DIY Life

Leprechauns are notoriously difficult to spot. These tiny little shoemakers are too busy squirreling away their gold at the elusive end of the rainbow. But if you can catch one and keep it in your sites, legend has it that it must take you to its treasure.

Open-ended construction projects are a great way to get a look into your child's imagination. That's what makes building a leprechaun trap an ideal family craft. Though there's no one right way to catch a leprechaun, below is a simple trap will get you started. Variations are limited only by the supplies you have in your home, and you can check out these inventive traps for ideas.

Take an old shoe or tissue box and paint it green. Be sure to decorate it with plenty of shamrocks. Fill it with tissue paper or paper towel. Leprechauns are small, so fashion a ramp or a ladder for them to climb. Place a gold coin or another treasure on top of the tissue. The idea is that the leprechaun will get greedy and climb over the tissue for the coin, then fall inside and be trapped.
After building the trap, take a walk outside to hunt for four-leafed clovers or just to burn off some energy. Be sure to leave an adult behind who can replace the treasure with some chocolate treats. They might even want to leave a few leprechaun footprints behind with some green paint and a little glitter.

Unfortunately, no leprechaun trap has actually worked, but it's awful fun to try. Any disappointment your kids feel can be made up quickly by letting them whip up a batch of leprechaun footprint cookies.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!