Make a St. Patrick's Potato Head
Celebrate the Irish Spud and Leprechauns with a Fun Kid’s Craft
Ireland is Known for Potatoes and Leprechauns
Use this St. Patrick’s Day craft to introduce a little Irish history and legend to your children.
Tell your children about leprechauns and how legend states a leprechaun can lead you to a pot of gold.
Explain to your children that Ireland is often called the Emerald Isle because of its fields and hills of vivid green grass. Suggest to them that their leprechaun’s hair can remind them of Ireland’s green grassy hillsides.
Explain to your children that Ireland is known for growing potatoes, which is why the potato makes such a great head for your leprechaun.
Supplies
- potatoes
- google eyes, pom-poms, pipe cleaner (or other materials for making a face)
- adhesive
- potting soil
- grass seed
- a knife
- a small cup that will serve as a seat for the leprechaun while it is growing hair
Instructions
- Cut a hole out of the top of the potato. (An adult should do this if the children are too young to do it safely.)
- Have the children create a face for their potato and glue it on.
- Have the children spoon potting soil into the potato’s head.
- Sprinkle grass seed on top.
- Add a very thin layer of dirt.
- Use an eye-dropper to drip water onto the soil until it is damp.
- Water the hair every day.
- In seven to ten days, the hair will start to show.
Suggestions and Ideas
If the children who work on the project are old enough, have them sculpt the parts of the face out of a clay or dough that can be dried. Have them paint on details before gluing the pieces to the potato.
If you are using extra large potatoes, the face pieces found in a play dough kit or a Mr. Potato Head could be used for your leprechaun’s face.
Find clipart of leprechauns, resize faces to suit the potato, cut them out, and allow the children to color them.
Research indicates that rye seed would work very well for this project.
About the Sample Project
The potatoes shown do not use normal grass seed for lawns. Lawn seed was unavailable so ornamental grass seed was used. Since it was uncertain how quickly the seed would germinate, finch food was also used. Clearly neither choice was a good one. Research indicates that rye seed would work well. When the project has been done with rye seed new photos will be published.
The children enjoyed this project immensely. They examined their potatoes regularly to see if the hair was growing and they were always willing to water the hair. When visitors arrived, the children were always anxious to show off their potato leprechauns.
Second Sample Project
A second set of leprechauns was attempted using wheat seed. The germination percentage was high and the rate was fast. Within five days of planting a the potatoe had 'big' hair.
Wheat seed can be found at health food and organic food stores.
Original Potato Leprechauns
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With Wheat Hair
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