Sorry about the delay in getting these crafts out to you... With three kids, the rest of my life just keeps getting in the way.

There's also a quick survey at the bottom of the page. I hope you'll find the time to give me your opinion.

I hope you find some useful St. Patrick's Day crafts here... Enjoy!

Little Kid^TM Crafts

• Irish Neck Tie - This St. Patrick's Day tie is quick to make and a lot of fun to wear! In fact, you probably won't get it off your kids even after St. Patty's because they are so fun and silly.

• Paper Bag Leprechaun - A quick and easy paper bag puppet designed for St. Patrick's Day. All you have to do is print out the included templates, cut out the pieces and glue them onto the bag.

• My Little Pot o'Gold - This project developed out of the tradition in some families of setting a Leprechaun Trap... where you decorate the bottom of a shoebox and set it up on a stick to trap a Leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day. If you catch one, he's supposed to leave you some "gold." We decided to make these little pots for him to put the "gold" into.

• Torn Paper Shamrock - This is a super simple paper project for younger children that actually looks like something when they are done. You can adapt the idea to make a greeting card or decoration.

• Irish Door Hanger - Door hangers aren't just for older children... little kids love them too! Here's one easy enough for younger children that also gives you a chance to talk about rainbows -- another little kid favorite!

• Stuffed Shamrocks - Fold a section of a large paper bag in half and cut 2 identical shamrocks out. Staple them together all the way around, leaving a hole. Stuff newspaper inside the hole to puff up the shamrock. Staple the hole shut. Paint green and sprinkle with green glitter while still wet. Let dry. Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top and tie a piece of yarn at the top to hang.

• Funny Shamrock People - Cut a very large shamrock out of green construction paper. Cut out 4 strips of green paper that are about 1 inch wide and 11-12 inches long. Cut out two hands and two feet, or use this template (which was originally done for a similar project). Take each of your strips of paper and fold them like an accordian so that when they are folded they are about an inch square. These are the shamrock people's arms and legs. Glue them into the right spot on the shamrock, which is the head and body of the people. Now glue the hands and feet onto the ends of the "funny" arms and legs. Draw a face onto your shamrock person.

• Shamrock Wands - Cut 3 identical hearts out of green construction paper (about 2-3 inches across). Glue the tips together so that they look like a shamrock. Use glitter glue to make designs on the shamrock if desired. Glue on a craft stick and some streamers to make a wand.

You'll find more St. Patrick's Day craft ideas and coloring pages if you click the link.

More Challenging Crafts and Activities

• Touch of Irish Socks - You won't believe how easy these are to make -- and they aren't even permanent! That's right, when St. Patrick's Day is over, these socks easily turn back into plain old socks. The best think about this project is that it costs next to nothing, compared to what it costs to buy fancy decorated socks at the store.

• Perler Shamrock Keychain - These little perler beads are a great way to keep kids busy for a good long time. This little shamrock keychain is just one little idea... turn them loose with the beads and the St. Patrick's theme and they can create all kinds of "Irish" crafts! This one was created by my 7 year old daughter.

• Wee Leprechaun - This is a very cute craft using a toilet paper tube, craft foam and pipe cleaners... Even though it's made from a toilet paper tube, it looks sophisticated enough that older children will love it.