Tips and Ideas for Throwing a St. Patrick’s Day Party

Watch out for the wee folk�"little leprechauns, that is! It’s time for “the wearing o’ the green” as we celebrate everything Irish. Host a St. Patty’s Day party with festive four-leafed invitations, Emerald Isle food and Lucky Leprechaun games. It’s easy being green on St. Patrick’s Day!

Decorations

Go green! Use a Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kit to inflate a bunch of green balloons with helium, tie them off with green ribbon and gather them in bunches of three to form floating “shamrocks.” Include one “lucky” four-balloon cluster and award a prize to any guest who “finds” it. Have the guests take “wearin’ o’ the green” literally and ask them to dress in as many green articles of clothing as possible. Award a green prize to the one who wears the most green. For added fun, greet the guests dressed as a leprechaun, in a green top hat, green shorts and green striped socks! Cut out a bunch of giant shamrocks from green construction paper and tape them to the walls or use them as place mats. Create a giant rainbow using sheets of colored construction paper taped to a wall in the shape of an arch. Set a “pot of gold” - a gold foil-covered bowl filled with chocolate gold coins - at both ends of the rainbow. Sprinkle clovers and gold coins on the table. Play Irish music in the background.

Games & Activities

Check out the following fun ideas for entertainment at your St. Patty's Day shindig!

Hot Potato

This fast-moving game is hot - but won’t really burn anybody’s fingers. Have players stand in a circle about an arm’s length from each other. Give the “hot” potato to one player and have him or her toss it to any other player as quickly as possible. Keep the potato moving until a player drops the potato or holds it longer than three seconds - then that player is out. Continue until there’s only one player left. For added fun, have players take a step back each time the potato hits the ground.

Pot o’ Gold

Set out a large, green leprechaun hat upside down, (or use a bowl). Give the players equal handfuls of chocolate gold coins and have them take turns tossing them into the pot from a short distance. Let the players keep the coins that land in the pot.

Four-Leaf Clover

Separate the bunches of green balloons you inflated for decoration and let them float on the ceiling. At the word “Green!” have the kids try to gather four balloons together to form a lucky shamrock. The first to complete the task wins the game.

Gold Coin Hunt

Hide chocolate gold coins around the party room. Tie a green helium balloon near the hidden coins, and then have the players search for the hidden coins using the helium balloons as clues.

Leprechaun Glasses

Watch the world turn green when you put on these magic glasses! Have the kids cut round or shamrock-shaped eyeglass frames from green posterboard. Cut out the center of the frames for eyeholes. Cut green cellophane into circles and glue them over the back of the eyeholes. (If you can’t find green cellophane, color clear cellophane or plastic wrap with green permanent markers.) Poke holes on each side of the glasses frames, insert pipe cleaners to each side and secure them. Decorate the glasses with stickers, and then put them on and start seeing green!

Leprechaun Footprints

Have the kids make their own leprechaun footprints by rolling out refrigerator cookie dough. Cut out cookies using a footprint cookie cutter and bake according to directions. Let the kids frost the footprints with green icing and decorate them with green sprinkles.

Refreshments

No party is complete without some festive food and drink to serve and enjoy.

Pot o’ Gold Potatoes

Along with traditional food like corned beef and cabbage, offer a potato bar. Set out a selection of baked potato toppings, such as grated cheese, bacon bits, ground beef, cubed ham, cooked peas, chili, beef stroganoff, pizza toppings, Mexican seasoning, sour cream and butter - and let the kids choose what they want to put on their potatoes.

Shamrock Shake

Serve this refreshing mint-flavored shake with the hot baked potato. For each guest, put 2 cups milk, 1 banana, ½ cup mint ice cream in blender and blend until smooth and creamy, about 30-45 seconds. Pour into clear glasses.

Leprechaun Lunch

Make sandwiches from green-tinted bread (the bakery can do this), and cut them out in clover shapes. Serve with a glass of green-tinted milk.

Shamrock Cake

Bake three heart-shaped cakes and join them together at their tips to form a shamrock (or bake four cakes to make a lucky four-leaf clover). Frost with green-tinted icing and top with green sprinkles and chocolate gold coins.

Favors

What would a party be without a little something to remember the day by? Send the wee ones home with a green leprechaun hat, a little leprechaun figure, some chocolate gold coins, a green three-balloon bouquet, a rainbow of color crayons or a box of Lucky Charms.

About the Author

Penny Warner has more than 25 years of experience as an author and party planner. She has published more than 50 books, including 16 specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning programs. Her latest book, LADIES’ NIGHT, will be out in November 2008 from Adams-Media. Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer helium balloon kits in North America. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide. For more information, visit BalloonTime.com.