St. Patrick's Day Books

Get ready to build a clever leprechaun trap at home. We will use the traps at school as we try to catch a sneaky leprechaun. Use your imagination, lots of green and gold, and a few playful tricks to make your trap extra tempting.

Need ideas or supplies? Be sure to check out the links on our website for leprechaun trap kits, decorations, and materials to help your family create the perfect trap.

Materials:Small pieces of wood or craft wood, glue, paint, ladder made from sticks, gold coins or shiny objects, and a small box or crate

Directions:Build a small wooden box or house shape using the wood pieces. Leave an opening for the leprechaun to enter. Add a little ladder leading up to the opening. Inside, place gold coins or something shiny to attract the leprechaun. You can create a trap door or make a small stick that props up the box so it falls when the treasure is touched. Decorate with green paint, shamrocks, and rainbow colors.

Materials:Shoebox, construction paper, scissors, glue, tape, string, markers, stickers, gold coins, cotton balls

Directions:Cover the shoebox with green paper or decorate it with paint and stickers. Cut a hole in the top or side for the leprechaun to climb into. Make a ladder from popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, or strips of paper. Place gold coins, glitter, or rainbow decorations near the opening to lure him in. Inside the box, you can add a trap door, a net, or a string that makes the lid close when he goes inside.

Materials:Black and green construction paper or a plastic hat, tape or glue, scissors, gold coins, ribbon, small treats or decorations

Directions:Create a leprechaun hat shape using construction paper, or use a small hat as your base. Cut an opening in the top or underneath the brim so the leprechaun can sneak inside. Add a paper ladder or steps leading up to the hat. Place gold or shiny treasures near the entrance. You can make the inside act like a catch box so once the leprechaun climbs in, he gets trapped. Decorate the hat with a gold buckle, shamrocks, and rainbow details.

Materials:Cylinder-shaped foam piece, craft foam, paint, glue, scissors, pipe cleaners, gold coins, stickers, ribbon

Directions:Use the foam cylinder as the base of your trap. Stand it upright and cut or create a small entrance hole. Decorate the outside with green foam, shamrocks, and rainbow designs. Add a ladder made from pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, or strips of foam so the leprechaun can climb up. Place gold coins at the top or near the entrance to attract him. Inside, create a little drop-in area so once he enters, he cannot climb back out.

Make your trap even more creative by adding:

• trap doors
• ladders
• nets
• sliding doors
• treasure bait
• rainbows
• shamrocks
• glitter
• little signs pointing to gold