Leprechaun Traps!

Each year in kindergarten, the kids make traps and we try to catch those sneaky leprechauns. I assign the traps a few weeks before to give families plenty of time to get their traps ready. We usually have the kids bring the traps a few days before St. Patrick's Day so the leprechauns can visit our classroom for a couple nights.

Before the kids come in in the morning, we use paint and a Barbie shoe to make little green footprints all over the classroom. I print a note (in very tiny font) and leave it somewhere for the kids to find. The leprechauns always mess with the traps and steal some of the gold from the traps. When the kids come in I have Irish music playing on the stereo. The kids are always SO excited. That day, we always do a writing assignment in which the students try to persuade the leprechauns to give back the gold.

The leprechauns come back for the second night and are usually persuaded to give back the gold. They also thank the students for all the fun they had by leaving a small treat (such as mini green cupcakes).

This is always a fun event in kindergarten and the older students in the school always stop by to check out the traps. They tell me how much fun this was for them and that it's something they remember fondly.