20 Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make this St. Patrick’s Day

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Click here to read 20 Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make this St. Patrick’s Day on Hands On As We Grow

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Make fun shamrock crafts for kids to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s day is full of fun and laughter for adults, lots of green beer, right? St. Patrick’s day is one of the two times a year my small town has a parade. We take it as a sign of spring and it makes us all happy to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

After such a hard and very cold winter, I can’t help but wait and wait for the day that spring will come. I feel like it will be a really lucky day.

What better way to prepare for that lucky day than with some shamrock crafts for the kids to make?!

Lucky, Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make!

P.S. So many of these shamrock crafts for kids to make are from the Hands On As We Grow archives. Some ideas other hands on moms who submit their craftiness.  Lots of hands on moms submit their crafty ideas, as well as fun activities, here on Hands On As We Grow.

Plus some are just from my favorite blogs that I couldn’t leave out!

Shamrocks means spring is getting close! There’s so many fun spring crafts for kids to make this time of year!

Are you a lucky four leaf clover or a shamrock fan? What shamrock crafts will your kids make?

20 Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make this St. Patrick’s Day

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2CPbvBF

Click here to read 20 Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make this St. Patrick’s Day on Hands On As We Grow

---

Make fun shamrock crafts for kids to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s day is full of fun and laughter for adults, lots of green beer, right? St. Patrick’s day is one of the two times a year my small town has a parade. We take it as a sign of spring and it makes us all happy to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

After such a hard and very cold winter, I can’t help but wait and wait for the day that spring will come. I feel like it will be a really lucky day.

What better way to prepare for that lucky day than with some shamrock crafts for the kids to make?!

Lucky, Lucky Shamrock Crafts for Kids to Make!

P.S. So many of these shamrock crafts for kids to make are from the Hands On As We Grow archives. Some ideas other hands on moms who submit their craftiness.  Lots of hands on moms submit their crafty ideas, as well as fun activities, here on Hands On As We Grow.

Plus some are just from my favorite blogs that I couldn’t leave out!

Shamrocks means spring is getting close! There’s so many fun spring crafts for kids to make this time of year!

Are you a lucky four leaf clover or a shamrock fan? What shamrock crafts will your kids make?

Follow-the-String Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2fhOEch

Click here to read Follow-the-String Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids on Hands On As We Grow

---

An indoor scavenger hunt for kids is switched up with a little string and letters.

In an attempt to keep bringing the same fun for my younger kids, we just redid this string indoor scavenger hunt to spell your name with George.

Whether its their name, or finding little gems you’ve hidden along the way, it doesn’t matter. But having them find the letters of their name just adds a little fun learning twist.

To begin, I weaved yarn in and out, under and over, our dining room table and chairs.

I pulled the chairs away from the table toward the edge of the room.

Find 32 scavenger hunt ideas for kids that they’ll love to hunt for!

I started the string at one of the room by tying it to a chair.

Then strung it through the chair backs, legs, table legs, and so on throughout the room.

I weaved it so that George would have to step over chairs, bend and crawl under the table to follow the string.

I have letter foam stickers that I stuck to little pieces of paper. (You could just write letters on paper instead.) I made enough to spell his name.

I clipped those letters onto the string. I put them in order of his name, but he didn’t spell his name as he was going. It was done at the end, so the order doesn’t really matter.

From the starting point of the yarn, George ran his hand along the yarn to find his way through the course.

I guess this is more of an obstacle course than a scavenger hunt. But he searched for the letters of his name as he went through.

That was the main rule I had for the activity, to keep his hand on the string so he’d know where he was at (and not skip over to the string next to it and miss out!).

At the end, he spread out his findings to spell his name!

Like I said, we did this a long time ago with Henry, too.

Here’s his version from a few years ago.

During nap time, I set up this simple ‘follow the string’ indoor scavenger hunt for kids.

I strung yarn around the room (a couple of rooms actually).

Looping it through furniture and toys, creating a tangled mess.

