Ahhhh ... St. Patrick's Day -- the kickoff to Spring, the promise of little leprechauns and hopefully some rainbow candy! I mix the holiday up a little each year to keep it interesting for the kids (and depending on how much free time I have to plan, ha!), but one things that remains the same is the infamous Leprechaun Trap.
The boys are still determined to try and catch one of those little green guys ... They compile ideas, gather boxes, use all tools imaginable and then embellish with stickers/gold/shamrocks.
The box of choice this year was a large one that our humidifier came in. We bought a humidifier this winter to combat the dryness in the air -- our wood-burning stove is a nice heat source but is definitely dirty and dries out the air more than we would like. Unbeknownst to me, Jack had scurried that box away way back in January and saved it in his closet, just for this project.
They added a ramp with designated arrows and fake gold coins to encourage the leprechaun to climb up to the top ... and eventually fall through a trap door.
Jimmy added some shamrocks for decoration (thanks to Aunt Chris who always sends us holiday goody bags!):
I also drew and cut out a large shamrock to tape on the side for a little extra bling:
Early the next morning, the boys came flying up the stairs (their bedrooms are in the basement) to see if they were (finally) successful in trapping a leprechaun:
It turns out that this little guy carried a KNIFE with him and escaped by cutting a hole in the side of the box. He escaped without his socks (!!!) and kindly asked the boys if they thought that he "didn't have a knife?"
Jack has now threatened to make the trap out of STEEL next year! Regardless, the leprechaun still left a little something special behind for the boys' effort.
A balloon rainbow and pots filled with rainbow candy:
Green shirts and smiles to start out the day!
