Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Kids in Champaign-Urbana
Get your green on and have some St. Patrick’s Day fun with this crafty Leprechaun Trap that will delight your kids
Editor’s Note: From the archives, but still just as fun.
If you are looking for ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Kids in Champaign-Urbana, click here. Here are our tips for a traditional corned beef and cabbage (or New England boiled dinner) meal — and don’t forget to wear green!
By Amy L. Hatch
I’m not one to make a big deal out of every little holiday, and it’s really only once every blue moon that I’m able to get my act together enough to do something special for the minor celebrations like St. Patrick’s Day.
But last year my daughter came home from school terribly excited that a leprechaun had wreaked havoc in her classroom. Despite the fact that her teacher helped them build a trap, that little green sucker showed up, made a mess, left some coins and beat it out of Dodge.
Now that she’s in first grade, I doubt that the leprechaun will make a second appearance. So, I decided to look around to see if it was possible to build one at home.
Thanks to Pinterest, I found a plethora of amazing leprechaun traps — few of which I am able or willing to replicate. However, for the busy mom or dad, I did pick up a few tips on building a better leprechaun trap.
Use stuff you have around the house. A laundry basket overturned and propped up with stick makes a great trap. Lure the wee little guy to the trap using — what else — Lucky Charms — or some other treat. After the kids go to bed, scatter some gold coins around, hide anything green (for example, “I can’t believe that leprechaun stole the broccoli!”) and call it a (St. Patrick’s) day.
Reuse an old shoebox. Paint it green with rainbows, and prop the top open. Follow the directions above, and lather, rinse, repeat. To bolster the subterfuge, make some green pancakes and stack them up on a plate with a note from your crafty little friend.
Use plastic bags. You can rig a plastic storage or grocery bag to catch your leprechaun, or a paper-towel roll or even some tin foil. The point is to be creative and have fun!
Other ideas to make St. Patrick’s Day just a little more fun than your average Sunday are: rainbow cakes, green pancakes and easy shamrock-shaped brownies.