This past week, our classroom was filled with leprechaun magic, rainbow adventures, and playful learning as we celebrated L is for Leprechaun Week! The excitement was palpable as students engaged in hands-on, play-based activities that incorporated literacy, math, science, and creative storytelling. Here’s a peek into the golden moments that made this week so special!
Storytelling & Literacy Fun
Each morning, we kicked off our day with a themed read-aloud. From How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace to Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie dePaola, our books sparked lively discussions and imaginative storytelling.
- Letter L Writing: Students practiced forming the letter L using rainbow-colored chalk on black paper, making their letters pop just like a vibrant rainbow after a spring rain.
- If I Found a Pot of Gold… This creative storytelling activity had students imagining what they would do if they stumbled upon a leprechaun’s treasure. Their ideas ranged from buying unlimited candy to sharing gold with their family—pure kindergarten magic!
- A Letter to a Leprechaun: Students wrote letters asking leprechauns their most pressing questions. “Do you ever get tired of running away?” and “How do you make rainbows?” were some of our favorites!
Leprechaun Math Adventures
Math took on a lucky twist this week as we explored numbers, patterns, and measurement through our St. Patrick’s Day-inspired centers.
- Counting Gold Coins – Students used gold coins for counting, addition, and even some sneaky subtraction where the “leprechaun” stole some away!
- Graphing Lucky Charms – A tasty math activity where we sorted and graphed the different shapes found in Lucky Charms cereal. Who knew math could be so delicious?
- Measuring Leprechaun Footprints – Using rulers, students estimated and measured tiny (and some not-so-tiny) footprints left behind by mischievous leprechauns.
- Patterning with Rainbows – Beads and pom-poms helped students create colorful patterns, reinforcing early math skills in a hands-on way.
Leprechaun Traps & Engineering Fun
One of the biggest highlights of the week was our Leprechaun Trap STEM challenge! Using craft sticks, pipe cleaners, gold coins, and glue, students designed their own traps in hopes of catching a sneaky leprechaun. Their creativity was through the roof—some even designed elaborate pulley systems and hidden doors! While no leprechauns were caught, a few mysterious footprints were discovered the next morning… 👀🍀
Sensory & Small World Play
Our exploration stations brought even more magic into the classroom!
- Sensory Bin: A mix of colored rice, shamrocks, and hidden gold coins provided a fun way for students to dig and discover.
- Rainbow Science Experiment: Using Skittles and water, we watched as the colors swirled together, creating a mesmerizing rainbow effect.
- Dramatic Play: Students created their own Shamrock Shake Cafe
- Small World Play: Our tiny Leprechaun Village let students build and imagine what life might be like in a leprechaun’s world.
Leprechaun Celebration Day!
Friday was the grand finale—a Leprechaun Celebration Day! Students were greeted at the door by the mischevious leprechauns who left a big mess for them to clean up that morning. We then checked our leprechaun traps to see if we caught anything overnight. No leprechauns were caught but they did leave some chocolate coins for us. We wrapped up the week with our Leprechaun Bridge Challenge, where students worked together to construct bridges strong enough to hold a pot of gold!
As the day ended, we were left with glitter-covered tables, laughter-filled memories, and a classroom full of budding writers, mathematicians, and engineers. We took this opportunity to say goodbye to the leprechauns in the hopes that they would leave more messes for us to clean up
This week was a perfect example of how play-based, hands-on learning keeps students engaged and excited about exploring new concepts. L is for Leprechaun, but it’s also for Learning, Laughter, and Lots of Fun! 🍀🌈✨
Stay tuned for our next adventure—there’s always more magic to come in kindergarten!
Kindy Play 