St. Patrick’s Day is coming right up- March 17th! Here are three St. Patrick’s Day crafts which will serve as leprechaun traps that you and your kids can make to catch leprechauns before they cause any mischief. Your kids are sure to love the magic and mystery of these leprechaun trap ideas! On St. Patrick’s Day, it seems like many children (and adults) fall victim to the leprechaun mischief. With my kids, it has become a tradition for the leprechaun to do small pranks on St. Patrick’s Day. This can range from green milk, green toilet water, green footprints, and even trails of shamrock confetti or green glitter. Because of this, my kids want to fight back. They want to catch the leprechauns by making their own trap! Here is how to catch leprechauns with several different leprechaun traps.
3 Fun Leprechaun Trap Ideas:
Kids are captivated by mythical creatures. The little people of Irish folklore are no different. Everyone wants to see Irish leprechauns. It is a fun story and to this day, I always look for a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow!
How do you catch a leprechaun? Well, here are three leprechaun traps to get you started on how to catch a leprechaun. Or you can see if you can come up with your own ideas! Tag me @familyfocusblog with your photos. I’d love to see what you come up with! These are fun ways to engage your child’s imagination and creativity! The best part is how much fun they will have this Saint Patrick’s Day.
What attracts leprechauns? Rainbows, gold, and treasure! They’re famous for hoarding pots of gold, usually hidden at the end of a rainbow. They love anything shiny and valuable. Leprechauns are also playful and love pulling pranks, so anything that sets up a trick or riddle might catch their attention.
1. Leprechaun Hat Pitfall Trap
It’s well known that leprechauns love top hats, so what better way to catch one than with it’s own hat! Use a recycled oatmeal container wrapped with green felt. Cut a hole in the lid that will give way when the leprechaun steps on the top. Set up warning signs (the leprechaun won’t be able to resist). Put “gold” on the top of the hat so the leprechaun wants to get to the top of the hat. Get more details at Working Mommy Is Redundant.
2. Leprechaun Rainbow Cage Drop
It has been proved that no leprechaun can possibly resist a giant rainbow. This can be used to your advantage to catch him! Once the leprechaun gets close to the gold, he will want to collect it for his own! When he grabs it, the trap will fall on him, trapping him! Here’s how to make it! Get a bent wire hanger (to support the cage). Tie fishing line to the top of a berry basket from your recycling bin. To conceal the cage, tuck cotton balls into the weave of the basket to make it look like a cloud. Get the weight of the bait to hold down the fishing line. It can be a small flowerpot that is painted black with gold in it.
3. Leprechaun Tricky Trapdoor
This trap will help you catch even the most tricky leprechaun. First cover a shoe box in green paint. Then cut a swinging door into the top of your box that will give way when the leprechaun tries to escape. You can try chocolate coins for bait. The trapdoor is a flap that is held up by a small tab of card stock. Be sure to decorate your trap doors as enticingly as possible! Free gold may help. After all you want to catch your leprechaun!
I originally published the post above in 2012 but I am republishing it today with detailed design for another Leprechaun Tricky Trapdoor. So here is how to trap a leprechaun!
How To Make Leprechaun Trap:
The Leprechaun Trap with Tricky Trapdoor can be made so many different ways for so many different looks. This is my one is my version of a How To Catch A Leprechaun Trap. The basic supplies needed for this leprechaun trap are a box, leprechaun bait, and some decoration to disguise the trap. Here are is a tutorial for the perfect leprechaun trap! Catching a leprechaun requires a tricky element like this one with a trap door.
Craft Supplies Needed To Make A How To Catch A Leprechaun Box:
- 8 popsicle sticks
- hot glue gun and hot glue
- markers or paint
- scissors
- cereal box
- construction paper
- pipe cleaners
- tape
- pom poms
- gold coins or pot of gold
DIY Easy Leprechaun Trap Step By Step Instructions:
The cereal box will be the basis of your leprechaun trap. I used a special edition Lucky Charms box because they already had fun decorations on the box itself and it made the crafting easier. But you can use any cereal box if you want. You will just have to use construction paper to cover up the print and make the trap attractive to leprechauns.
