Back in December, my mom bought Levi a Chanukah-themed gingerbread house that he built and decorated with our help, meticulously gluing colorful candy balls to cookie walls with sticky sweet icing. Levi was so proud of his handiwork that he cried when we broke the house apart to taste it.
So when my mom spotted another gingerbread house on sale after the holidays, she picked it up for a rainy day activity. Or, as it turned out, a snow day activity.
Earlier this week, I ran to the supermarket for gingerbread house decorations. With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, I thought it’d be fun to make leprechaun house using an assortment of green and rainbow candy and gold foil chocolate coins.
I also thought we could use the occasion to talk to Levi about St. Patrick’s Day traditions like shamrocks and leprechauns. (“Leprechauns do magic? Like brushing your teeth for you?”)
To Levi’s disappointment (and Jordan’s relief), this particular house came pre-built. We let him spend about 30 minutes after school on two days decorating his house while finishing up his leftover milk from lunch (and sneaking bites of mint M&Ms). By the way, the new Munchkin Miracle cup that he takes to school is truly amazing. It doesn’t leak in his lunchbox or spill when he holds it upside down, plus now we don’t have to spend money on milk boxes.
The boys finished up the gingerbread house yesterday morning after we learned that Levi’s school was canceled for the 78th time this winter because of snow. We’d been storing the candy in our Love-a-Bowls (they have lids! genius!) so everything was still fresh. I’m not sure it really mattered, though, because I doubt Levi will let us chow down on this house. Not after his meltdown last time!
I’m actually surprised by how festive his little leprechaun house turned out. If you’re looking for a St. Patrick’s Day activity to do with your kids, it looks like Amazon is still selling a few gingerbread houses. Of course, you can always make gingerbread from scratch if you’re feeling ambitious. Has anybody ever baked homemade gingerbread? Is it terribly complicated?
We’ve had such fun building two gingerbread houses this winter that I’ll be stocking up on kits next December to use for future snow days. And can you believe that neither Jordan nor I had ever made one before? It’s true! So if you have any tips on building or decorating gingerbread houses, I’d love to hear them.
PS – It’s officially Shamrock Shake season! Here’s a copycat recipe you can make at home, perfect if you’re snowed in like we are!
This post was sponsored by Munchkin, one of our favorite brands, and all words and opinions are my own. Munchkin rids the world of the mundane by developing clever, innovative solutions that make family life safe, easier, and more fun. You can find their products at Munchkin.com, Target, Babie
Gosh, Levi is so adorable in these photos! Love the house too. I’d love to do this with Max, but afraid he’d just want to eat it instead 🙂