I found this string scavenger hunt idea for outside awhile back from Ready. Set. Read! but recently saw another similar scavenger hunt at Having Fun at Home with ribbons.

Find all sorts of scavenger hunt ideas for kids here.

With clothespins, I pinned stickers and letters to hunt for along the course of the string.

Henry awoke and instantly began climbing through, over and under the strings.

He wasn’t really sure what I had intended with this mess.

Luckily, during a quick potty break, I explained the rules:

• Start at the beginning of the string and keep a hold of the string.
• Follow the string throughout the scavenger hunt.
• Hunt for and collect treasures along the way.

Henry continued his climbing over and under each string as he came across it.

Crawling under the table where the string took him.

Finding treasures as he came across them.

In the end, the letters spelled his name (in order, but that didn’t matter since he wouldn’t put them down and they got all jumbled up in his hand).

There were also ‘treasures’ of Bob the Builder stickers.

Henry’s been continually playing with his machine (Bob the Builder) stickers as if they were toys.

What kind of indoor scavenger hunt for kids do you love to do?

Another indoor scavenger hunt for kids to do is search for letters and numbers! It’s great for matching upper and lowercase letters, along with practicing counting. Try it!

Pin this to save for later:

Follow-the-String Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2fhOEch

Click here to read Follow-the-String Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids on Hands On As We Grow

---

An indoor scavenger hunt for kids is switched up with a little string and letters.

In an attempt to keep bringing the same fun for my younger kids, we just redid this string indoor scavenger hunt to spell your name with George.

Whether its their name, or finding little gems you’ve hidden along the way, it doesn’t matter. But having them find the letters of their name just adds a little fun learning twist.

To begin, I weaved yarn in and out, under and over, our dining room table and chairs.

I pulled the chairs away from the table toward the edge of the room.

Find 32 scavenger hunt ideas for kids that they’ll love to hunt for!

I started the string at one of the room by tying it to a chair.

Then strung it through the chair backs, legs, table legs, and so on throughout the room.

I weaved it so that George would have to step over chairs, bend and crawl under the table to follow the string.

I have letter foam stickers that I stuck to little pieces of paper. (You could just write letters on paper instead.) I made enough to spell his name.

I clipped those letters onto the string. I put them in order of his name, but he didn’t spell his name as he was going. It was done at the end, so the order doesn’t really matter.

From the starting point of the yarn, George ran his hand along the yarn to find his way through the course.

I guess this is more of an obstacle course than a scavenger hunt. But he searched for the letters of his name as he went through.

That was the main rule I had for the activity, to keep his hand on the string so he’d know where he was at (and not skip over to the string next to it and miss out!).

At the end, he spread out his findings to spell his name!

Like I said, we did this a long time ago with Henry, too.

Here’s his version from a few years ago.

During nap time, I set up this simple ‘follow the string’ indoor scavenger hunt for kids.

I strung yarn around the room (a couple of rooms actually).

Looping it through furniture and toys, creating a tangled mess.

I found this string scavenger hunt idea for outside awhile back from Ready. Set. Read! but recently saw another similar scavenger hunt at Having Fun at Home with ribbons.

Find all sorts of scavenger hunt ideas for kids here.

With clothespins, I pinned stickers and letters to hunt for along the course of the string.

Henry awoke and instantly began climbing through, over and under the strings.

He wasn’t really sure what I had intended with this mess.

Luckily, during a quick potty break, I explained the rules:

• Start at the beginning of the string and keep a hold of the string.
• Follow the string throughout the scavenger hunt.
• Hunt for and collect treasures along the way.

Henry continued his climbing over and under each string as he came across it.

Crawling under the table where the string took him.

Finding treasures as he came across them.

In the end, the letters spelled his name (in order, but that didn’t matter since he wouldn’t put them down and they got all jumbled up in his hand).

There were also ‘treasures’ of Bob the Builder stickers.

Henry’s been continually playing with his machine (Bob the Builder) stickers as if they were toys.

