Pull out the recycle bin and let the kids get to work designing and creating a leprechaun trap. This is a great seasonal STEM activity!
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What is a Leprechaun Trap?
Much like the thrill of catching Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy, a leprechaun trap is designed to entice a leprechaun to go into the trap so kids can see the leprechaun.
Once in the trap, the leprechaun can’t get back out because he fell, a door shut, or whatever else your kids can dream up to keep the leprechaun inside the trap.
To help your kids to understand what a trap for a leprechaun is, you can read How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace.
This book gives many different trap ideas and shows how clever the leprechaun can be.
How is a Leprechaun Trap a STEM or STEAM Activity?
When making a trap for a leprechaun, your kids will need to come up with a plan.
Encourage them to draft out what their ideas are on paper to help them think through their traps.
Testing out ideas and revising the ideas will also come into play to make a successful trap.
Looking up leprechaun traps online can be a great way to give your kids inspiration and bring technology into the project.
Letting the kids look at other traps can help the reluctant kids gather ideas of what other people have done and help them to get started.
Your kids will be engineering a way to keep the leprechaun inside the trap.
The science of how things work (pulleys, gravity, etc.) will help them to make informed decisions about how to capture the leprechaun.
Measuring and calculating will need to happen to make sure that the trap pieces come together correctly.
If the ladder is too short, the leprechaun won’t be able to get into the trap.
If the hole is too close to the ground, the leprechaun could climb back out.
Making the leprechaun trap attractive to the leprechaun is important.
If the trap isn’t enticing, the isn’t a chance a leprechaun will go in. This is where the arts come into play.
How to Make a Trap for Leprechauns
1- Talk about what a leprechaun trap is and why your kids will want to make one. You can read the book “How to Catch a Leprechaun” by Adam Wallace. Talk about what leprechauns like and what could encourage the leprechauns to come to the traps (gold, rainbows, glitter, etc).
2- Give out paper and pencils to allow your kids to start brainstorming a design for their traps.
3- Bring out recyclables, construction paper, string, glue, etc. Sometimes seeing what is available will help to spark some ideas of what to use.
4- Have the kids start building their traps.
5- Test out the traps.
6- Revise the designs that aren’t working as desired.
7- Set out the traps for leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day to try to catch a leprechaun.
Leprechaun Trap
Bring some STEM (STEAM) fun to the middle of March by making leprechaun traps.
They help to reuse some items from the recycle bin and get your kids to devise, execute, revise, and amend a plan.
Relatively hands-off for you but hits all of the STEAM boxes for your plans, makes this a perfect activity for the days dragging by between February break and Spring break.