Get into the spirit of spring and St. Patrick’s Day and show off your green thumb with these fun ways to grow shamrock gardens. You’ll also want to check out these other easy and fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with kids.
Fun Ways to Grow Shamrock Gardens
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By Rose Weber
Pots of gold, beautiful rainbows, and sneaky leprechauns are more than enough to get kids and parents excited about St. Patrick’s Day. The middle of March also signals the beginning of spring, (maybe that’s why everything is green on St. Paddy’s day.) Get into the spirit of the holiday by showing off your green thumb. There are plenty of fun ways to grow shamrock gardens for St. Patrick’s Day.
Toyarium Shamrock Gardens
Show your kids how much fun gardening can be by adding shamrock seeds to a toyarium. These toy inspired containers will blend a child’s love of toys with a passion for growing plants. You can make a toyarium using the same items you use for other planters. You simply include a few small toys along with the plants. Kids love to keep the toyariums in their room. Giving them responsibility for the plant’s well-being helps grow their independence.
Create Pots of Gold
Tie together the whole St. Patrick’s theme by growing shamrock seeds in small plastic kettle pots that you can pick up at the dollar or craft store. Tell your kids story of pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, then paint some small pebbles gold and add them to the container with the shamrock seeds. You can use the smaller pots of gold as place settings for your festive St. Patrick’s Day meal as well.
You may already have an herb garden in your kitchen that makes it easier for you to add fresh flavors to your everyday cooking. Windowsill herb gardens are small enough for your kitchen and provide a lot of potential for plant growth. Sprinkle a few shamrock seeds in a spot next to your favorite herb and watch the daily progress with your little ones. Hunting for four-leaved shamrocks can help to build interest in other plant varieties (like herbs).
Use Shamrock Gardens as Centerpieces
Start your St. Patrick’s Day celebration early by planting shamrock seeds in late February. This will give the seeds enough time to germinate and sprout and mature in time before March 17th. Add some shamrock seeds to a centerpiece for your dining table that will allow your kids to watch the progress of the seeds daily. You can talk about the plants over dinner every night as well as guess which ones could be the unusual four-leafed variety. Growing plants in a spot of the home where your kids can keep an eye on them daily is an excellent way to enrich their lives with love for nature.
Create Decoupage Jar Shamrock Gardens
Create an entire afternoon of crafting with your kids by choosing using mason jars, terra cotta pots, or cups to create unique shamrock planters. Cut pieces of green and white tissue paper and have your kids add them along with mod podge to the sides of the jars. The kids will have fun creating their shamrock planter, and you can create a few different ones to make a centerpiece. After the jars have dried, fill them with potting soil and help your child add shamrock seeds and water. No jars on hand? Consider upcycling metal cans or other containers that you can save from going to the landfill.
There are plenty of ways you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your kids. Whether you choose a toyarium or pot of gold for your planter, may the luck of the Irish be with you while you try these fun ways to grow shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day this year.
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Rose Weber
Rose Weber is a garden care extraordinaire. She has been gardening since she was a child in and loves to spend her weekends teaching her grandchildren all about growing a vegetable patch. You can find her sharing her crop with her friends and neighbors.
That bottom one, with the stacks of tea cups is adorable!
I absolutely love this. We’re so covered in white right now, the thought of something green and growing with the hope of spring is very appealing.