What kind of indoor scavenger hunt for kids do you love to do?

Another indoor scavenger hunt for kids to do is search for letters and numbers! It’s great for matching upper and lowercase letters, along with practicing counting. Try it!

Pin this to save for later:

DIY Family Mailboxes for All Ages

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2HMKtPf

Click here to read DIY Family Mailboxes for All Ages on Hands On As We Grow

---

Let your little one play mail carrier with DIY family mailboxes from Rachel!

My girls love to write notes and draw pictures for others. Having a special place to “mail” their letters makes it easier for everyone.

These DIY family mailboxes are an easy way to get the whole family creating together! They also provide endless opportunities for creating, learning, and connecting.

Check out these other family time ideas!

DIY family mailboxes are simple to make!

There are many ways to make DIY family mailboxes. It should be fun and relaxing, so definitely don’t make a trip to the store for supplies.

You can make it work with just about anything. We used those clasping full-size manila envelopes.

You could also use file folders – just staple the sides shut. Two pieces of cardstock or construction paper stapled on three sides would work, too.

Once you have your “mailbox” figured out, collect some items to decorate them and get creating! We used fine-line markers, dot markers, stamps, and stickers.

Make sure each mailbox has the owner’s name on it – other than that, everyone should decorate however they want!

Hannah’s name was added too early in the process and got covered up with her decorating skills. But we still know which one is hers!

You could skip the possible confusion by adding names last or using a white sticker label instead.

I hung our DIY family mailboxes on the inside of the pantry door using some removable adhesive squares.

Now, whenever anyone wants, they can draw a picture or write a note for a family member and slip it in their mailbox.

The girls are having so much fun with our DIY family mailboxes. They love creating mail for others and finding something in their mailbox.

There are a ton of learning opportunities.

The kids are having so much fun, they don’t even realize how much they are learning!

For Hannah (age 4), we talk about colors and shapes when she is making a picture for someone. She is also starting to get into letters, so we talk about letters while I help her write notes.

Emma (6) practices her handwriting, phonics, and spelling as she writes her notes.

Izzie (8) is obsessed with writing in cursive, so she practices her cursive and spelling with her notes.

So much learning and they don’t even think about it!

What is your family’s favorite creative activity?

DIY Family Mailboxes for All Ages

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2HMKtPf

Click here to read DIY Family Mailboxes for All Ages on Hands On As We Grow

---

Let your little one play mail carrier with DIY family mailboxes from Rachel!

My girls love to write notes and draw pictures for others. Having a special place to “mail” their letters makes it easier for everyone.

These DIY family mailboxes are an easy way to get the whole family creating together! They also provide endless opportunities for creating, learning, and connecting.

Check out these other family time ideas!

DIY family mailboxes are simple to make!

There are many ways to make DIY family mailboxes. It should be fun and relaxing, so definitely don’t make a trip to the store for supplies.

You can make it work with just about anything. We used those clasping full-size manila envelopes.

You could also use file folders – just staple the sides shut. Two pieces of cardstock or construction paper stapled on three sides would work, too.

Once you have your “mailbox” figured out, collect some items to decorate them and get creating! We used fine-line markers, dot markers, stamps, and stickers.

Make sure each mailbox has the owner’s name on it – other than that, everyone should decorate however they want!

Hannah’s name was added too early in the process and got covered up with her decorating skills. But we still know which one is hers!

You could skip the possible confusion by adding names last or using a white sticker label instead.

I hung our DIY family mailboxes on the inside of the pantry door using some removable adhesive squares.

Now, whenever anyone wants, they can draw a picture or write a note for a family member and slip it in their mailbox.

The girls are having so much fun with our DIY family mailboxes. They love creating mail for others and finding something in their mailbox.

There are a ton of learning opportunities.

The kids are having so much fun, they don’t even realize how much they are learning!

For Hannah (age 4), we talk about colors and shapes when she is making a picture for someone. She is also starting to get into letters, so we talk about letters while I help her write notes.

