Cardboard Box Leprechaun Trap

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Use a cardboard box to trap a lucky leprechaun! This awesome leprechaun trap idea makes the perfect St. Patrick’s Day craft. It’s a fun activity that kids love to create every year. Will you catch on this year?

Looking for more St Patricks Day Crafts & Activities? Check out these amazing posts:

Grab your shoe box sized cardboard box and use scissors or a craft knife to cut a rectangular hole in the middle of the box. (Adult activity)
Decorate the outside of the box with shamrocks (we use dollar store foam stickers but you can find a link to similar stickers in the supplies section).
Cut a rectangle from green construction paper slightly bigger than the hole in the box. Fold it in half and start cutting a star shape starting the middle. When you open it up place it over the hole in the box. Your leprechaun will walk over it looking for gold and fall right through! Secure the top of the trap with some glue.

Add other decorations such as a Rainbow.

Cut 1 inch wide strips of construction paper from all the colours of the rainbow.
Gather all the strips together in order and staple on end.
Start fanning each strip out to create a small rainbow arch with the red on top. Once you have the desired arch staple the other end. Cut off extra pieces of construction paper.
Glue it down on the box.
Glue cotton ball on either end of the rainbow.

Make the Ladder

Cut a green pipe cleaner in half. Wrap one end of the half pipe cleaner around two popsicle sticks to create a rung of the ladder.
Continue until you have at least 4 or 5 rungs on the ladder.
Lean the ladder up on the side of the box.

Free Gold

Make your trap irresistible by adding a few fake gold coins to the leading from the ladder to right in the middle of the trap.
Write a sign saying “FREE GOLD” (great way for littles ones to practice writing).
Add a pot with some gold coins on the other side of the trap.

How to Catch A Leprechaun

Everyone knows the best time to catch a leprechaun is the night before St. Patrick’s Day (but if you missed the best time that’s ok too, leprechauns still come out a few days before and after St. Patrick’s Day.

Place it in the spot your child thinks they have the best chance of catching a leprechaun. My kids were convinced that the best place to catch one was right in front of the doors.

Leave your trap over night and check it in the morning to see you have trapped a tricky leprechaun.

Caregivers Role

Here’s where you come it. While your child sleeps, remove all the gold from the trap. Create little green footprints using green paint or a green marker leading up to the trap.

Then leave a note from your friendly leprechaun praising your little one for their clever trap but that it wasn’t quite fast enough to catch him!

Here’s a sample note I wrote for my kids:

Try again Next Year! Your wee little trap was so clever! You almost caught me too! But a wee little hop, in the nick of time, let me get away from you!

Age Suitability

These crafts are good for toddlers aged children 2 years old and up. My kids are 5, 5 and 8 years old.

Mess Level

The mess level for these crafts varies.

Difficulty to Create

Low.

Skills Developed

Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Materials

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.

Cardboard shoe box
Foam shamrock stickers
Construction paper in all the colors of the rainbow
Scissors
Cotton balls
Green pipe cleaners
Popsicle sticks
Small black pots
Gold coins
Glue
Marker

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.

Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!

These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles that show them how to think outside the box.

350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched July 1 at on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.