Every year the Wunderkids look forward to our St. Patrick’s Day tradition. This will be the 5th year (how in the world is Wundergirl getting so old so fast?!) that we will be setting a Leprechaun Trap in hopes of catching one of the sneaky little guys! . We tried out a couple different traps, from the simple to the more complicated but then end result is always the same and the kids LOVE it! We’ve never actually caught one, but every year those sneaky Leprechauns dance around our kitchen leaving little green footprints behind and a little bit of ‘gold’ for our troubles.
Here are some ideas for your Leprechaun Traps:
This trap is a very simple version that we came up with a couple of years ago. It got the kids involved with some artwork and they really were able to do most of it themselves.
What you will need:
- small shoebox
- Green Duct Tape (we found ours at Michaels)
- Rainbow printable
- plain paper
- glue
- scissors
- cotton balls
Instructions:
- cover the box with the green duct tape.
- Cut a star shaped slot in the lid of the box
- color the rainbow printable
- cut our two cloud shapes from the plain paper
- glue cotton balls onto the clouds
- tape finished rainbow to the side of the lid.
Another trap idea we found in Disney’s Family Fun magazine (one of my favorites for fun ideas!). To make a more elaborate trap, you can try this one:
Materials:
Empty oatmeal container
green, gold, black felt
poster board
several twigs
“gold”
glue/scissors
glue gun
1. measure a piece of green felt large enough to wrap around the oatmeal container
2. cut a strip of black felt 1-2″ wide and as long as the green felt
3. cut a gold felt square with a hollow center
4. glue the black strip to the green felt
5. glue the gold square to the center of the gold strip.
6. cut out shamrock shapes (or use shamrock stickers) and glue onto the belt side of the felt.
7. cut the center out of the lid to the oatmeal container.
8. cut a circle of green felt the size of the oatmeal lid.
9. starting at center of green circle, make cuts outwards, working your way around the circle in sort of a star pattern
10. glue green circle to frame of oatmeal lid.
11. Place onto the oatmeal container.
12. spread glue onto the back of the green felt and wrap it around the oatmeal container.
13. cut another circle of green felt 1-2″ wider than the container.
14. glue circle to poster board.
15. glue bottom of oatmeal container (or what we can now call a ‘leprechaun hat’) to the center of circle on the poster board.
16. using twigs and a got glue gun, make a small ladder to reach from the poster board to the top of the ‘leprechaun hat’
15. place some ‘bait’ or crinkled up gold foil on the top of the hat, finishing off the trap.
Every year there is evidence of a visit from some very sneaky leprechauns, as you can see from the photos below, but we are never able to catch any! Darn! They always leave us some treats and hopefully we will have better luck this year!
Here’s some of the mischief that has taken place in our home…Those little Leprechauns sure do know how to make a mess!
The trap set before bed….and when they wake up….
There is always evidence that they’ve been there. Like green footprints, Chocolate Coins, Shamrock Confetti, and Green Rock Candy…but NO Leprechauns!
Pixi following the trail
She was very concerned about the footprints
But thought the Green milk was lots of fun!
Gold Dust: gold and green glitter, sprinkled everywhere, or festive confetti
Leprechaun Footprints: dip a barbie shoe into green crayola washable paint and stamp it wherever you want them to go
Magic Green Milk: the cups were already out on the counter with a few drops of green food coloring in them when the kids wake up, all you have to do is pour the milk into the cup and it will turn green right in front of their eyes! Leprechaun Magic!
****the leprechauns always leave behind a little treat of chocolate coins or green rock candy
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