy and fun turtles from Because I said So (and other Mommyisms).
You can pick up your own copy of Yertle The Turtle And Other Stories here. (Kindle version is $3.99 and Hardcover $10.52)
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
In the book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins poor Bartholomew is ordered to take off his hat in the presence of the King. But every time he takes his hat off another hat appears on his head. Read the book and enjoy making and designing your own paper hats like 2 Big 2 Little did!
Buy the book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardcover $10.19)
There’s a Wocket in my Pocket
This was a favorite book of my sons! The rhyming and silly, made up words made it fun to read! I love 30 Minute Crafts quick and easy DIY project to make a a Yottle in a bottle!
To purchase There’s a Wocket in My Pocket click here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardback $6.19. If you would prefer a board book you can get one here for $4.04)
The Lorax
The Lorax is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books! Enjoy the classic book and then make this fun Lorax paper plate craft from A Night Owl!
Need the book? You can get it here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardback $8.44)
Need the movie? Get the DVD for $10.00 or the Blu-Ray DVD combo for only $9.49! Get them here.
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
In this fun book Bartholomew is back! The king is bored and summons his royal magicians to make something new to fall from the sky. They make a goo called Oobleck but all it does is make a giant mess. Bartholomew teaches everyone the power of the words I’m sorry. I love this book for the kiddos! After you are done reading make sure to make your own Oobleck with this how to from Sunlit Pages!
Need the book? You can get it here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardback version $9.32)
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
One Fish Two Fish is an easy to read book perfect for young readers! If you are looking for an easy and fun way to incorporate math into an activity check out Oopsey Daisy and her free printable Goldfish graph.
Need the book? Get it here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardcover book $5.09)
I Can Sleep With My Eyes Shut
I Can Read WIth My Eyes Shut is another easy to read book perfect for emerging readers. Once you are done, kids will love decorating their own eye masks! I absolutely love this idea from 30 Minute Crafts! How cute!
Need the book? You can get it here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardcover version $6.98)
Fox In Socks
Fox in Socks is a classic Seuss tale! I remember when I was little my favorite part was
“When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles and the bottle’s on a poodle and the poodle’s eating noodles…they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle bottle paddle battle.”
Mad in Crafts has a fun game (and free printable!) that is perfect to play after reading this book!
Need the book? Get it here. (Kindle version $3.99, Hardcover $5.08)
The Cat in The Hat
Most of the time if people say Dr. Seuss The Cat in The Hat comes to mind. And his iconic red and white hat! Club Chica Circle has a quick and easy Cat in the Hat pencil cup craft AND as an added bonus some fun Truffula Tree pencils!
Need The Cat in The Hat books? Get them here. (Kindle versions $3.99, Hardback Cat in the Hat $5.09, Hardback The Cat in the Hat Comes Back $8.09)
Want the movie? Get it on DVD for $7.50 or Blu-Ray for $12.48 here.
More Dr. Seuss Crafts…
Sticky Floors Happy Kids has you covered whether you are reading The Lorax or Horton Hears a Who! These fun masks are perfect for acting out a story or a photo booth!
Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday at the library! Go in style by creating a fun library tote bag. UCreate has lots of ideas and the tutorial!
Finish off the Seuss Celebrations with a fun game of Seuss-O. Circus Berry has the cute cards available to download and print off.
Want MORE Seuss ideas?
Check out our 10 Fun Foods to Celebrate Dr. Seuss here.
Follow us on Pinterest to see tons of fun projects and recipes!
10 Fun Foods to Celebrate Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss’ birthday is March 1st. Make sure to celebrate with your favorite Dr. Seuss book and by making one of these fun treats! Make sure to check out our Dr. Seuss Crafts here!
Green Eggs and Ham Chocolate & Pretzels from Love From The Oven
Lorax Cheese from Cute Food For Kids
The Lorax Nutter Butter Cookies from Embrace My Space
Cat in the Hat Pizza (Parents Magazine Feb 2010)
Tomato and Mozzarella Cat Hats from Anders Ruff (there are more cute ideas and free printables!)
Green eggs and ham (pudding!) from All My Little Gems
Rainbow Cookies (these are a perfect match to the Oh the Places You’ll Go book cover!) from Deliciously Different
Truffula Tree Treats from The Seasoned Mom
Dr. Seuss Soup from Lory’s Page
Lorax Cuties from Desert Chica Ramblings
Any of these Dr. Seuss treats will be a great addition to your Dr. Seuss celebration!
Looking for Dr. Seuss books? Amazon has great deals!
