I take great pride in filling my grandson's head up with crap...his little mind soaks up everything he's told, and his big, trusting eyes believe everything they see...so I feel it's my duty, as a grandmother, to load him up with all of the mysteries of life...like how to catch a Leprechaun. Serious business, this is...as many people have tried, nay thousands, and yet not one Leprechaun has ever been caught, photographed and featured in the pages of The National Enquirer! So it is with this goal in mind, to educate my Max on the joys of Leprechaun trapping, that I set about to build him the ultimate Leprechaun trap...

Max loves Legos. Loves to build and rebuild and plays with them daily...I pulled out our Lego bucket and we had red, black, white and yellow Legos, but no green...so a quick trip to the Lego Store was made, and the Lego Expert told me I would need 3 "cups" of green Lego's to build just the right size trap!

As you can see, there are steps leading up to a yellow door...where the Leprechaun will head...but once inside he will lose his balance and fall into the black cauldron filled with plastic gold coins (not pictured as I forgot to take a pic before I put the roof on)...the fake coins will lull the Leprechaun into thinking all is well...which will give Max just enough time to seal the door shut! Leprechauns, once caught, have to take their captor to the end of the rainbow to their pot of gold, which they pay their captor for their freedom...oh the fun Max and I will have shopping at the Lego Store with all that gold!!

Max also loves "rotors" - so I added one on top of the trap for Max, and because everyone knows Leprechauns are suckers for things that spin! A few well-placed felt shamrocks and a piece of glittery wire complete the trap. The kids who live on my street were out when I set Max's trap outside to test it...they were duly impressed. One child, who is 7, with all seriousness, told me his sister, who is 5, actually saw a Leprechaun last year and she was standing there next to him but neither denied or confirmed this...very shrewd of her. When that family moved in they did some major renovations to their home...obviously they had come into some big cash...let's do the math...2 + 2 = 5 year old who found a Leprechaun and got his pot of gold!! I'm a believer! Can't fool me!

Leprechauns are very clever, but I think Max will be able to out-smart at least one with this trap...I'm also sending Max a box of Lucky Charms...because not only are they Magically Delicious, but he can sprinkle them around the trap and lure the Leprechaun in with ease! Lucky Charms are the national food for Leprechauns. Just so you know.

There, I've done my duty. Brainwashing one little brain at a time - that's my goal! Little Elsa is too young to understand, but she'll enjoy watching Max set the trap and hopefully she won't eat all of the bait.

Below are my best Leprechaun Catching tips...I found this several years ago, and I'm sorry to say I don't know where it originated. I have modified this and added in a few of my own suggestions, so if anyone knows who came up with the original, let me know so I can thank them...this is like Gospel to a Leprechaun Hunter!

HOW TO CATCH A LEPRECHAUN!

A Leprechaun is an Irish "elf,” who is very small and looks like a tiny old man. They usually wear a top hat of some sort and always have red beards. They are tricky little fellows and love nothing better than to play pranks on unsuspecting people.

Leprechauns are shoemakers, yet they only make ONE of each type of shoe. You can always tell a Leprechaun is near if you hear the tapping of their hammers. (So “listening” is one of the best tools needed to catch a Leprechaun!)

Each Leprechaun also has his own pot of gold. Some say they bury it in secret places only Leprechauns can reach; others say they hide it at the end of the rainbow, which is my personal belief. And IF you catch a Leprechaun he will lead you to his pot of gold and give it to you as a bribe to let him go.

Remember, Leprechauns are tricky fellows, so you must be creative and tricky when trying to catch one. Building a trap is your best bet. I have tried for years with various traps and while I haven’t caught one yet, each year I know I’m getting closer! One day I’ll catch me a Leprechaun!

If you are lucky enough to capture a Leprechaun – be forewarned - you cannot take your eyes of the Leprechaun for even a second or he will disappear…so practice NOT blinking before you set out to catch a Leprechaun!

While it is very difficult to catch a Leprechaun, it is not impossible and while you’re trying you’ll have so much fun that if you don’t succeed it will still have been worth the effort!

The first thing you need to do is build a trap. There is no right or wrong way to build a Leprechaun trap. You can make a contraption with a net, boxes, a clean can, or anything else you can think of such as paper towel rolls, empty containers, tin foil, paper, string or yarn, sandwich bags, etc; or use an old shoe, since they are shoemakers!

Once you build your trap, don't forget to add bait to help lure the Leprechaun. Since Leprechauns are very greedy, one of the best things you can use for bait is money! If you don't want to use real coins, you can easily substitute candy coins or make your own gold coins by cutting circles out of cardboard and painting them gold. Or make gold nuggets by painting small rocks and use a lot of glitter – every Leprechaun Hunter worth his salt knows Leprechauns are attracted to shiny objects!

Here are a few more tips and suggestions to help you get started: