Kids love the magic of holidays and Macaroni KID Cherry Hill, N.J. publisher, Holli Carlin, gave the kids in her town that on St. Patrick's Day ... and more!
Holli scattered "gold" — rocks spray painted with gold paint — at local parks and playgrounds in her community. Then she invited her readers to bring their kids to find the treasures.
She even made up a fun story about the hunt for the children taking part.
"The Saint Patrick's Day Leprechaun was passing through Cherry Hill when his bag snagged a tree branch and tons of his gold fell out and landed at various parks in our community," she wrote. "... When you find the gold, you may take it home as your own treasure to keep!"
Along with gold paint, some of the rocks were marked with letters. Participants could download an activity sheet and decode the leprechaun's secret message. It was a great way to keep even older kids involved in the fun, she says.
“Every year I see parents ask about events for their kids during St. Patrick’s Day and there really is not much," she says. "I’m glad I was able to provide the community with a fun, free event to do together for St. Patrick’s Day."
To keep her readers excited, Holli didn't reveal the park locations until the day before the event — and she only revealed them to her subscribers! She also included local businesses by giving them a chance to sponsor the gold hunt.
'Never too old for a little magic'
Families had a great time participating in the gold hunt. Many posted photos on social media of the event.
"Thank you so much!!! We had a blast!" one mom wrote on Facebook.
"My son had a great time today thank you for all your work to make this possible," another wrote.
Holli said watching kids light up when they find the "gold" made planning the event worthwhile.
"I really love the fact that this will be a memory kids will look back on when they have their own children," she says. "I love doing things with my kids that I enjoyed doing as a little girl. You’re never too old for a little magic.”
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