Toddler Rainbow Craft...

This is such a simple craft and you only need three items to make it and you probably already have those items in your house!  It is perfect for St. Patrick's Day, or any day of the year.  Who doesn't like to see rainbows 365 days a year?  This was the perfect craft for Jo because it was fast to make.  While I cut out the cloud shape, she was able to rip the crepe paper and, when it was time to glue, I added the glue and she attached the crepe paper.  The big girls had fun too;)  We used crepe paper for the rainbow because we had a bunch left over from Mel's 3rd birthday party which was over three years ago, but if you don't have any construction paper works just as well.

You will need:

white construction paper

crepe paper (or construction paper works too)

glue

First cut out a cloud shape from white paper.  Draw it first if you are like me and that makes you feel more comfortable.

Next rip off some strands of crepe paper or cut strips of construction paper.  Then glue them to the back of your cloud...

 That's it!  I told you it was super simple!  But it definitely brightens up our house on these gloomy days!

Crystal Shamrocks...

 I love letting the kids make crafts and then decorating with them for St. Patrick's Day.  Maybe it's the bright colors...greens, yellows, and rainbows.  What's not to love.  I think I love decorating for it because it is a sign of Spring and who doesn't like to see bright colors after a long Winter?  I came up with the idea for these crystal shamrocks after we made crystal snowflakes last winter.  They were so easy to make and the girls loved watching the crystals grow.  We made these on a snow/cold day from school, so they had plenty of time to keep an eye on the growing crystals!

You will need:

Pipe cleaners (various colors to represent St. Patrick's day.)

String

Borax

Water

wide mouth jars

pencil

Our first step was to find a picture of a shamrock on the internet that we liked, then we cropped it to our desired size.  Then we used it as a template to make our shamrock with a pipe cleaner...

Next we tied a string to the shamrock and the other end of the string to a pencil.  Then add a 1/2 Cup Borax ax to each wide mouth jar and pour in 3 Cups boiling water and stir until the Borax is dissolved.  You can find the Borax in the laundry aisle at the grocery or on Amazon .  Carefully dip the shamrock into the jar and try to not let it rest on the sides of the jar.  Rest the pencil on top of the jar and wait.  We left ours out all day and all night...

Once we took them out of the jars, we let them dry for a bit and then I hung them in a doorway.  I love how they look, especially in the late afternoon when the sun shines in the window.  They sparkle!