Saint Patrick's Day: Craft a leprechaun trap with your kids

On 17 March people all over the world celebrate St Patrick's Day in honour of Ireland’s patron saint. This feast day is marked by traditions including music, dancing, and drinking Guinness, with everyone dressed in the national colour, emerald green. Shamrocks and traditional costumes abound, not forgetting the big green hat that leprechauns wear!  

Leprechauns are impish little figures from Irish folklore, a little like goblins or trolls. They usually wear green and are often depicted as old men with long beards and big hats. These fairy-like creatures spend their time making shoes – and the diminutive cobblers are also known for being incorrigibly mischievous! 

Legend has it that they keep pots of gold coins hidden at the end of the rainbow... And it’s this taste for treasure that makes it possible to catch them! 

Getting the materials together isn’t tricky – you just need a few basics:  

• A cardboard box 
• Paint 
• Things to decorate it with, like glitter and stickers 
• Some bait 

Start by painting your box green together with the children... Leprechauns will be drawn towards their favourite colour! Then embellish the box so it looks shiny and magical – leprechauns love anything sparkly and fairy-like. You can also decorate it with four-leaf clovers and rainbows, leprechauns love them! 

Now it’s time to make the trap itself, because to catch a leprechaun, you have to lure it in, and that's why it’s important to choose the right bait! It could be tasty treats, sweets, or a toy, but knowing how fond of treasure leprechauns are, we recommend some chocolate coins. Once you’ve decided on your bait, place it inside the box and if necessary, you can hold it in place with glue or a sticker. Hey presto, your leprechaun trap is finished!  

Now you have your leprechaun trap ready, your job is still not quite done! It’s important to put it in the right place, where leprechauns are likely to pass by. If you have a garden, find a dark corner or a tree to hide it under. If your house has an attic, don't they say that attics are often full of treasures? Better still, take your leprechaun trap and go for a walk in nature, to hide it under moss, by a stream or in a little burrow... Children will entertain themselves for a while choosing exactly the right spot.  

Then it’s just a matter of being patient… and keeping a close eye on your trap! Encourage the kids to check regularly to see whether you’ve caught a leprechaun yet. If so, maybe it will lead you to its treasure? If not – and this is a possibility that must be faced – the children can console themselves with the little presents you left inside it as bait. Who knows, maybe a clever leprechaun will have snuck into it without being caught, and added to its bounty! Either way, you win: this activity is great fun for kids, giving free rein to their imagination and developing their creativity!