St. Paddy’s Day Potato Stamps

First, a big thank you to Clar Bowman-Jahn who recently awarded me the Sunshine and Kreatif blogger awards. Clar, you added sunshine to my day! Please check out her blog….here.

Potatoes and St. Patrick’s Day go together like peanut butter and jelly. What better way to craft some St. Patrick’s Day fun than with potato stamps?

Here’s what you need:

• 2 or more potatoes
• heart-shaped cookie cutter(s)
• knife
• green tempura paint
• white paper, one for each child
• newspaper
• paper plate(s)
• wipes for cleaning up

Here’s what you do:

• Prepare your stamps: Slice each potato in half. Press the cookie cutter into the cut end of the potato. Using your knife, cut off the portion of the potato around your heart by at least 1/4 inch.
• Cover your workspace in newspaper (note: doing this outside or at the park is a great choice for easy cleanup.)
• Pour the green paint onto a disposable paper plate.
• Give the children sheets of white paper and show them how to make a three or four-leaf clover by stamping the potato and using their fingers to paint the stem.
• Clean up is easy: Throw the newspaper, stamps and plates in the trash. Use wipes to wipe off hands until you can get everyone to the sink for a good washing.
• I decided to laminate our artwork after it dried to make St. Patrick’s Day place mats. You also can cover them in clear contact paper to achieve the same effect.

Now, here are a few things you should know about St. Patrick’s Day.

• St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Wales.
• St. Patrick used the three-leaf clover to teach people about the Holy Trinity, with each leaf representing one aspect of God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• There’s a legend that St. Patrick drove all the snakes in Ireland down to the seashore where they drowned.
• People believe St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 AD, which is why we celebrate that day as St. Patrick’s Day.