As Saint Patrick’s Day approaches, some adults and children are in the mix of planning out the perfect Leprechaun trap. Apart from the entertainment of the traps, there are also knowledgeable and fun aspects to creating your own design.
A leprechaun trap is a tradition in which people make imaginary traps to give the illusion of “catching” a leprechaun. Some feel that building a trap can be a waste due to the high chance of not actually catching one, while others believe that the experience of designing one is worth the time.
“Building a leprechaun trap can be a lot of fun for kids, and it is a great chance to work on engineering skills! Creative thinking, problem solving, and logic are all part of the process,” blogger Kim Cartwright discussed in a recent article.
Cartwright believes that in order to get the most out of the process it is important to ask the creator problem solving questions to keep their minds engaged.
Some beneficial questions to consider are asking if there are any holes the leprechaun could escape through, if it is sturdy enough, and if the trap is big enough for the leprechaun to fit.
These questions are designed to get the creator to think critically and logically.
“I have built a leprechaun trap with my son for the last two years in a row. He gets super excited about it every March. I think they’re very beneficial because it challenges them and gets them problem solving without them even knowing. They’re super fun and can be very useful in learning,” NHS social studies teacher Thomas Pescarmona said.
Pescarmona believes that it is important for young children to learn how to problem solve independently and building a leprechaun trap is a fun and engaging way to do so.
Leprechaun traps are typically constructed out of common household materials such as tissue boxes, plastic cups, candy, and cereal, especially Lucky Charms. There are endless unique possibilities!
One easy DIY trap is to cut out the inside of a tissue box and fill it with marshmallows, Lucky Charms cereal, and gold charms. This trap is easily customized by decorating it with green colored paper and drawings of the creator's choice.
“I remember doing leprechaun traps in elementary school and it was honestly a lot of fun. I didn’t really understand why we were doing them in school, but now that I’m older I can definitely see the benefit for children doing them,” NHS senior Ella Morits said.
Morits feels that leprechaun traps are a fun activity for all ages and a creative way to learn.
An edible trap option is to put a pretzel stick through a marshmallow and lean the pretzel on a graham cracker. Lucky Charms and decorations can be added for extra holiday spirit.
“My family used to all make leprechaun traps together at my cousin's house every Saint Patrick’s Day and it has become such a core memory for me,” NHS sophomore Elle Mussen said.
Mussen believes that traditions like this make for cherishable memories and plans to continue it with her own family one day.
Although leprechaun traps may not be at the top of many people’s priorities this March, they can give creator’s a compelling problem to solve and better communication skills all while creating fun and unforgettable memories.