Saint Patrick’s Day (sometimes called the “Feast of Saint Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17th each year.  The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.  Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, ceilithe, and the wearing of green attire and shamrocks.  Christians also attend church services and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.  This public holiday is also widely celebrated in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.  If your days of drinking green beer are long gone, but you still want to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day, consider some of these family-friendly things to do on St. Patrick’s Day with your kids. (From “About.com’s Saint Patrick’s Day)

1.  Attend a St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
2.  Drink Root Beer Floats
3.  Make St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
4.  Build a Leprechaun Trap (Entice him with gold (rocks painted yellow or gold by your little one) and leave a trail of glitter or shamrocks to prove that the magical little guy came by.)
5.  Enjoy an hearty Irish Dinner (Go to About.com’s Guide to Kids’ Cooking for 10 recipes for St. Patrick Day…including an Irish Stew and a potato, onion, and cabbage dish called colcannon.
6.  Make Some Green Goodies.  (Green cake pops or a rainbow layered cake with one color for every color in the rainbow.)
7.  Learn About Saint Patrick (Go to About.com’s Guide to Ancient History)
8.  Read a Good Book (Irish Folktales and Fairy tales suggested by Elizabeth Kennedy can be found on About.com’s Guide to Children’s Books.
9.  Plant Shamrocks (Buy a shamrock plant and plant it with your children on Saint Paddy’s Day.  (Not only are shamrocks longer lasting than a sack of green candy, but caring for a plant can build self-confidence and responsibility in children)
10.  Go on a Leprechaun Hunt:  Put little green footprints on washable surfaces, scatter gold chocolate coins on every imaginable surface.  To prove the little guy was mischievous, move things around from normal locations, turn over a few chairs, and sprinkle gold glitters on floors and table tops.