In this Remarkable Idea, students celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with food, games, and even build a trap to try and catch that pesky leprechaun!
This activity addresses:
- Creative thinking
- Listening skills
- Fine motor skills
- Number recognition
- Patterning
- Alternative methods of access
What you need:
Leprechaun Math
- Numbers/attribute blocks/etc.
- All-Turn-It Spinner
- Jelly Bean switch
- Leprechaun figures/chocolate gold coins
- Rice
- Vinegar
- Green food coloring
- Locking plastic bags
- Lucky Charms cereal
Mischievous Leprechaun
- Green glitter/St. Patrick’s Day confetti
- Small jars/plastic bags
- Green jelly beans
- Green washable paint
- Tape
- Small shoes
- Caution tape/police tape
- Blue2 Bluetooth switch
Trap a Leprechaun
- Box
- Green paper for wrapping box
- Pencil
- String
- Leprechaun bait (gold coins, green items, etc.)
St. Patrick’s Day Bingo
- St. Patrick’s Day bingo cards
- Step-by-Step
Preparation:
Mischievous Leprechaun
1. Leave trails of glitter or confetti around your classroom.
2. Make small messes and rearrange things, and leave green shoe prints all over the classroom.
3. Place jelly beans in small bags or jars and label them as “Leprechaun poop”.
4. You could also place caution tape at the doorway of the classroom and create a fake police report for students to fill out together.
Be creative so your students really feel as though a Leprechaun has messed up their room!
Leprechaun Math
1. Dye your rice green by combining a ratio of 1-cup of rice to 1-tablespoon of vinegar, along with as much food coloring as you need to get to the desired color in a plastic bag. Allow the rice to dry once it has adsorbed the green color.
2. Place objects (numbers, attribute blocks, etc.) into the green rice bucket.
3. Using an All-Turn-It Spinner blank overlay, write (or place pictures) of the objects you wish for your students to find in the rice.
4. Add Leprechaun figures or chocolate gold coins as a surprise for your students.
St. Patrick’s Day Bingo
1. Find/create a St. Patrick’s Day bingo card.
2. Record each bingo space to a Step-by-Step.
What to do:
Mischievous Leprechaun
1. When your students come into the classroom in the morning, allow them to explore the classroom and see the mischief the Leprechaun has caused.
2. Allow students to take “crime scene photos” using a Blue2 Bluetooth switch and an iPad.
3. Search for clues and make a list of anyone whose desk or locker was messed with.
4. File a “police report” with your students. Ask them to describe things they found in the classroom. If your school has a security guard, see if they can assist with this activity.
Leprechaun Math
1. Identifying numbers/shapes/etc.: Using a Jelly Bean switch, allow students to take turns spinning the All-Turn-It Spinner and finding the correct number/object in the rice.
2. Patterns: Pass out Lucky Charms marshmallows to each student (you may wish to only use two or three different shapes). Make an A/B pattern and challenge your students to match the pattern. For advanced students. challenge them to create their own patterns or match more complex patterns.
St. Patrick’s Day Bingo
1. Pass out a bingo card to each student.
2. Select a caller to activate the Step-by-Step.
3. Play until you have a winner. (Chocolate gold coins make a good prize)
Trap a Leprechaun
1. Allow students to decorate the box as well as place drawings around the area you plan to place the trap.
2. Tie the “Leprechaun bait” to the pencil and use it to prop the box up.
3. After the students have gone home for the day, remove the bait and replace it with a note that says “Better luck next year!”
4. Leave the trap in “tripped” condition.