For St. Patrick’s Day, the students at A Sunny Place Learning Center have been trying to catch a leprechaun. As it turns out, they are much harder to catch than any butterfly or speeding daddy long-leg. Our trap is made from all recycled materials, including a plastic bowl, a cardboard box, a paper towel tube, and a mesh bag that contained oranges. We cut the gold foil off of the mesh bag and put it in the bowl to fool the leprechaun into climbing in, which would tip the paper towel tube and catch the leprechaun under the box.
That pesky little guy proved too smart for our box, and ripped the trap apart while we were sleeping. The kiddos came in to find the gold foil hanging from a light, and shredded green paper everywhere. However, the leprechaun did leave his hat behind, and we all know how important a leprechaun’s hat is, so we have decided he might come back for it again after we’re all fast asleep. We’re setting up a similar trap today, but instead of gold foil, we have made coins from air dry clay and are going to paint them gold and place them inside his hat under the trap. We shall see what we find in the morning when class resumes for our Leprechaun Spectacular.
Here is a wonderful air dry clay recipe:
- 1 c water
- 3 c salt
- 1 c cornstarch
Mix, cook on med until a ball forms. Remove from heat and let cool before you hand it over to your mini sculptors. Once it’s cool enough, let them mold it. The thicker the object, the longer it will take to dry. The thinner it is, the more fragile it will be. You can paint it when it's dry with any paint, but since there is so much salt in it, liquid water color gives it an extra special look that other paints don't give. Seal it with a good lacquer sealant for longevity.
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