15 Fun and Festive St. Patrick's Day Treats

St. Patrick's Day is a time for celebration, and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious treats? This collection of St. Patrick's Day treat recipes is sure to please everyone at your party. Whether you're looking for something sweet, savory, or no bake, we have something for everyone. So gather your ingredients, put on your green, and get ready to bake, cook, and enjoy!

 

Lucky Charms Cereal Bars by Three Olives Branch

These cereal bars pack all of the flavor of Lucky Charms into one portable and shareable package. No milk needed to enjoy!

Sour Cream St. Patrick’s Day Cookies by Savings Talents

Sour cream cookies are just so good! Anyone who tries one will agree, it is a lucky day!

Green Velvet Cupcakes by The Housewives of Frederick County

We have all had red velvet cake, but green velvet is just what you need for St. Patrick’s Day.

Irish Green Cocoa Bombs by Thrive at Home

This cocoa bomb packs an appropriate amount of green for warm drink on a special St. Patrick’s Day!

Vegan Shamrock Shakes by Zardy Plants 

These shamrock shakes are so much better than McDonald’s and they are completely vegan to be inclusive for all!

Irish Cream Dream Bars by 365 Days of Baking

These bars are aptly named. They taste just like an Irish cream dream come true!

Mini Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse Pies by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Mini pies filled with Irish cream and chocolate mousse are reason enough to celebrate!

Bailey’s Poke Cake by Mamas on a Budget

Poke cakes are so flavorful, but this one takes taste over the top with the addition of Bailey’s!

Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cookies by Live to Sweet

Chocolate chip cookies are a classic, but adding Bailey’s to the mix makes them next level Luck of the Irish!

Chocolate Stout Pudding Cakes by What a Girl Eats

Chocolate stout pudding cakes have such a deep, rich flavor that you will be dreaming of these long after St. Patrick’s Day has passed!

Copycat Starbucks Cake Pops by Made in a Pinch

Skip the drive thru and curb your cravings for a seasonal flavor at home with this easy recipe!

Rainbow Hot Cocoa Bombs by Easy Budget Recipes

These cocoa bombs are so cute that I am certain that this is what you find at the end of a rainbow! 

Lucky Charms Treats by Food Folks and Fun

Lucky charm treats are perfect to make and share with all of your little leprechaun friends this year!

Lucky Charms Pancakes by Fantabulosity

Start the day off with a serving of fantastic flavor. Lucky charms and pancakes collide for a lucky start to the day!

St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies by Marathons and Motivations

Sugar cookies are always in style, but when you jazz them up for St. Patty’s day, they feel like the luckiest treat of them all!

Here are some tips for celebrating St. Patrick's Day with kids:

• Get creative with your decorations. Green is the traditional color for St. Patrick's Day, but you can get creative with your decorations. Use shamrocks, four-leaf clovers, and other Irish symbols to decorate your home or classroom.
• Make some festive food. There are many delicious and easy recipes for St. Patrick's Day treats. You can make green pancakes, shamrock cookies, or even Irish soda bread.
• Read some Irish stories. There are many great Irish stories for kids of all ages. You can read about leprechauns, rainbows, and other Irish legends.
• Go on a scavenger hunt. Hide some gold coins around your home or classroom and let the kids go on a scavenger hunt to find them.
• Have a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Fill a pot with gold coins, candy, or other treats and hide it at the end of a rainbow. Let the kids search for it and enjoy the treasure at the end.
• Wear green. Green is the traditional color for St. Patrick's Day, so let the kids wear green clothes, hats, or accessories.
• Have fun! St. Patrick's Day is a time to celebrate, so relax and have fun with your kids.

We hope you enjoyed these St. Patrick's Day treat recipes! Be sure to share them with your friends and family, and have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day!

Pot of Gold Sensory Bin

Saint Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I have the perfect sensory bin to share with you for the occasion. This Pot of Gold Bin is easy to set up, is loads of fun to play with, and will get kids excited for the holiday!

Sensory bins are so much fun for kids. They combine fine motor work, the engagement of the senses, and imagination into one awesome invitation to play. This Pot of Gold St. Patrick's Day Bin was so easy to set up, and I got everything I needed at the dollar store. This sensory bin is easy to set up, and the kids will want to play with it many times. 

Supplies:

1. A plastic storage bin with a lid.
2. St. Patrick's Day Foam Scatter
3. 4 Leaf Clover Confetti
4. Buttons in assorted colors
5. Small black cauldrons from the party favor section of Dollar Tree

Instructions:

1. Dump the confetti, foam scatter and buttons into the storage bin.
2. Add a few of the cauldrons to the bin.
3. Offer your child tweezers, spoons, or any other tool you like for scooping.
4. Allow your child to fill the buckets with a rainbow of colors (beads) and the gold foam coins.

I encouraged my daughter to tell me what colors she would find in a rainbow and place one bead from each color in the bucket.

We also used this as a counting exercise; how many gold coins could she find? How many big clovers? And so on.

Harper also had fun just digging in the scatter and confetti. She brought a few little action figures into the mix and had a fun small world session later. 

I like to make these bins in shoe box sized plastic containers so we can snap a lid on it and revisit the activity later. The kids always want to play with the bin again!

If you like this idea you can find all of my sensory bins and bags here.
Reader favorites include:
Sensory Party in a Bag
Birthday Cake Sensory Bin
Grab some FREE St. Patick's Day Coloring Pages here
Check out these End of the Rainbow Snacks
Check out these easy 3d Shamrocks

Play Doh Fine Motor Rainbows

Play Doh and buttons are the perfect combination to make a fun fine motor rainbow! This is a great activity for indoor play days and is so easy to set up!

We are crazy for both play doh and rainbows so this activity was a huge hit with my daughter Harper. It was easy to set up, and gave her a chance to explore textures, express creativity, and work on her pattern making skills, with a dose of fine motor too!

Supplies:

Play Doh

Buttons in assorted colors and sizes

If you can't find white play doh, like we used, no worries, use any color your kids like!

If you don't have a jar of buttons at home, we bought this little jar of multi color buttons at Dollar Tree.

Directions:

Roll out a can of play doh.

Offer your child a pile of buttons.

Encourage your child to make a rainbow by lining up the correct color of buttons in the pattern of a rainbow.

As buttons can be a choking danger to small children, be sure to closely supervise this activity with little ones.

This was a lot of fun for Harper. We will certainly be pulling this activity out again in the coming months as an easy yet engaging boredom buster!

You can find more fun ideas for kids here

Button Tower Stem Activity

Glow in the Dark Galaxy Slime

15+ Paper Plate Crafts for Kids

If you are looking for easy ways to keep the kids entertained on a cold winter day; this is the place for you! I have found some really fun paper plate craft ideas for kids that are perfect boredom busters! These are all fairly easy, and kids of all ages will have fun with these ideas! Be sure to click thru the links for the tutorials.

BB8 Paper Plate Craft by Attachment Mummy

This paper plate craft is perfect for Star Wars fans! It comes together with basic supplies and includes

a free printable template to make it easy for all skill levels.

Paper Plate Fruit Fans by Family Focus Blog

These fruity fans are the perfect way to beat the summer heat with a craft that kids of all ages can enjoy! 

Alien Spaceship Craft by Easy Crafts for Kids

This craft is so cute it is practically out of this world! It all starts with a little imagination and a paper plate.

Mermaid Twirlers by Red Ted Art

These cute little mermaid twirlers are nothing short of adorable and they are bound to make a splash

during craft time!

Yellow Submarine by Lil Tigers

This craft is so creative and gives kids an ocean view like they were diving in a submarine! 

Paper Plate Sunshine Craft by The Soccer Mom

This is the perfect craft for a rainy day! It is bright, colorful and spreads cheer to all who see it!

