Kids ages 5 and older will have the dexterity and skill to make the rainbow game board, hats, and the pot of gold, but all ages can play the game. Move ahead two, move back one, lose a turn—even the youngest children will get a kick out of spinning the wheel and moving their green hats toward the end of the rainbow to reach the pot of gold.

What You'll Need

• 3 or 4 sheets of poster board of different colors
• Marker
• Empty applesauce cup
• Paintbrush
• Black acrylic paint
• Black paper
• Glue
• Glitter glue
• Gold pompoms
• Cardboard tube
• A few thin pieces of cardboard
• Green felt
• Gold marker
• Cardstock
• Metal fastener

What You'll Do

1. Make a rainbow from three colors of poster board. Use a marker to divide the rainbow into 10 sections. Write “Start” on the left side.
2. For the pot of gold, paint an empty applesauce cup with black acrylic paint. Add paper handles and glitter-glue trim. Fill the pot with gold pompoms.
3. For a hat, cut a section from a cardboard tube. Cover the top with thin cardboard. Wrap the hat in felt. Cut out a brim from cardboard, cover it with felt, and glue it to the bottom. Add a black paper band. Use a gold marker to draw a buckle. Make two more hats.
4. For a spinner, cut out a shamrock from poster board. Label the sections: Move Ahead 1, Move Ahead 2, Move Back 1, and Lose a Turn. Cut out an arrow from cardstock. Punch a hole in it, and attach it loosely with a metal fastener to the shamrock.

To Play

Place the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Line up the hats at Start. Take turns spinning and following the directions on the shamrock. The first player to reach the pot of gold wins.