Leprechaun Trap

About this resource

One paper-box leprechaun trap to color, cut and glue, plus a plan-your-trap page, counting the gold, coin patterns and "how to catch a leprechaun" writing on three levels, in one print-and-go St. Patrick's Day craft for PreK to 2nd grade.

The craft is one trap picture: a tipped-open box with a GOLD HERE arrow sign, a rainbow ramp, a pot of gold and a ladder. A friendly leprechaun appears on the cover and on four student pages, and the story is the child's to tell. The picture is cut into 9 equal squares in three columns and three rows, so every cut is a straight line and there are only a few cuts. Children color the black-and-white pieces (or use the ready-colored set when coloring is not the goal that day), cut them out and glue each piece on its faint twin. Every glue box is exactly the size of its piece, and the nine pieces make the whole trap. A picture step page shows each step with one short sentence, and a small finished model sits on the page so a child can check their work.

Then the trap goes to work. A plan page has 4 parts: circle what the trap is made of, tick what it has, say how it works, and draw it. A second copy of the page is filled in by an invented student (it says so on the page) so a child can see what to do. On the count page there are 4 ten-frames of gold coins to count and write, and an empty frame to draw 6 coins in. On the pattern page each of 3 rows has 6 gold coins with the first four already colored (circle, square and triangle levels), and a fourth row is left empty for the child's own pattern. A talk page has four pictures to point to and say, three sentence starters, and four I-need picture buttons (glue, scissors, help, all done). Our own original chant has five short lines with a picture for each. Three writing pages start from "how to catch a leprechaun": trace and draw, fill in the sentences with a word bank, or write freely. A first-next-then-last page has 4 steps to draw and write. Every student page has one short instruction with a picture and a "My name" line.

What'S Inside

• Start Here: how the craft works, a note on the plan and patterns, the three levels and a five-day plan
• Meet the trap: the finished trap with 6 labels (sign, ramp, pot, lid, ladder, box) and four pictures to look for
• A word bank page: 6 words (trap, pot, gold, ramp, ladder, rainbow) to trace and write on handwriting lines
• Our chant: five lines, each with a picture
• The trap craft: a picture step page, 9 pieces to color and cut, the same 9 pieces ready-colored, and a glue page with the 9 twins
• Plan your trap, and a plan to look at by an invented student
• Color the big trap, with two lines to finish
• Count the gold: 4 ten-frames and one to draw in
• Gold coin patterns: 3 rows of 6 coins on three levels, plus one row to make up
• Tell about your trap: point and say, sentence starters, I-need buttons
• Writing on three levels (trace and draw, fill in, write freely) and a first-next-then-last page
• A "Who Did What This Week" class data page, with the count and pattern answers
• A family project note to send home
• A credits page (font and art license)

22 pages in all, 17 of them for students.

Cutting Built For Small Hands

Every cutting page has big squares lined up edge to edge, 2.1 inches each. 18 pieces to cut in all (9 black-and-white pieces and 9 ready-colored pieces). You will need crayons, scissors and glue sticks. Card stock suits the craft pages.

Three Skill Levels

A small shape beside the name line marks each leveled page (circle, square or triangle). Easier: a circle row with two colors repeating, trace and draw, or a partner who holds the glue stick. Harder: a three-color triangle row, writing freely, and the first-next-then-last page.

Who This Is For

PreK to 2nd grade classrooms, self-contained special education classrooms, and paraprofessionals who want a leprechaun trap craft with planning and writing attached, ready to print. Use it for a St. Patrick's Day week, or any week you want a gold-and-green craft. The family note suggests building a real box trap at home from the plan.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

A printable PDF (print and cut). It is not Google Slides, Docs or PowerPoint, and it has no fillable fields. It makes no claim about any student's age or rate of progress.