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St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and if you want to make this day special for your kids, building a leprechaun trap could be a fun activity for your whole family! In this post, we will show you how to build a leprechaun trap out of a cardboard box, step by step. So, let’s get started!
Time-saving hack: buy a Leprechaun Trap kit! A couple of good options:
Step 1: Gather Materials: To build a leprechaun trap you will need the following materials:
- A cardboard box (preferably a shoebox or any box that is not too big)
- Green construction paper or paint
- Scissors
- Glue (Elmer’s and/or a hot glue gun)
- Tape
- String or yarn
- Gold coins or other shiny objects as bait (we painted small rocks that we collected outside with gold glitter paint to make “Fools Gold” for ours!)
- Optional: stickers, glitter or glitter glue, and other decorations such as shamrock and rainbow cut outs.
Step 2: Decorate the Box To make your trap look appealing to leprechauns! Cover the box with green construction paper or paint. You can also add stickers, glitter, or any other decorations you like. Make sure to cover the box entirely, including the lid.
Step 3: Add Bait! Now it’s time to add the bait. Leprechauns are attracted to shiny objects like gold coins or jewelry, so place some of these items inside the trap. You can also add other shiny items like beads or sequins. We painted small rocks that we gathered outside with gold glitter paint to make “Fools Gold” nuggets as our bait. We put these into a little pot with a piece of yellow construction paper wadded up in the bottom to give it bulk. We also painted a rainbow on water color paper, cut it out, and glued it to a craft stick to make a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end with which to lure our leprechaun. Then we cut out a shamrock shape out of paper and used it to make a sign that read “Free Gold!” to place in front of our bait.
Step 5: Create a Trap. (See image) To catch a leprechaun, you need a trap! Cut out a square from the top of your box. Next, take a piece of green construction paper (to match the color of your green box) and fold it in half lengthwise. Open the paper back up, and fold it in half again width-wise. Open the fold back up. You should now see that your paper has been folded into fourths, with the four corners touching in the middle, like a cross. Use this cross as a guideline to cut the opening of your trap. Fold the paper in half on one of your pre-folded folds and using scissors, cut along the fold until you have reached about the halfway point. Do the same along the other fold line. This will create flaps that come together in the center. This is what your leprechaun will fall through when he tries to take your bait. Now glue the construction paper over the hole in the top of your box with the flaps in the very center of the hole.
Step 6: Wait for the Leprechaun Now that your trap is set, all you need to do is wait for the leprechaun to take the bait. Once you catch one, make sure to let it go again! You never know, it might just leave a pot of gold behind.
Building a leprechaun trap out of a cardboard box is a fun and simple activity that can help make St. Patrick’s Day even more special for your kids. By following these steps, you can create a trap that looks appealing to leprechauns and is sure to catch their attention. So go ahead and try it out, and who knows! You might catch a lucky leprechaun this year!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Let me know in the comments!
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