leprechauns

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Home : 2002 : February : 25

leprechauns
By Julianne

Oh, those pesky leprechauns visited our classroom at recess and when the kids returned there were some tubs of toys tipped over, papers scattered across a table and little green footprints on the whiteboard. As the kids
helped me clean up after those sneaky leprechauns we found a note written in green ink. It turned out to be the first clue in a treasure hunt. We read the note, which told us to look on top of the big closet. There we found a shamrock with another message. Each message led us to another hiding place in our classroom. The final note led to a treasure chest full of gold-wrapped coins.

We shared the coins as we colored a rainbow (with the colors in the right order, of course). Then we all drew a picture of what we though the leprechaun looked like. We put the pictures together in a book with a caption for each - "Dustin thought a leprechaun looked like this." "This is Chelsea's leprechaun." etc.

Finally, we played a game called Huckle Buckle Beanstalk. One person hides a small leprechaun (I have a 2" plastic one, but paper would do) somewhere in the room. It has to be in plain sight without having to move anything to see it. But, it can be HARD to see, such as on the top of a bulletin board or near some other green things. The rest of the class waits in the hall until the leprechaun is hidden, then comes back in and begins to hunt with their eyes only. To begin I have them put their hands behind their backs so they aren't tempted to touch anything. Since the leprechaun is in plain sight they don't have to move anything to see it, right? Now comes the hard part. When someone sees the leprechaun they don't pick it up. They sneak to the circle area and sit down. Then they call out "Huckle Buckle Beanstalk". The game continues until most or all of the kids have seen the leprechaun and have come to the circle. Then the first child to see it gets to go pick it up and hide it for the next round. Impulsive kids have to be warned about grabbing the leprechaun and it helps to hide it up high for a couple of rounds until they get the hang of it. I've played this game with kindergarteners and first graders. It would also probably work with older students.