Oh Those Leprechauns! St. Patrick's Day Fun

It has been a while since I've written.  So here's a SUPER Fun thing I do for my students and I thought I'd share.  I have done this activity for over 25 years and every year it works!  Mined you I've only done it in the Primary grades.  You'll have to judge your students/kids on their ability to believe.  My first, kindergarten, and pre-school students have all believed.  It takes a little imagination on your part.  Have I enticed you enough. Oh, also you can do this activity before or after St. Patrick's Day as well as on St. Patrick's Day.  So here goes,,,,,,,

Of course, as I said this activity works before or after St. Patrick's Day, but this year St. Patrick's Day isn't until Sunday, so I did it yesterday (Friday).  The Leprechauns attacked our classroom.  It was crazy.  Did we see them?  No, but look at the mess they left us and even a note.

The Leprechauns left us this note.  One of my students asked why it was such shaky writing?  I told him, well you know they're so little they had to probably climb on each others back to up there and write.  The Leprechaun on top was probably moving a lot while the others were holding him up.  My student then said, Oh.

Leprechaun footprints

Poster upside down and in the wrong place

 Not sure if you can read it but The Leprechauns took our letter cards and spelled out "Leprechauns rule"

There where footprints leading from our back door, to the chairs, on the table, and up the closet where you see the Legos and some kids pictures are upside down. (Sorry for the blurriness).

Close up of foot prints.

They also piled a chair on top of my stool to put Frosty the Snowman on top of our closet.  Again they left footprints.

Oh my gosh, our calendar was all messed up.  Months of the year, days of the week, and March were all upside down.

To top it off my chair was on it's side and they left our blocks and Lincoln log/tinker toys out.

 

 

Well as you can see those Leprechauns had a busy fun time in our room.  My student came in and tried to blame me, but I explained I hadn't been in the classroom, I was running off papers.  (My classroom opens to the yard where we pick up our students, so I always make sure I do not get them that day through our back door).  I always walk around the building like I've been somewhere else.  As I did yesterday I had papers in my hand that I had truly just run off.  He He!!

 

 

Anyhow this is a blast for me and a memorable experience for my students.  They are amazed at the mess and really believe the Leprechauns have come.  We had been reading stories with Leprechauns all week, so they knew about them and that they can be tricky.  My student then help straighten and clean almost everything.  It's also funny if anyone comes late as one of my students did yesterday, at least five students come up telling him all at once about the Leprechauns being here in our room.

 

Doing this activity does not make a calm day, they do settle down but will be talking about this all day, to friends, other teachers, and finally to their families. 

 

Oops! I forgot to mention once we've cleaned up most of the obvious mess, I mention to the students about a legend I've heard (many of them know it already because their Kindergarten teachers told them about it last year).  The legend is if you take off one shoe and leave it outside the Leprechauns may leave you a coin (use the chocolate ones).  So of course we have to do it, (even me) to see if it works.  And it does!  due to my aide who I had ask earlier in the morning to put the coins in their shoes before she came in our class.  **This can be tricky to do without anyone seeing but somehow every year my aides do it.  Now this year I have the kids put there shoes on one side of our building but then we had them change them because I said a lot of people use the bathroom right next to us and that might scare the Leprechauns, so we moved our shoes to a better spot.  They had no problem doing it.  They think it's so crazy to run around our class for a while with one shoe off and one shoe on.  My aide did a terrific thing this year too.  She moved our shoes around putting them up on a box and some pipes, so they weren't in the exact spot we left them.  When the kids went out they thought the Leprechauns had taken their shoes, but quickly found them.  They were so loud and excited.  Throughout the day they keep wondering if the Leprechauns would show back up again.  I said, I don't know.  

 

I loved every minute of  this activity.  This is what teaching is about for me.  I'll tell you most of  my former students remember the Leprechauns coming to our room.  Even yesterday, the second grade teacher told me that most of my former students shared what had happened to them in my class last year when the Leprechauns came.

 

Anyhow basically use your imagination to set up your room and as I said you can do it a few days before, on, or after St. Patrick's Day.  You just make a mess.  I also did  a writing once things had settle down. 

                          The Leprechauns were in our class.  They.........

 

Oh, by the way I usually get one or two students that say they're afraid, but I say when did we ever read about a Leprechaun hurting anyone?  NEVER.  All Leprechauns do are tricky things and they like to play.  My student's yesterday thought about writing a big note to the Leprechauns to ask them when they play with our things to please clean up, because it took a lot of time to clean up their mess.  Are Leprechauns real?  Well my answer to you and my students is, "it is what ever you believe in your hear". 

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!