This St. Patrick's Day, let your child in on a well-guarded secret and start a new family tradition in the process.  The fun begins with the legend of the leprechauns and leads to a treasure box filled with goodies and gifts. Here's what to do.  On the day before the holiday, read aloud the following tale:

Full of magic and trickery, the leprechauns remain in their hidden world until the night before St. Patrick's Day. On that one night of the year they appear throughout the world to dance and sing and frolic.

Disguising themselves as leaves and grass, and sounding like the wind and the crickets, they come and go unnoticed.

However, it is said that if a decorated treasure box is left empty under the moon, the leprechauns must fill the box with gold or jewels or gifts. But then they will hide the filled box in the most unlikely of places.

If the box is found on St. Patrick's Day, the treasure remains in our world. If not, the leprechauns may retrieve what is rightfully theirs. And though the leprechauns are very clever, it is not impossible to find the treasure because, unknowingly, leprechauns often leave a trail of greenery behind them.

Now, have your child decorate an empty shoe box or tissue box with paints, glitter glue or stickers. If she tries to bargain for a bigger box, explain that leprechauns are tiny and if they can't reach the top of the box, it will remain empty. Just before bed, she should place the finished box on a windowsill where the moon will shine on it.

Once she's sound asleep, the resident leprechauns can fill the box with small treasures, such as foil-covered chocolate coins, costume jewelry or a bag of marbles, and then hide it in a special place. All that's left to do is lay a trail of green leaves or paper shamrocks from the windowsill to the box. An older child may even enjoy the challenge of several trails to follow, some with dead ends (you know, trickery of the leprechauns!).

Buttery shortbread, a layer of toffee and chocolate topping make these cookie bars a favorite sweet among families in Ireland. Invite your kids to help make a batch for a special St. Patrick's Day snack.

SHORTBREAD: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar.  Stir in the flour until well mixed. Press the batter into a 9-inch square pan (a good job for kids).  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.  Let cool.

TOFFEE: Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Add the brown sugar, condensed milk and corn syrup, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring continually.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Pour over the cooled shortbread.

TOPPING: Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or a microwave oven.   Stir until smooth.  Pour over the cooled toffee.  Cut into 16 squares.