Sanity Savers: Leprechaun Trap

Sponsored by: M&T Bank

by Dan Walsh
STEM Educator & Cardboard Engineer Extraordinaire

This St. Patrick’s Day sit down with your child and tap into their imagination by building a leprechaun trap by using found supplies around your house!

Download a printable version here!

Leprechaun Trap

Length: Build time: 10-15 minutes 

Academic Subjects: Science/ Engineering
This subject supports your student’s 3rd-4th grade curriculum: Sci: 3-PS2-2 4-PS3-4. A
                                                 
This lesson supports areas of Early Childhood Development and PreK Curriculum: Understanding of cause and effect ie letting go of the string and dropping the cup.

Leprechaun Trap


Directions for Crane Trap for Leprechaun: 

Leprechaun Trap

Supplies ideas: Toilet paper roll, plastic spoon, straws, string, glue, and of course gold!
1.)  Tape a plastic spoon or straw to the inside of a toilet paper tube. Place the tube on a piece of construction paper. Give the tube about an inch of empty space at the top and bottom of the paper. Slowly wrap the toilet paper tube in construction paper and glue as you go. 
2.)  Once the glue has dried, cut four slits at the bottom. These slits will be used to anchor the tube onto another piece of construction paper.  
3.)  Measure out a piece of string to stretch from the straw to the cup to the ground. Give yourself some extra slack before you cut it. Glue the piece of string to the bottom of the cup. Then feed the string through the straw.
4.)  Then test out your trap. Hold the piece of string and then drop it. Wherever the cup lands is where you will need to place your bait. Your bait could be anything from gold coins to four leaf clover. Make a ring out of pipe cleaners (or draw a circle) Then place your bait in the circle.
5.)  Keep testing your trap!   

Directions for False Floor Trap for Leprechaun:

Supplies ideas: Cup, construction paper, glue, gold! 
1.)  Take a cup and place it lid down onto a piece of construction paper. Draw a circle around the cup. Before you cut the circle out, add four rectangle tabs onto the circle. (This will help you glue the paper lid onto the cup.) 
2.)  Cut a small X into the middle of the circle. Then cut the circle out. Glue the tabs onto the top of your cup.
3.)  Take the left-over construction paper and draw the template for a ladder. Do this by drawing three small rectangles and then cut them out. Glue the ladder to the cup.
4.)  Drop your bait into the cup and presto! You have a leprechaun trap.  

For more Sanity Savers projects click here!

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