Space Themed Plates by Glitter on a Dime

Kids who love outer space will be over the moon for this easy paper plate craft that proves that the sky's

the limit to their creativity!

Rainbow Fish Craft by Two Pink Peonies

Pair storytime with a colorful and engaging craft! This rainbow fish craft is perfect for preschoolers!

Paper Plate Woven Bowls by Craftsy Hacksy

This introduction to weaving makes for a great paper plate craft! This is a great craft to make and share

with someone special!

Paper Plate Monkey by Mom Wife Busy Life

This paper plate craft is so cute you might go bananas for it! Kids of all ages will love to make their own

monkeys!

Rainbow Mickey Mouse Craft by Grace Giggles and Naptime

This Mickey Mouse craft is so colorful and cute! Kids are sure to be all cheers for this craft with Mickey

Ears!

Paper Plate Snakes by Mom Brite

This cute and easy craft will slither into your heart! Kids will love making these paper plate snakes!

Paper Plate Animal Masks by Crafts for Toddlers

These masks are so much fun for little kids! They can make a craft then engage in dramatic play for a

really great afternoon!

Snow Globes by Ottawa Mommy Club

These are perfect for kids! A snow globe they can handle with no feat of breaking it, and they are adorable

too!

Eric Carle Inspired Cats by Moms Who Save

This is a visually stunning craft that is perfectly paired with an Eric Carle story! Save this idea for a rainy

day activity for kids of all ages.

You can find more fun paper plate crafts here:

Paper Plate Lions

Paper Plate Witch

Paper Plate Crowns

How To Improve Your Diet And Health

 You’re probably going to have some good ideas and the best of intentions when it comes to your diet and your health. You’ll want to do well – you’ll know that it’s important. However, it’s not always easy to put your ideas into action. You might find that you start off on the right track, but you easily veer off in another direction, for example. Or maybe you just don’t know where to start because changing your diet and improving it would be such a huge new way of living. Don’t worry; there are some simple things you can do that will help you. Read on to find out more. 

 

Photo by Alexander Grey

 

Meal Plan

One of the biggest reasons that people’s diet plans don’t work out is that they are busy. They run out of time or get tired, so popping a processed meal into the microwave or calling for takeout is an easier option. Obviously, as well as being easy, it’s unhealthy. 

 

If you can do meal planning, you won’t have this problem. You’ll always know exactly what you are going to eat, you’ll have all the ingredients, and you’ll be able to plan your time accordingly. You could try out new things, like this vegan garlic noodles recipe, or stick with tried and trusted – but healthy – meals. The choice is yours. 

 

Even better, when you have extra time, you can batch cook, and in that case, you’ll only have to warm something up when you are busier. 

 

Choose A Diet

For some people, eating healthily is hard because they don’t really know what they should and should not be eating or when it’s healthy to eat and when it isn’t. If this is your issue, you should choose a diet that will suit your lifestyle and that has been proven to work. Intermittent fasting is a great example of this. 

 

Taking this as an example of what you can do, how do you start? Well, first, you have got to learn how to fast properly, then you can ensure you have the right plan in place. Do your research, and you’ll know exactly what to do and can follow the rules accordingly. 

 

Eat The Rainbow 

Whether you opt for a specific diet or not, a good rule of thumb when it comes to eating well is to ‘eat the rainbow’. This means that you should try to make your meals as naturally colorful as possible. If your plate looks very beige or white, for example, then you know you need to add some bright vegetables to the meal to make it healthier. When you think about it, vegetables are rainbow-colored, and meat, pasta, rice, potatoes, and other ‘sides’ are all one brown/white color. This clearly shows the healthier parts of any meal, and it’s a good guide to help you eat right. 

 

Focus On Hydration 

Although most of the time, you’ll be focusing on the food you eat when you want to improve your diet and get healthier, you must also think about what you’re drinking and ensure that you get enough water during the day. 

