Can You Catch a Leprechaun?

Lucky Charms marshmallows, gold coins, and a rainbow slide are some things you should add to your shopping list if you are looking to catch a leprechaun.

Young builders in Stephanie Moran and Catherine DeToma’s third-grade remote class at Matthew Paterson Elementary tried their luck building leprechaun traps in hopes of catching one visiting their homes this year. They shared videos of their traps and how they put them together with their classmates on Flipgrid.

“This activity allowed for the students to show their creativity,” said DeToma. “It gave the students who are typically shy an opportunity to present to their classmates.”

Student Stephanie Roccuzzo built her trap to look like a store to trick her leprechaun into entering and spending gold coins. She decorated the exterior with pictures of vegetables and shopping bags as part of her lure. Once inside, when the leprechaun picks up a pile of gold coins, the trap is activated and the box drops to contain the intruder.

“I know they like gold because any time I leave gold out they take all of it,” and Roccuzzo.

Other traps included ladders leading into steep buckets, a bed to make the leprechaun comfortable, gold necklaces, sugary treats, and, of course, rainbows and pots of gold. One student even included written instructions in case viewers wanted to duplicate his trap for their own use.

Our young learners were resourceful in their quest to build the best leprechaun trap and had assistance from siblings, parents and other family members.

“My Tio Kevin helped me because he is the only one who had the scissors and strong tape,” said student Wesley Sciales.

“Our class has really amazed us with their creativity, enthusiasm, and effort that they put into their leprechaun traps,” said Moran. “The Flipgrid videos showcased their innovative thinking and allowed for the students to share their hard work.”

While no one caught a leprechaun this time, there is always next year.

“I don’t think anybody in a billion years is going to catch a leprechaun,” said student Giovanni Ward. “It’s the same leprechaun every year. He’s smart and he has magical powers.”

So, what would catch a leprechaun then?

“Probably something that could see the leprechaun coming,” said student Alayna Gomez.