My Little Pot o'Gold

This project developed out of the tradition in some families of setting a Leprechaun Trap... where you decorate a the bottom of a shoebox and set it up on a stick to trap a Leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day. If you catch one, he's supposed to leave you some "gold." We decided to make these little pots for him to put the "gold" into.

What You'll Need:

• 2 Heavy paper plates
• 1 - 12 inch black chenille stem
• Black paint
• Scissors
• Paint brush
• Stapler

What to Do:

1. Put the two plates together with the eating surfaces facing each other. Cut the top third of the paper plates off and discard.

Cut two little notches in the sides and round one side to make a pot shape. Take a look at the picture if my directions are confusing. (It's a little hard to explain!)

If you're making these in a class, you may want to just create a template and have the kids trace the pot onto each plate and then cut them out.

2. Staple the plates together around the rounded part... don't staple the notches yet.

3. Bend the black chenille slightly to make a handle and staple each end into the notch as you staple the notched edges together.

4. Paint the plates black and let dry completely.

Now each child has their own pot to put their gold into!

You can put gold chocolate coins in the pot to surprise children with. If you're planning on "catching" a Leprechaun, he can buy back his freedom by putting some gold chocolate coins into the pot.