 

Being properly hydrated is good for your health since it means your body’s functions are in good working order, and you feel more energized. As well as this, your immune system will be working well. Plus, when you’re dehydrated, you can become confused, irritable, and develop headaches. 

 

Make sure you include plenty of water in your daily life. Ideally, have a reusable bottle with you at all times so you can sip on it through the day and never reach a stage where you are dehydrated.

Fine Motor Counting Activity

This easy activity is perfect for practicing early math while developing fine motor skills.

Before I was a mom, I was a developmental psychology major. In my studies, I was intrigued by sensory and fine motor development then. Now that I am a mom, I love setting up activities for my own kids that give them hands on fun and learning opportunities without spending a ton of money to do it.

This fine motor counting activity is perfect for preschoolers.They can work on their fine motor skills while practicing counting. You might have all the materials at home to do this, making it fuss free and frugal. If not, I have included some affiliate links you can use to get your supplies.

Supplies:
Rainbow Bands
Large Craft Sticks
Sharpies

Directions:
Write numbers on large craft sticks with sharpies.
Use the largest craft sticks you can find to make the activity challenging.
Offer your child small rubber bands, like the rainbow loom style of bands and encourage your child to count the number of bands that need to go on each craft stick and slide that number of bands on to each craft stick.

If you are looking for more fine motor activities for kids, check out these posts:
Unicorn Fine Motor Bin
Play Doh Pre Writing

Cupcake Liner Crafts

We are always looking for fun crafts to make! When I saw these ideas for cupcake liner crafts the wheels in my head started to spin. These ideas are adorable and easy enough for your toddler or preschooler to make!

I hope this collection inspires you to pull out your cupcake liners and start creating!

Your little princess will love making these Tutu Princesses from Well Nourished Nest.

On a rainy day you might want to try your hand at this Cupcake Liner Rainbow from I Heart Crafty Things.

These Cupcake Liner Butterflies from Crafty Morning might flutter their way into your heart!

If your little one likes Ninjago, don't miss this super cute and simple Ninjago Craft from Love and Marriage Blog.

If your little one loves all things Dino, you can't go wrong with this Cupcake Liner Dinosaur from Frogs, Snails and Puppydog Tails.

Do you have an idea for a fun cupcake liner craft? I would love to hear from you!

Cat in the Hat Pattern Making Sensory Bin

This year in honor of Dr.  Seuss's birthday we made this easy and fun Cat in the Hat Pattern Making sensory bin. This is a fun way to put your puffle to good use and work on pattern making skills which later help kids grasp math concepts.

This post contains affiliate links. 

We love sensory bins, bags and play! Both of my kids still get excited when they see I have a new bin ready to explore. This one was a huge hit because they had been itching to get their hands into pluffle. This is such a fun squishy foam! It is a must have for sensory play!

Supplies:

Pluffel

Assorted red and white items.We used cotton balls, feathers, legos, mini clothespins and glittery Christmas scatter

Measuring spoons, tongs and other fun items to pick up the items in the bin with.

A large tray or a plastic storage bin.

Directions:

Pour pluffle on to a tray or into a storage bin.

Make sure you take a moment to squeeze, form and otherwise take in the pluffle; it is a great sensory play option and adults will enjoy the texture too.

Next, offer your child an assortment of red and white items.

We used tiny clothespins, legos in red and white, feathers, cotton balls, and Christmas scatter that was glittery and red.

Encourage your child to recreate the stripes of the Cat in the Hat's hat.

This is a great opportunity to use fine motor skills with the spoons and tongs. Encourage your child to try placing the items with those tools as well as their fingers.

When play time is over, you can snap a lid on the bin, or put it all back in the pluffle container for future play sessions. Pluffle never dries out!

You can find all of my sensory ideas here.

Favorites include:
Rainbow Rice BinVeggie Garden Sensory Bin