DIY Non-Slip Headbands Craft
If you are looking for a fun, quick, easy and practical DIY project then you have found it! Non-Slip Headbands are all of those and super cute! I see them at all the stores, craft shows and online and it’s easy to see why!
I love them because they won’t budge, which means they are great for workouts! The colors and designs are just about endless. Plus you can make them in a variety of widths! Plus, they take about 5 minutes to whip up!
What you need:
Ribbon – Grosgain works better than Satin. We also really like to use the sparkly ‘ribbon’
Velvet Ribbon – Choose a size that corresponds with your ribbon width.
Elastic – I use 1/2 inch
Corresponding thread
The first thing you will want to do is measure. I like to create a ‘template’ if you will. I make my headbands 16 1/2 inches long. So I don’t have to get my measuring tape out for each ribbon I just drew a line on a piece of paper that was 16 1/2 inches long and just use it to measure. (Please note that this size is for an adult/teen/tween. If you are making a child’s size you will need to shorten it)
Cut both a piece of ribbon and the velvet to 16 1/2 inches. Then cut your elastic to 6 1/2 inches long.
Then, lay your ribbon on top of the velvet so that you have the velvet showing on one side and the pattern of your ribbon showing on the other. Pin the ribbons together.
This is the hardest part! So you don’t have any rough edges or unraveling we are going to fold the edges. I fold mine in about 1/2 inch.
Just make sure you have both of the ribbons about equal! When you have them folded in stick one edge of the elastic in between the layers. Again, I sandwich the elastic about 1/2 inch in!
Sew a straight line just straight down to keep everything in place. I don’t worry about back stitching on this part because we are going to sew all the way around it in just a minute!
Repeat on the other side.
It should look like a headband now!
Sew around the edges. Make sure you back stitch!
Soon you will have a whole bunch of non-slip headbands! Play with the widths and patterns! These are perfect to make for gifts and craft shows too!
Ta da!
Love DIY projects? Check out our DIY projects here!
Want even more DIY projects? Check out our Pinterest page! It’s FULL of amazing projects!
The Marble Jar Allowance System: Behavior and Responsibility Reward Jar
At our house we have to earn video game and TV time. At our house we do chores. And we work hard to use positive reinforcement to help teach good behavior.
I love our marble idea because it can be customized to fit any child, any family and any situation! The concept is simple. You come up with a few goals, whether they are chores or behaviors, and when they are done your child earns a marble. Easy right?
Well here is how we run our marble jar.
First up is morning routine. This means making his bed, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc. By doing his morning routine – without a fight he earns a marble.
The next 2 are school goals. Josh has Autism so having behavior goals are important for us. Where we live they are turning the schools to a project based learning approach and making them based around technology. It’s actually really neat. Last year Josh’s class ran a booth at the Farmer’s Market and the kids had to graph inventory (bird feeders and other projects the kids made in art class), make change, etc. When they learned about the Titanic they all engineered their own boats to see if they could make one ‘unsinkable’. It’s great because they are excited to learn and for Josh, it forces him to work with other people. But working in groups is hard. And can be frustrating. So he earns a marble for staying on task (it’s easy to get distracted when you don’t sit at a desk and you are in a group!) and doing his best. We break it up as a marble earned for before lunch and one earned for his work after lunch.
Then, he earns a marble for doing his homework and reading in a reasonable time. That last part is REALLY important at our home. Last year we would spend hours on trying to get homework done some nights.
Chores are required in our house. Nothing major, but just something. Josh helps with the dishes, sweeps under his chair after dinner and cleans up his room. Doing his chores earns him a marble.
Lastly, he can earn a marble for his night time routine. That includes shower, teeth brushing, prayers and in bed (on time!).
If he does extra chores, does really well on a test, meets a speech goal, etc he can earn an extra marble. We don’t give extra marbles out for every little thing (that kind of defeats the purpose) but it’s mom & dad’s call.
So what do we do with all of those marbles? Well for one, each morning we count how many marbles were earned the day before. Each marble is worth 10 minutes of TV/Video Game time. So the day before if he earns 6 marbles he would have 60 minutes of tv time for today. If he only earned 4 he would have 40 minutes.
Then, at the end of the week we count up all of the marbles. He has the opportunity to earn 38 marbles (without any bonus marbles). If he earns up to 38 then each marble is worth 10 cents. But just like overtime in a real job, if he goes above and beyond and earns for than 38 marbles in a week he earns double pay and his marbles become worth 20 cents each! It shows that stepping up and doing an extra chore or studying hard really pays off!
So…is it working?