Emma (6) practices her handwriting, phonics, and spelling as she writes her notes.

Izzie (8) is obsessed with writing in cursive, so she practices her cursive and spelling with her notes.

So much learning and they don’t even think about it!

What is your family’s favorite creative activity?

Learning Letters Action Game

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2EQ4BlR

Click here to read Learning Letters Action Game on Hands On As We Grow

---

Your child will have a blast with a fun learning letters action game that’s also a follow-the-leader activity!

Being a stay-at-home parent can be challenging. You have to be “on” all day, every day.

On the other hand, you do get to monopolize all the sticky kisses, sweet hugs, and create priceless memories constantly. Plus, you get to enjoy those ah-ha moments, like the learning letters action game our Member of the Month created for her children.

Our Member of the Month, Rachel, knows firsthand the highs, and lows, of being a full-time stay at home mom.

“As a stay at home parent you don’t really get any praise or acknowledgment for the ‘work’ you do,” explains Rachel. “But also there is no one checking if you are ‘slacking’.”

Finding Community Virtually

It can be quite isolating, especially for parents who are going from working full time to being at home all the time.

Rachel uses The Activity Room as her source of inspiration and as a support system for those tough days.

“The Activity Room isn’t just ideas for play. It’s a whole support network for parents,” Rachel says. “I’m so encouraged everytime I post something and get a comment I feel like ‘yes I am doing a good job!’ and it gives me some accountability.”

“Many members post ideas and encourage each other to try things I wouldn’t have thought of and share ways to adapt activities which gives me more confidence to try new things,” gushes Rachel.

Plus, having a community to laugh with during “parenting fails” makes being a stay at home parent feel less lonely.

“I love it when people share epic failures, it makes me realize ‘it’s not just me’!”

Let’s Meet Rachel!

How many kids do you have and how old are they?

3 kids. 2 boys 4 & 5 and a girl 7 months old.

How long have you been in The Activity Room?

since December 2017

What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room?

The Christmas tree letters match! We did a number match for the youngest, but it was so easy to adapt and kept the boys entertained for ages.

What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments?

Their favorite thing is hide-and-seek! I like to go outdoors on an adventure. We often do a ‘bear hunt’ or go looking for ‘The Gruffalo”. We just wear wellies and waterproofs if it’s raining.

If it’s only a few moments I like to get out the masking tape and make a road or a maze on the floor to race the cars around. Sometimes I set this up when they’re at school / pre-school. They are super excited to get their cars out when they walk through the door.

What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids?

Make it as mess free as possible for easy cleanup. we keep any “dry” activities on a mat. Everything for the activity has to stay on the mat.

This saves small bits and pieces being spread across the whole house. I can lift the whole mat up out of the way so the littlest one isn’t picking up anything she might choke on.

“Wet/ messy” activities are done on a tuft tray to keep everything contained and it can go straight out to the garden to clean. Rain is great for washing away the paint!

Anything on the kitchen table like baking or even stickers is done on a paper tablecloth that can be folded up with all the mess inside for a quick cleanup at meal times.

From Feeling Guilty to Quality Time Together:

Before The Activity Room, I spent a lot of time watching TV with my toddler feeling guilty for not making the most of my time with him but being unsure of what activities he’d enjoy.

Now with The Activity Room, I have an idea for every day, I spend more quality time with both of my boys and they even ask me to repeat activities.

I feel like a more successful parent as I feel less guilty when I do need downtime and let them watch cartoons. I know we’ve spent quality time together playing.

Share your favorite quote

“There’s no such thing as a perfect parent so just be a real one.” ~Sue Atkins

Activity to Share: Learning Letters Action Game

I’m trying to help my 4-year-old with his phonics so we’re doing a lot of letter games.

His favorite is where we write 4 letters on 4 pieces of card. Then, we place them in the corners of the room. We love this learning letters action game!

Then, I shout out a letter and the action he has to carry out to get to the letter, like dance to “A”, or bunny hop to “S”.

