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Magic leprechaun rocks {St. Patrick’s Day activity}

March 3, 2013 by Katie 61 Comments

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Growing up, St. Patrick’s day was not a particularly big deal for me or my family. Of course we wore green so we wouldn’t get pinched. But that was about the extent of our celebrations, as far as I can recall. But I’ve been inspired by so many wonderful St. Patrick’s activities I’ve seen online to do a bit more with the holiday with my own kids. And I knew this magic leprechaun rocks activity would be huge hit with both of my kids.

You might be asking: What are magic leprechaun rocks? Well, they are magic rocks that disappear in a burst of bubbles when “washed,” leaving behind some leprechaun gold.

Note: Find more St. Patrick’s fun on my St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids page.

Bring a little magic to St. Patrick's Day by making magic leprechaun rocks that fizz and dissolve when washed, leaving leprechaun gold behind | St. Patrick's Day activities for kids | leprechaun activities for children || Gift of Curiosity

One day I came upon a post about “dissolving rocks” at Reading Confetti. That post provided the inspiration for my magic leprechaun rocks!

Preparing the magic leprechaun rocks

I had to prepare the magic leprechaun rocks a day in advance. I mixed approximately 1 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of water that had been dyed green with our liquid watercolors. Then I molded the dough into balls, sticking a gold coin in the middle as I went.

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

The dough should be moldable but not too wet. The first time I made the rocks, my dough was too wet. I laid them to dry but five minutes later they had melted into puddles. I put them back in the bowl, added more baking soda, and re-formed the rocks.

This time the rocks held their shape, and I let them dry overnight. By morning, they had turned into hard, green, magic leprechaun rocks.

Enjoying magic leprechaun rocks with kids

The day we did the activity, I hid the rocks in our backyard while the kids were napping.

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

When the kids woke up, I told them that leprechauns had come and left them some surprises in our backyard. The kids couldn’t get their shoes on fast enough to go searching for their surprises! QBoy quickly located the first magic leprechaun rock.

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

I told him, “That looks dirty, we should clean it.” And I directed him to dump it into a bowl I had filled with vinegar. When he dropped it in, more fun ensued as the rock fizzed and bubbled up, much to the kids’ delight!

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

After seeing the first magic rock, the kids eagerly gathered up the rest of the rocks hidden around our yard and added them to the bowl to be “washed.”

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

After a bit, the kids noticed the first piece of leprechaun gold appear in the bowl.

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

Of course, they had to scoop them up.

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

I brought out a container for the kids to collect their leprechaun gold.

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

And the kids had all sorts of fun playing with their new leprechaun gold. 🙂

Magic leprechaun rocks. This is such an AWESOME idea for some St. Patrick's Day fun with the kids. My kids would love this! || Gift of Curiosity

More St. Patrick’s Day ideas for kids

More St. Patrick’s Day posts from Gift of Curiosity:

  • Books about St. Patrick’s Day
  • St. Patrick’s Day sensory bin
  • Build a 3D rainbow
  • Rainbow do-a-dot printable
  • Magic fizzing shamrocks
  • St. Patrick’s Day Printables Pack
  • St. Patrick’s Day do-a-dot printables
  • St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages

For more St. Patrick’s activity ideas, check out my St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids page and my St. Patrick’s Day Pinterest board.

Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board St. Patrick’s Day on Pinterest.

Don't miss out!

61 Comments

Comments

  1. Chelsey Luehr says

    March 4, 2013 at 7:30 am

    What a wonderful imagination you have!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

    Reply
  2. Mary says

    March 4, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    This is a Fabulous idea! I can’t wait to try it…

    Reply
  3. Cheryl M. says

    March 5, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    I really appreciate your wonderful blog and the ideas you post!
    By posting this activity early (2 weeks or so) you’ve given time so that my toddler daughter and I can make these to give away to her daycare class.
    Love your blog and I love to use your activities with my daughter as time permits. Thanks for making a working mom happy!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 5, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      I’m so glad you found an activity you like in time to prepare it for your daughter’s daycare. I hope they enjoy! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    March 5, 2013 at 7:33 pm

    What a fun project! I definitely want to do this with my boys once the snow melts…in July. 😉 Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 6, 2013 at 8:47 am

      Uugh, sorry you have to wait until July for the snow to melt! 🙂 By July we are usually roasting around these parts!

      Reply
  5. Tracey@We-Made-That says

    March 6, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    OMG this is the COOLEST thing ever! I bet the kids had a blast with this I mean really what kid wouldn’t! Thank you so much for sharing on We Made That! I really need to make some magic rocks for my girls!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 6, 2013 at 7:56 pm

      Thanks so much! I hope your girls enjoy it as much as my kids did!

