We’re over the rainbow for you!
Today we are sharing a fun, engaging and easy St. Patrick’s Day Craft! As we head into March, we will start to see all things Leprechauns and gold. What better way to celebrate the holiday and the nearing of Spring than rainbows!
Items Needed:
1 Pipe Cleaner
2 large marshmallows (not mini!)
Fruit Loops
Scissors
*This yields one rainbow craft!*
Directions:
Cut the tips of the pipe cleaner. Depending on the desired size of the rainbow, cut as much or as little off.
Place one end of the pipe cleaner into a large marshmallow.
String the fruit loops onto the pipe cleaner.
To finish the rainbow, put the other end of the pipe cleaner into the remaining large marshmallow.
Ways to include speech and language skills:
Speech sounds- Have the child practice a word with their target speech sound 5 times. After sound practice, string a fruit loop onto the pipe cleaner. If 20 fruit loops are used, that’s 100-word repetitions! Practice makes progress!
Following directions- Have the child follow 1-2 step related directions during the craft, such as “First put on a blue fruit loop, then put on a red fruit loop”. In addition, non-related directions can be targeted such as “first put on a yellow fruit loop, then touch your nose!”.
Counting- When stringing fruit loops onto the pipe cleaner, have the child work on counting by 1’s, 2’s or even 5’s!
Sequential retell- Once the craft is complete, have the child retell step-by-step how the craft was made. To work on writing skills, have the child write the steps down. Be sure to encourage sequential markers- first, next, then, and last!
Patterns- When placing fruit loops onto the pipe cleaner, have the child work on patterns, such as an ABAB (blue, red, blue, red) pattern!
Sorting- Have the child sort fruit loops into colors!
Bonus
this craft also encourages fine motor skills. Cutting pipe cleaners, picking up or sorting small items with a pincer grasp, and stringing items onto a pipe cleaner are all excellent fine motor skills!
We hope you enjoyed today’s craft! If you post your craft to social media, be sure to tag us at @owlstherapy. We can’t wait to see what you create! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
About the Author
Janene Besch
Director/Speech-Language Pathologist
Janene Besch, née Martin, holds a Master's degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from San Diego State University and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. Janene is a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology
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