It is a lot of fun to learn about leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day. Leprechauns are little Irish fairies, and they are thought to be shoemakers. The Irish say that if a leprechaun is caught by a human, he will reveal where he hides his pot of gold. It is believed that they bury their gold in secret places only Leprechauns can reach, or that the pot of gold is hidden at the end of the rainbow.
The leprechaun visit - The night before St. Patrick’s Day do some harmless pranks and mess up the family room (or classroom) after your children are in bed. Think of as many silly things as you can that your children will notice in the morning. Leave little gold coins or gold nuggets (beans sprayed golden) lying around. Hide a scroll (letter from the leprechaun) for your children to find. Read the letter together and tell your children about the mischievous leprechauns and their pot of gold.
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Have children search for the gold coins or nuggets that the leprechaun left behind and put them in a bowl. Ask the children to estimate the number of gold coins there are in the pot. Count the coins with the children, taking the opportunity to introduce and teach the math concepts “same,” “one more,” and “one less.” |
After cleaning up after the leprechaun, have children write a letter to the leprechaun asking him about his life and to please clean up next time he plays in your house. Discuss how you could catch a leprechaun and make a leprechaun trap together. Use items around the house like a shoebox, a clean can, paper rolls, strings, sandwich bags, etc. Be creative and have fun. Don’t forget to decorate the trap and to add bait.
Scavenger Hunt - Before your children return from school (or the next morning), close the trap and place inside it a piece of a rainbow and shamrock with a clue from the leprechaun. Print other clues onto the other pieces of the rainbow and hide them in the room. After following each clue, your children will find some of the leprechaun’s “pot of gold” - bag of chocolate foil-covered coins!
If you are lucky enough to capture a leprechaun, don’t take your eyes off him or he will disappear. Happy leprechaun hunting....
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