YES!! This is by far, the best method we have ever used. Josh wakes up – makes his bed, brushes his teeth and gets dressed without me saying anything. He wants that marble! He gets his work done. He wants those marbles!! And he really wants double pay! 🙂
Do you have a system that works for you?
Silk Dyed Eggs – Easy & Mess Free!
Tonight we dyed our Easter Eggs. Our tradition is dying them with silk ties. You can find the instructions here.
I wasn’t sure how this one would come out. But I’m so glad I picked up this tie with the men riding the old fashioned bicycles! Isn’t it cool?
You have to have at least one tie with flowers on it!
And of course a paisley print!
There are our eggs. What traditions do you do for Easter?
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Resurrection Rolls – A Fun (and Yummy) Easter Tradition
I wanted to make sure to share with you one of our favorite Easter traditions – making Resurrection Rolls! This is such a fun and yummy way to teach the Easter story! Plus, it’s so incredibly easy! 🙂
You will need:
1 package Crescent rolls (here is a coupon)
8 Marshmallows
4 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
The How To:
Melt the butter and put the cinnamon sugar mixture in a bowl. Grease your baking pan and pre-heat the oven according to the crescent roll directions. (You can read John 19 if you would like!)
Give your child a marshmallow and explain that it represents Jesus. After Jesus died on the cross he was prepared for burial. Back then that meant using oil (the melted butter) and spices (the cinnamon sugar mixture.)
(Dip the marshmallow in butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture)
Then he was wrapped in linen cloth.
(Place the marshmallow in the crescent roll. You will need to wrap it up tightly and pinch it shut. You will want to make sure that it is sealed!)
(Place on a cookie sheet.)
Then, he was placed in a tomb (represented by the oven) and a large rock was placed to block the entrance (the oven door).
(Close the oven door and cook according to crescent roll’s package instructions)
On Sunday morning, the third day, Mary Magdalene and several other women went to the tomb. When they arrived, they found the tomb had been opened already. When they went in, they did not find Jesus’ body and the wondered what had happened.
Suddenly, two angels appeared. The women were terrified, but the angels said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you that He would be turned over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise again on the third day!”
The women ran back to tell Jesus’ apostles what they had seen. Peter and one of the other apostles went to the tomb to see for themselves. They looked in and saw the linen cloths that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in but nothing else.
(Open your roll! Jesus – represented by the marshmallow – is not there! He has risen! All that is left are the linens he was wrapped in – the roll.)
We do this every year and it never gets old! It’s such a fun way to bring the Bible alive and really helps kids understand the Easter Story!
Do you have any Easter traditions?
Check out all of our Easter posts here.
This post contains affiliate links.
DIY: Silk Dyed Easter Eggs Tutorial
See this year’s eggs here! (They turned out AWESOME!)
Easter is about a month away; can you believe it? I wanted to share with you my family’s favorite way to dye Easter eggs so you have time to get your supplies if you want to make some as well! We make silk dyed eggs each year for a few reasons:
- They are super easy.
- They are mess free! No spilling, no dripping, no dye stains!
- They are gorgeous!
- Everyone thinks you are an Easter Egg making master because they are quite impressive. 🙂
You will need 100% Silk ties. On the back of the tie there should be a small tag that says either 100% silk or all silk. Dark colors work best and we’ve had the best luck with some of the ugliest ties! You want ugly ties on your egg – not your man! 🙂 You will also need some white fabric of some sort (I’ve used an old pillow case before and last night I used a flour sack that I had cut up. You can get a pack of flour sacks for about $1 each at Target). You will also need hair ties (or you could use bread ties but hair ties are the easiest), vinegar and a pair of scissors.
First you need to cut the tie and take out the lining. Flip your tie over and just snip like shown above. There will be a lining piece that comes out. All you want is the pretty silk pattern.
Place your egg on a section of the silk tie.
Gather the silk around the egg. Try to pull it tightly around so the pattern lays flat on the egg. Secure it tightly with a hair tie.
Then wrap with the white fabric and secure. In a pot, boil water and add 1 cup of vinegar. Place the eggs in the water for about 20 minutes. Remove the eggs and place in a colander to cool. This is the hard part – waiting for them to cool!
After they have cooled unwrap them!
I bought a wild flower print tie and I absolutely loved the eggs that it made!
The yellow wasn’t quite dark enough but the other colors from the tie made some really great details!
We only did a few eggs last night, but I will show you our Easter Eggs when we dye them in a few weeks! In the mean time, hit up the thrift stores for some great ties! I can usually find them for $0.50 – $1.00 each.
I’ll be linking up here.
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Cereal Box Valentine’s – with printable tags
