March brings breeze loud and shrill,
to stir the dancing daffodil.
They also say if March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb.
Pretty soon it will be March Break and children will have extra time, especially since March can be unpredictable, when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold. Children can have some indoor fun with these lion/lamb paper plate puppets.
Use any size paper plate or cardboard circle and offer an assortment of pompoms, cotton balls, construction paper, googly eyes and buttons. Glue cotton balls onto the lamb paper plate, add googly eyes and a little pompom nose, construction paper ears and a bow. The lion will need triangle ears, pipe cleaner whiskers and a pompom nose. Have fun, be creative and feel free to substitute any other materials for the ones listed – you may have something in your house that would do just as well or even better. You can make two separate puppets on their own sticks or cardboard tubes (tape them onto the back). Or when they are dry, try gluing the backs together – insert a stick between the plates. The puppet can then be flipped back and forth for lion or lamb.
Make a paper daffodil using an egg carton, green and yellow construction paper, tissue paper and yellow paint. Cut one of the egg cups out of the carton and paint it yellow. Cut a circle from the yellow construction paper and glue painted eggcup onto it. Attach the flower head to a paper stem and leaves. Scrunch up small pieces of tissue paper and glue the yellow into the flower centre and the green onto the leaves, then make a bouquet.
We also get to celebrate another holiday in March – St. Patrick’s Day!
Paint a lucky rainbow, this is especially fun for young ones and is great for a group. Cover the table with a large piece of paper and with a marker draw the bands of the rainbow. Put out trays of paint – red, blue, yellow (you might want to add purple, pink and green as well). Have the children press their hands into the paint and then onto the paper making sure all the same colour goes into each band, at the end you will have a rainbow!
Another easy fun activity for littles is potato printing. Cut a potato in half and carve out a shamrock shape, make a few. Let them dip the potato shamrock into trays of green paint (offer a few shades) and then onto the paper.
Make a Blarney stone! Find a nice rock on the beach and paint it – green, gold, white and add some sparkle. Older children can paint lips onto their stone.
Apparently if you kiss the Blarney stone you will get the gift of the gab…hmm…
For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way –
Good health, good luck and happiness for today and everyday.
Carol Ashton is an Early Childhood Educator and children’s storyteller who offers programs for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and primary-aged children.
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