      Reply
  6. Caroline says

    March 7, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    Hah! I bet the kids loved the surprise after dropping the baking soda into the vinegar. Fun! Good way to include activity, too.

    Reply
  7. Reshama says

    March 8, 2013 at 9:48 am

    This is a super activity! I am SO trying this out 🙂 I can just imagine the look on their faces when they found the gold coins! 🙂
    -Reshama

    Reply
  8. April says

    March 8, 2013 at 6:18 pm

    Oh my, this is an amazing project, how fun!! I will have to make these for sure!! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Monica says

    March 8, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    Super cute and fun too! Thanks for linking at Family Fun Friday – Monica
    http://happyandblessedhome.com

    Reply
  10. Kali says

    March 9, 2013 at 9:29 am

    Very fun! Just found your blog on the Saturday link-up at I Can Teach My Child. You have great ideas! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Amy@Making Life Whimsical says

    March 9, 2013 at 9:38 am

    This is such a WONDERFUL idea! We added you to our Leprechaun Magic post!

    Have a whimsical day!
    Amy and Michaela

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 9, 2013 at 7:00 pm

      Thanks so much for including my magic leprechaun rocks on your Leprechaun Magic post. You’ve got a really great round up of magical St. Patrick’s ideas!

      Reply
  12. shawna durk says

    March 9, 2013 at 10:23 am

    love this!!!! what a great idea 😀

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 9, 2013 at 7:01 pm

      Thanks so much! We really enjoyed this activity. 🙂

      Reply
  13. chelle says

    March 9, 2013 at 11:05 am

    This is SUPER!!

    Thanks for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 9, 2013 at 7:02 pm

      Thanks to you for hosting Sharing Saturday to give us all a chance to show off our ideas. 🙂

      Reply
  14. Stefanie @ Giggly Girls says

    March 10, 2013 at 6:56 am

    That is totally awesome!!

    Popping in from preschool corner.

    Reply
  15. Vicky @ Mess For Less says

    March 10, 2013 at 11:55 am

    Those are very cool. My kids love hunting for things and this will be so fun for them. Pinning!

    Reply
  16. iGameMom says

    March 10, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    How fun! I am sure the kids had great time. Seems making the ball is a little tricky.
    I came from Mom’s library. Thanks for linking up. I shared in twitter and pinterest. Come visit igamemom.com wednesday (afternoon) to see your article featured as part of Mom’s Library round up. I just start co-hosting Mom’s Library with True Aim. thanks again for a wonderful post.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 10, 2013 at 2:23 pm

      Thanks so much, and I look forward to seeing you at Moms’s Library!

      Reply
  17. Monica says

    March 12, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    So original & tons of FUN! Thanks for sharing at Family Fun Friday!
    Monica

    Reply
  18. Katie says

    March 12, 2013 at 7:14 pm

    Glad you liked our magic leprechaun rocks! Thanks so much for featuring them!

    Reply
  19. Allison says

    March 12, 2013 at 11:54 pm

    How fun! We love magic rocks. Great idea to hide a gold coin in them. 🙂

    Reply
  20. Ticia says

    March 15, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    This would be so much fun! Thanks for linking up to Science Sunday.

    Reply
  21. Carrie says

    March 15, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    Oh, how fun!! I love it! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

    Reply
  22. Karyn says

    March 15, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    This is so much fun!!!

    Reply
  23. Sara says

    March 16, 2013 at 6:31 am

    What a fun idea! I may have to make those up quickly today, and hide them tomorrow for the kids 🙂

    Reply
  24. jeanine says

    March 6, 2014 at 11:12 am

    a definite must do this weekend with my preschooler and some of our visiting 3 year old cousins! they’ll be sooooo excited!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 6, 2014 at 11:40 am

      Ooh, I’m sure they’ll love it! Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  25. Misty says

    March 7, 2014 at 11:19 am

    Love this idea!!! Can’t wait to try it. 😉

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 7, 2014 at 2:52 pm

      I bet your kids will go crazy for it!

      Reply
  26. Deanna says

    March 11, 2014 at 11:57 am

    What a great idea!!! My son is going to LOVE this!!!!! He is enjoying your printables, too! Thanks for the great blog!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 11, 2014 at 11:58 am

      My magic leprechaun rocks have been really popular. I bet your son will love them! And I’m glad he has been enjoying my printables too!

