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St. Patrick's Day the Preschool Way
Throw an Irish Bash With Your Children By Donna Smith
St. Patrick's Day is a wonderful time to do something special with your child. This year, throw a St. Patrick's Day bash! Sit down and plan the party with your child. We have some great suggestions to help you with the green theme, but your child might have some ideas that will surprise you.
The Invitations
How many children should you invite? A house full of preschoolers can get out of control if not entertained constantly. Becca Gladden, a party consultant for The Party Shop, suggests to base the number invited on your child's age. "A good rule-of-thumb is to invite one child for each year of the host child's age -- for example, five children for a 5-year-old. If you have more parent helpers at the party, you can safely invite about four children for each adult," says Becca. "Be sure you have enough adults on hand to keep things under control, or hire a neighborhood teenager as a party helper." | Shamrock Invitations You'll need:
Draw a shamrock shape onto the construction paper. Help you child cut it out, then write all the information about your party on the shamrock. |
Instead of mailing the invitations, let your child hand-deliver them. "I find hand-delivering the invitations is much more friendly and personal," says Gladden. If you do mail the invitations, drop them in the mailbox at least 10 days to 2 weeks before the party.
Decorations
What color should you decorate with? Green, of course! Use green streamers, green and white cups, plates and napkins, and green and white balloons. "Cut green shamrocks from construction paper or poster board and glue gold glitter on them," says Gladden. "Hang them all around the room."