After falling in love with the book "How to Catch an Elf" last Christmas, I discovered there is a whole series of the "How to Catch..." books by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton. So with March around the corner, I bought a copy of "How to Catch a Leprechaun" and headed to my classroom.
I knew the kids loved our elf traps last year, so we had to try and trap a leprechaun now. I laid out the same format. We set up a leprechaun trap store filled with my favorite STEM items. Most of these items you probably have in your home or classroom already. I included things like paper cups and bowls, toilet paper tubes, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, straws etc. I created a price sheet for the store. Items that are more expensive or might be more helpful cost a little more to purchase than other items. I also limit the amount of tape or string they can use. They must purchase those items by the foot or yard. Students are always allowed to use pencils, crayons, scissors and glue from their pencil boxes on any STEM project.
After reading the book to the children, we spent some time talking about the traps the children tried in the book. Then I sent them off in groups to design their own traps. They were given paper to draw out their design and another sheet to add up the cost of the supplies they would need. Once they were ready, they could come to the store.
The students had about 30 minutes to design and build their traps. I was really impressed with the variety of projects. One group even taped their trap to the table so the leprechaun couldn't lift it up and crawl out. Another group decided to use a balloon to deliver the trap so the leprechaun couldn't see it. They really thought things through. My students really enjoyed building their traps.
I love that this activity allows the children to work cooperatively and be creative. They use their math skills to add the cost of their supplies and stay in budget. They use their engineering skills to build the trap. And they use public speaking when they demonstrate the trap to the class.
If you like this activity, you can head over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Under One Roof to purchase the literature unit for the book. It includes three different STEM activities. You can also come back to read the post about our other days of Leprechaun STEM.
Good Luck,
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