Moms Talk Q&A: St. Patty's Day Activities
Here are places to go and things to do alone or with the family to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
You don’t have to be Irish to have fun this St. Patty’s Day.
Everyone is Irish once a year on March 17, the day St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. He lived in the 400s A.D. and it is believed that he died on March 17.
Although St. Patrick’s Day originated in Ireland, it is celebrated around the world, and it is sure to excite the kids. Whether keeping the younger kids at home, or sending the older ones off to school, encourage them to get dressed in green to represent the beautiful rolling green Irish terrain.
There are so many things associated with St. Patty’s Day, making it easy to find a variety of activities to do with your children. Clovers, leprechauns and gold, luck, kissing the Blarney Stone, and Irish music and dances are all things you can explore with your children.
The Internet is a great resource for parents to find crafts, activities, Irish music and dances, and Irish recipes.
Check out www.st-patricks-day.com, www.ireland-fun-facts.com, familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day and www.kids-cooking-activities.com/St-Patricks-day-recipes.html.
If your kids are inclined to try new things and will eat a variety of foods, make an Irish-inspired dinner with your kids, like corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread, for instance. Follow it up with a good old-fashioned green milkshake using either mint ice cream or vanilla with a drop of food coloring.
As the luck of the Irish would have it, we also have some communities embracing St. Patty’s Day celebrations for the entire family.
For kids ages 7 and under, check out the inaugural Shamrock Hunt at Bounce U (420 Babylon Road, Horsham), where kids can enjoy a treat, and hunt for gold and four-leaf clovers. Contact Bounce U at 215-674-8644 for reservations.
For the entire family, Molly Maguire’s Irish Restaurant and Pub and the North Wales Running Co. will be presenting the inaugural Get Lucky Mile Run in Lansdale Borough on St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit Manna on Main Street. Find more information at www.pretzelcitysports.com.
The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place in New York on March 17, 1762. A St. Patrick’s Day Parade is something the kids will never forget, and Philadelphia boasts the third largest St. Patty’s Day parade in the country.
Following a St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Church (20th and Locust streets), Philadelphia’s 241st St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place Sunday, March 13, at 11 a.m. at 16th Street and JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia. Dress yourselves and your kids appropriately for the weather outdoors. For more information, visit www.philadelphiastpatsparade.com.
Whatever you do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, make it a fun one for your family!
Fellow moms and dads, please feel free to leave a comment with any additional ideas, activities or events. We would love to hear from you!
Audrey Papula
12:06 pm on Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thanks Kali! We will make it on Thursday :)
Erica Colvin
12:33 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011
When I was teaching I used to hide a treat from Lucky the Leprechaun for my class. There would be clues throughout the classroom during the day as to where it was hiding and we'd go on a scavenger hunt to find it. (Typically it was a little trinket and Irish potatoes candy) "Lucky" would often play pranks like hide the backpacks and write messages on the blackboard. This year my son is only one, but I might do something similar to start the tradition of Lucky.