Lucky Little Leprechaun House

Here’s a fun way to keep those mischievous little leprechauns busy this coming St. Patrick’s Day: Build them a Leprechaun House!

It’s simple really. You don’t need to get as elaborate as I do. We just have a thing for cardboard houses around here so we go all out.

What you will need:

1. two large moving boxes and one small one

2. we used house paint but recommend water-based children’s paint as the safest option

3. poster paint (water-based) in a rainbow of colors for your smaller details

4. a paint roller and several small paint brushes for detail

5. a box cutter or serrated knife

6. lots of imagination

Of course you need to leave the cutting to an adult but don’t think the kids can’t paint. That’s the most fun for them. Everyone thinks that playing in the house once it is done is the fun part but really, between you and me: it’s the making of it that is the most fun. So go put on your painting clothes and get ready for a busy afternoon of bonding time with your kids.

First you’ll need to assemble your house. Cut the corners off two ends of each end flap to create a triangle gable like so. Then use the side flaps as part of the roof. You can secure them to the gable with with packing tape but it’s not really necessary. They’ll be covered by your roof anyway.

Use your other box to create the roof. When it is flattened, cut it in half. Place it on top of your gable and if it’s too big just trim off the excess. We used a rectangle box so our roof is longer on one side but we let it be, thinking it gave the house more charm.

Add your windows and doors and any decorative cut-outs you might want. A shamrock window perhaps? Just be careful with that box cutter and make sure you’re always cutting away from yourself. But you knew that already.

If you want to create a rainbow like we did (and I strongly recommend you do) you can cut an arc from the other half of the box you cut the roof from. Attach it to your house by cutting a 1/4 inch groove in the roof for it to fit into. You’ll need to cut through both the roof piece and the smaller roof flap on the house box so everything holds securely. Don’t give up. It’s fiddly but worth it.

Now the fun part: painting! Rollers work really well on cardboard. So do cute green outfits but you might want to change into something you don’t mind ruining with house paint. House paint is usually water-soluable so if you rinse it out quickly you can save your clothes but what’s the fun in that? Everyone needs painting clothes anyway. You can save them for Halloween and call yourself an artist if you need a quick costume!

Painting painting painting!

Don’t forget the rainbow! We made our pot of gold out of the small box. We just cut off the flaps and painted it black.

Try your best to wait until the paint dries before you assemble your house.

Then haul it off to the backyard for some Leprechaun fun! For best results place cookies in the pot.

** should you choose to do this project, please do it outside or in an extremely well-ventilated area. Craft responsibly, please.

More Crafts for St. Patrick’s Day on Alphamom:

• Kids’ Leprechaun Beard Printable 
• Personalized Gold Coin Cookie Stamps 
• Hanging Rainbow Paper Plate Craft