Steps to making a leprechaun trap
By Krista Johnston
Looking for a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) activity for your family? Look no further. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, so what better way to get creative than to make your own unique leprechaun trap?
You will need bait, a trapping mechanism, a touch of color and glue/tape. The best thing is, you can use pretty much anything at home. Not sure what materials to use? Well, here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
For bait, some options could be Lucky Charms cereal, four-leaf clovers, a gold coin (plastic), or yellow paper circles. The trapping mechanism could be a clean container from the recycling bin, a box, a hat, the netting from your oranges or avocados, building blocks or even a laundry basket. Lastly, how will you make it jazzy enough to draw that leprechaun to your trap? You could use stickers, paint, crayons, construction paper or even glitter. (Decoration tip: Don’t want glitter everywhere? There are some great products now that have glitter infused into glue or paint. It definitely reduces the cleanup time.)
Now that you have your supplies, think about how you can use them. You may want to read a book or two about leprechauns to understand them a bit more.
Make a few sketches of your ideas and work together to see which idea will be most effective. Sometimes combining components of each of your ideas can really make a winning design. Want a challenge? Try to make your trap without any glue or tape.
While you are deciding, think about these few questions:
How will I draw the leprechaun in?
What will work better: dropping the trap onto the leprechaun, laying the trap on its side,
or luring the leprechaun into a pit-like trap?
What will hold the trap open, and how will it close?
Where will the trap go?
Is my trap safe for my family members and pets?
Once you have all the questions covered, it’s time to begin building. Be sure to test your design. Is it working like you want it to? If not, discuss how to improve your design. Maybe you are missing something. Remember, don’t get discouraged. All inventions never go as planned. Sometimes, it takes a few tries.
Once you are happy with your design, set your bait and leave. You don’t want to scare the leprechaun away.
Leprechauns are very clever and tricky. They may get trapped, but they may escape too. I hear that sometimes they leave chocolate coins, rainbow candies or even messages if they do. Let’s hope he doesn’t leave a trick instead! Good luck and have fun!
