An Activity for Preschool Age Children:
Create golden nugget treasures with rocks and a little paint! Rock painting is a unique way
to combine appreciation for nature with creative expression. It teaches children the value
of using that which is around them to expand their imaginations.
Before You Begin:
We used papier-mâché flower pots to hold our gold, but you may provide a variety of
options such as art cartons, paper folding baskets, strawberry baskets and egg cartons.
Let's Get Started:
Prepare by gathering rocks, pots and materials for decorating. You may wish to paint
rocks using wet paint or tempera sticks. We used gold tempera sticks, which allowed for
quick dry time. No matter which method you use, be sure that the rocks dry completely.

Provide children with a variety of pot options, rocks and
decorative materials. This will ensure that each child's
pot of gold is a unique creation representing each child's
self-expression.

Play a memory-style game by writing letters, numbers,
symbols or children's names on one side of each gold
nugget. Make sure there is a matching nugget, and then
have children match pairs together!

While St. Patrick's Day has its roots as a celebration of the saint for which the day is
known, modern observances typically celebrate Irish culture, folklore and symbols such
as the pot of gold. Discuss how the pot of gold at the end of every rainbow is a symbol of
hope.

Steps:

1. If you have several types of pots available as mentioned in the setup ideas above, have the
   children choose their preferred pot to decorate and their decorative materials.
2. Decorate your chosen pot. Use a color scheme such as the colors of the Irish flag (green,
   white and orange), rainbow colors or any other color scheme you like.
3. Create gold nuggets by painting several rocks with gold paint. Allow children to embellish
   their gold nuggets as desired with glitter, sequins, glitter glue, etc.
4. Encourage sharing by suggesting that the children make one rock for each child in the
   class, so their pots are full of a variety of rocks.