      Reply
  27. Kimberley Dickerson says

    March 17, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    I saw this activity the night before our preschool Saint Patrick’s Day celebration and had to do it!!! I baked the rocks at 150 for 1 hour and they were hard and ready to go. I CAN’T WAIT for my class to engage in this activity!! Thanks for sharing!!!!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 17, 2014 at 7:57 pm

      Oh how fun, I’m sure your kids will love it!!

      Reply
  28. Melody says

    March 27, 2014 at 9:37 pm

    This is so fun! About how many rocks does one batch make?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 27, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      It would depend on how big you make the rocks, but I seem to recall that our batch made quite a few.

      Reply
  29. Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution says

    February 8, 2015 at 11:51 am

    What an absolutely awesome idea! Going to have to pin this one 😀

    Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution

    Reply
  30. Meh says

    February 26, 2015 at 4:30 am

    This is fantastic and I’ll definitely be doing this with my little ones! It got me thinking of using this idea for Easter. Could you put Easter eggs wrapped in foil or would the baking soda and vinegar dissolve the wrapper? Anyone have suggestions what Easter surprise you could hide?

    Reply
    • Katie SG says

      February 26, 2015 at 7:15 am

      I have been thinking of doing something similar for Easter as well. I guess we’ll have to experiment to see what might work!

      Reply
  31. Elizabeth Miller says

    March 16, 2015 at 8:59 pm

    How awesome for the kiddos! You are a genius!

    Reply
  32. Morgan says

    March 17, 2015 at 10:02 am

    Thank you for this, my kids had a BLAST today finding these outside, what a cool idea. they came up with so many different ideas on how they got there, great fun!

    Reply
    • Katie SG says

      March 17, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      Aww, thanks so much for sharing with me how much they enjoyed it!

      Reply
  33. Faye says

    March 18, 2015 at 10:34 pm

    Hi Katie,
    I just made them now before going to bed. We are celebrating tomorrow as some kids were absent on Tuesday and I had a doctor appointment. I am sure the kiddos will love this activity! Thank you so much for making my lesson plans be so much fun.
    Faye

    Reply
  34. Jazmine says

    February 29, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    This is awesome!! I’m going to make these for my children’s kindergarten classes! Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply
  35. Amy says

    March 1, 2016 at 9:14 am

    I’m so pumped about making these for My Kinder class and the other K classes for our fun St. Patricks day activities!!!

    Reply
    • Katie SG says

      March 1, 2016 at 5:04 pm

      I hope they love them!

      Reply
  36. JERRY says

    March 15, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    Sounds wonderful! But won’t the food coloring stain badly and be hard to remove from the children’s skin if they are making the rocks? Is there a better solution to use that doesn’t stain skin or clothes… THANKS!!

    Reply
    • Katie SG says

      March 25, 2016 at 9:47 am

      The liquid watercolors we use are washable from most fabrics. Sometimes their skin will get stained for a bit, but it usually doesn’t last more than a few hours before washing off.

      Reply
  37. Sandra Leighton says

    March 1, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    I cannot thank you enough for all the inspiration and freebies that I have used for my autistic granddaughter aged 7. I feel guilty at times that I have downloaded so much however when using these downloads for speech, writing, alphabets, counting and endless other activities you are with me and inspiring me to keep going with the therapy etc. Thank you so much, you are truly appreciated.

    Reply
    • Katie SG says

      March 1, 2017 at 7:47 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful note! I am honored to know that I can support you to do the best for your granddaughter.

      Reply
  38. Jill Guber says

    March 5, 2017 at 9:53 am

    Great idea! I think I will do this with my gifted group and have them write directions on how to find the rocks .

    Reply
  39. Christine says

    March 6, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Where did you find the gold coins? Were they US 1$? I assume fake plastic ones might fall apart in the vinegar?

    Reply
    • Katie SG says

      March 6, 2017 at 2:19 pm

      They were fake. I assume they were plastic but I honestly can’t remember now as we did this activity a few years ago. We didn’t have any problems with the coins falling apart in the vinegar.

      Reply
      • Christine says

        March 7, 2017 at 6:08 am

        Thank you for the quick reply!

        Reply
  40. Tracy says

    February 21, 2019 at 10:26 am

    I know this is an old post but I just saw it. I can’t wait to try this with my little ones! They are going to love it!

    Reply
  41. Mireille says

    March 11, 2019 at 2:59 am

    What a cute idea and so unique to me. Our great grand children stay with us one weekend of every month and it just so happens that they will be with us the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day. I like to have fun things planned to do with them. They are 5 and 7 years old and will get a kick out of this. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  42. Carilee says

    March 16, 2019 at 2:30 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing your creative ideas with those of us who are in a hurry to find something fun!!! I’m so LUCKY to have found this post.

    Reply

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