We can play this learning letters action game for ages!

Practice letter recognition with fun games!

How do you practice letter recognition with your children?

Learning Letters Action Game

Hands On As We Grow http://ift.tt/2EQ4BlR

Click here to read Learning Letters Action Game on Hands On As We Grow

---

Your child will have a blast with a fun learning letters action game that’s also a follow-the-leader activity!

Being a stay-at-home parent can be challenging. You have to be “on” all day, every day.

On the other hand, you do get to monopolize all the sticky kisses, sweet hugs, and create priceless memories constantly. Plus, you get to enjoy those ah-ha moments, like the learning letters action game our Member of the Month created for her children.

Our Member of the Month, Rachel, knows firsthand the highs, and lows, of being a full-time stay at home mom.

“As a stay at home parent you don’t really get any praise or acknowledgment for the ‘work’ you do,” explains Rachel. “But also there is no one checking if you are ‘slacking’.”

Finding Community Virtually

It can be quite isolating, especially for parents who are going from working full time to being at home all the time.

Rachel uses The Activity Room as her source of inspiration and as a support system for those tough days.

“The Activity Room isn’t just ideas for play. It’s a whole support network for parents,” Rachel says. “I’m so encouraged everytime I post something and get a comment I feel like ‘yes I am doing a good job!’ and it gives me some accountability.”

“Many members post ideas and encourage each other to try things I wouldn’t have thought of and share ways to adapt activities which gives me more confidence to try new things,” gushes Rachel.

Plus, having a community to laugh with during “parenting fails” makes being a stay at home parent feel less lonely.

“I love it when people share epic failures, it makes me realize ‘it’s not just me’!”

Let’s Meet Rachel!

How many kids do you have and how old are they?

3 kids. 2 boys 4 & 5 and a girl 7 months old.

How long have you been in The Activity Room?

since December 2017

What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room?

The Christmas tree letters match! We did a number match for the youngest, but it was so easy to adapt and kept the boys entertained for ages.

What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments?

Their favorite thing is hide-and-seek! I like to go outdoors on an adventure. We often do a ‘bear hunt’ or go looking for ‘The Gruffalo”. We just wear wellies and waterproofs if it’s raining.

If it’s only a few moments I like to get out the masking tape and make a road or a maze on the floor to race the cars around. Sometimes I set this up when they’re at school / pre-school. They are super excited to get their cars out when they walk through the door.

What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids?

Make it as mess free as possible for easy cleanup. we keep any “dry” activities on a mat. Everything for the activity has to stay on the mat.

This saves small bits and pieces being spread across the whole house. I can lift the whole mat up out of the way so the littlest one isn’t picking up anything she might choke on.

“Wet/ messy” activities are done on a tuft tray to keep everything contained and it can go straight out to the garden to clean. Rain is great for washing away the paint!

Anything on the kitchen table like baking or even stickers is done on a paper tablecloth that can be folded up with all the mess inside for a quick cleanup at meal times.

From Feeling Guilty to Quality Time Together:

Before The Activity Room, I spent a lot of time watching TV with my toddler feeling guilty for not making the most of my time with him but being unsure of what activities he’d enjoy.

Now with The Activity Room, I have an idea for every day, I spend more quality time with both of my boys and they even ask me to repeat activities.

I feel like a more successful parent as I feel less guilty when I do need downtime and let them watch cartoons. I know we’ve spent quality time together playing.

Share your favorite quote

“There’s no such thing as a perfect parent so just be a real one.” ~Sue Atkins

Activity to Share: Learning Letters Action Game

I’m trying to help my 4-year-old with his phonics so we’re doing a lot of letter games.

His favorite is where we write 4 letters on 4 pieces of card. Then, we place them in the corners of the room. We love this learning letters action game!

Then, I shout out a letter and the action he has to carry out to get to the letter, like dance to “A”, or bunny hop to “S”.

We can play this learning letters action game for ages!

Practice letter recognition with fun games!

How do you practice letter recognition with your children?