Catch a Leprechaun! A Fun (and FREE!) St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here and you know what that means, don't you? It's time for those sneaky little leprechauns to swarm over our classrooms, leaving tiny footprints, glitter, and all kinds of mischief behind.

I'm determined that this is the year we’re going to catch one with even stronger traps than in the past!

Yesterday, (as I've done for the last 15 years!) I sent home pretty much the same VOLUNTARY / OPTIONAL activity letter to make a Leprechaun Trap at home with their families. You can download this Leprechaun Trap Letter and use with your class, too. It invites families to help their child create a leprechaun trap at home using simple household materials and recyclables. It’s an easy, fun STEM activity that gets kids thinking creatively while adding a little St. Patrick’s Day magic to my First Grade classroom!

Sorry for the bad pic but at least you get the idea!  Grab for free!

You may wonder why I don't have the kids make one in school? Honestly, I simply don't have the time and some families may not believe in leprechauns!  Shocking, I know! Each year, I have at least 3/4 of the class make them at home. The kids who don't make them still get to join on in the fun and help set the traps out right before dismissal the day before St. Patrick's Day.  NOTE: It's only been in the last five years that I put a SIZE limit on the traps: not bigger than 12x12 AND I tell kids THEY must be able to carry into school on their own. No drop-offs. 

Students can build their traps using things like:

• boxes

• paper towel tubes

• foil or gold paper

• glitter and stickers

• paint or markers

Umm...is that BEER on that trap?  Eek!

On St. Patrick’s Day, we set all the traps out and wait to see if we can finally catch one. The excitement in the room is priceless! 

Even if the leprechauns escape, they usually leave behind some leprechaun-like surprises!

Most of the mischief is on video but I did manage to find these photos.  I can still hear the kids screaming when they saw the ripped math paper and the scribbling over our chart!

Yep- it's a silly activity but I'm a firm believer that March needs a bit of a reset and this is a fun way to help!

If you’d like to try this with your class, you can grab the FREE family letter and start your own leprechaun-catching adventure.

Happy trapping… and may the creating begin! 🍀