Create Base
First, remove any cereal from the cereal box. Tape the box shut and lay it down flat on the table. If there is print on the box that you want to cover, you can use green construction paper or green paint to give you a fresh surface.
Cut Bridge Out Of Box
Next, cut out a portion of the box that can be used as a rainbow bridge. This part should be done by the parent with scissors or a utility knife. Just start about an inch out from the short box edge and cut two lines up the middle stopping about 4 inches away from the top of the box. Then cut across joining the two cuts so that you can lift the flap.
Then, bend the flap up a bit to make a rainbow bridge and either glue or tape in place if needed. This will create about a 2 inch gap in the box. See photo below.
Add Rainbow Colors To Bridge
If you used a special edition cereal box, the decoration is already done. If not cover the box in green construction paper and cover the flap in a rainbow (made with markers, paint or construction paper).
Make Trapdoor
Now, make a trapdoor to cover the gap with brown construction paper. Leave it a little longer than the gap so that you can trim it sit perfectly after it is attached. Then, attach the trapdoor securely with scotch tape on the end close to the top edge of the box . Trim trap door edge if it comes up on the bridge too much making the trap door obvious. It needs to sit flat without a gap. See above photo.
Decorate
Add pom poms around to create bushes and visual appeal. You can glue these down with a bit of hot glue. Make sure your child understands glue guns get hot and can be dangerous and to let you operate the glue gun unless they are old enough and supervised.
Next, color 6 of the popsicle sticks the colors of the rainbow. Then use hot glue to affix them as rungs in a ladder attached to the two plain sticks. Once it is ready, lean the leprechaun ladder up against the box so that they can reach the rainbow bridge. For example, see above photo.
Add your gold coins, or pot of gold, or pot of lucky charms as leprechaun bait.
Finally, make a rainbow out of pipe cleaners and tape to the back of the box over the bait to attract the leprechaun.
Conclusion
You leprechaun trap is complete. You are now ready to catch leprechauns! Good luck!
Leprechaun traps are a fun and creative way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Kids (and adults) often create these traps to try and catch a leprechaun. This is especially true if your kids have been witness to leprechaun mischief tricks in the past. Traps can be made using household items like shoeboxes, construction paper, glitter, and other craft supplies. The idea is to create an enticing and clever trap that will lure the leprechaun inside. It’s a great way to encourage creativity and imagination!
In the end, catching a leprechaun is no easy task! These tricky little creatures are quick, clever, and always one step ahead. Whether or not you manage to trap one, the real fun is in the adventure—designing the perfect trap, using creativity, and imagining the possibilities.
I hope you enjoy these leprechaun trap St. Patrick’s Day crafts with your kiddos and that they have a blast trying to catch leprechauns! Which leprechaun trap ideas are your favorites? Which one do your kids want to make? If you make your own leprechaun trap, share photos with me on social media @familyfocusblog!
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merry says
St. Patrick’s day is the day when children are most excited about the Leprechaun stories and pranks. They are so keen on catching a Leprechaun, the ideas mentioned in the blog are really cool and will make this day a delight for the kids.
Danyka says
This was such a fun read! My kids and I set up a leprechaun trap every year, but that sneaky little guy always outsmarts us. We’ll definitely try adding some shiny gold coins and a tiny pair of shoes (since leprechauns are cobblers) this time—maybe that will finally do the trick!
Eugene says
I love how creative this post is! I’ve heard that leaving out a little honey or milk can help attract leprechauns too. This makes for such a fun St. Patrick’s Day tradition!
Aileen says
Great ideas for catching a leprechaun! My kids will love trying this out. We’re going to build a trap using a shoebox and some fake gold. If we don’t catch a leprechaun, at least we’ll have a fun time making the trap together! Thanks for sharing the essential items needed to catch a leprechaun.
Healthy Minds says
This is such a fun and creative read! I love all the ideas for catching a leprechaun with my kids this St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks for sharing!
Sally says
I love the idea of making leprechaun traps—it’s such a great way to spark kids’ imagination and add a little magic to the holiday. The glittery footprints are a cute touch!
Anitaku says
I love the idea of making leprechaun traps—it’s such a great way to spark kids’ imagination and add a little magic to the holiday. The glittery footprints are a cute touch!
Really love it.