Happy St. Patrick's Day

We have spent most of the last two months in science working on our building things unit.  To culminate this topic the students embarked on a final class project - building the ultimate leprechaun trap.

First they studied them....

(Here's a link to our favorite one)  Clever 8 year old builds trap...

Then they planned, gathered materials, voted, discussed and debated ideas, constructed and decorated.

To lure the leprechaun to our room, we left shoes on our desks (leprechauns are known to leave money in shoes).  The students figured that this would make our little green friends a little tired, so they made a leprechaun hotel, complete with comfortable bed, table, food, artwork, and of course, a fake floor.  The trap was set with sticky duck tape, so that once the leprechaun fell in, he would not be able to get back out.  And what leprechaun could resist that 'pot of gold'?

Then we closed up the room, turned out the lights, and waited for the morning bell.

Here's what happened:  We caught ourselves a leprechaun.... and then he got away!   He did leave behind his coat however (it was good and stuck to that tape - he must have wriggled out!), and while he took off with our 'fake pot of gold' he left behind a little treat, a quarter in each shoe, and a note.  

We learned a lot from building this trap - maybe next year we'll have better luck!

Happy St. Patrick's Day.