To catch a wee leprechaun

Danny has been tormented for the last week by a leprechaun.  Evidently, the tiny imp has been in both of the first grade classrooms, making off with school supplies, upending furniture, driving kids generally crazy.

Danny vented about this to his sister yesterday.  Right before bedtime.  Which then led to a very awake and excited child.

“What day is Saint Patrick’s Day?” She asked every five minutes.  “Will the leprechaun come to take the chocolate I left him tonight?  When can we make his trap?”

I promised we’d make it today.  So we did.  And she was so excited about it that she skipped dinner.  Even now that it’s done, she’s too excited to eat.  She can’t wait to catch that leprechaun!!

We found a video on YouTube that she chose for her inspiration.  She decided to rename her project to that of “Leprechaun Home” instead of “trap,” because she realized that they might overhear her, and she wanted to make them feel welcome.  Teehee!

Here is the leprechaun home.  Furnished with a sparkly shoe, stuffed with green yarn, for a bed; a green slinky for a toy to play with; green and rainbow wallpaper; and a lovely green throw rug, topped with a chocolate foil ladybug.  We embellished the front with sparkly silver fabric because, as Ne said, “Leprechauns love to look at themselves!”

Nene decorated the outside with green and yellow fish stickers and gold diamonds.

That throw rug with the chocolate ladybug on top?  When Mr. Leprechaun “goes for the gold,” so to speak, he’ll discover a surprise!  I cut a hole in the bottom there, under that rug, which drops into a terra cotta flower pot, wrapped in an Irish-themed scarf borrowed from the Missus.  (I hope she’s ok with that, I didn’t really ask first….)

And finally, we made absolutely certain the leprechauns knew that this was intended to be their new home with a nice, green Welcome sign.  “Please come in, Leprechauns!”

Now, I have to figure out what to do with the chocolate, and how to explain the lack of leprechaun to the children.  Perhaps a glitter-encrusted taunting note… “Nyah, nyah, boo-boo!”