First grader Ania Freeman proudly shows off her leprechaun trap, which incorporated a handmade ladder of popsicle sticks.
First graders at St. Peter's School enjoyed a fun St. Patrick’s Day with activities aligned with their current Core Knowledge curriculum. They began the day with a study of inventor Thomas Edison. First grade teacher Michelle Bailey presented them with their own opportunity for invention—creating their own leprechaun trap.
Using their imagination, students picked items from a table full of supplies and separated to design and build their own secret traps. Afterwards, they wrote about their projects, either detailing why they built their trap or how it would work. With traps “set” in the hallway, first graders were excited to return from lunch and see gold glitter dust at each of their traps--- their work had obviously peaked the leprechauns’ interest.
After lunch, each got a chance to show off their imagination by reading their “essay” in the author’s chair and presenting their traps to classmates for validation. Students were also quizzed that if traps were creative enough, they could be issued their own “patent,” just like Thomas Edison.
The fun continued with dancing to an Irish jig and discovering the story of the Blarney Stone, rumored to give you the gift of gab. Students went on a “rock hunt” and decorated their very own blarney stones in rainbow shades or the colors of the Irish flag. While outside, the leprechauns visited each student’s project and left them a gold coin.
First grader Caroline Renegar (Hixson resident) explains how her leprechaun trap works while classmate Jackson Roddy (of Red Bank) looks on.