Leprechaun Traps and Hats

First off, I need to say how happy I am that St. Patrick's Day is on a Sunday and not a school day!

I've already survived Halloween, Valentine's Day, and the 100th Day of School...  I deserve this break!

If all goes according to plan, then we are going to make leprechaun hats this Friday.

But not hats for us--hats for the actual, REAL leprechauns.

To make the hats, we will decorate a Styrofoam cups with markers. 

 Then we will leave them on our desks for the leprechauns.

While the kids are away from school, the leprechauns will visit.

They will "magically" shrink the hats so they will fit even the tiniest of leprechauns.

When the students return to school, on Monday morning, this is what will be on their desks:

My students will think it is magical!

{I love first graders!}

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So now you are probably wondering how to shrink the hats, huh?

Well, it's easy! All you need is an oven (I will be taking mine home) and a little magic.

Step One: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit).

Step Two: Place 3 or 4 Styrofoam cups upside down on a cookie sheet.

Be sure to leave plenty of space between each cup.

Step Three: Put the cookie sheet in the center of the oven.

Step Four: Keep a close eye on the cups while they shrink. This part is super cool!

Step Five: Take them out after a minute or so (when they stop moving).

BE careful and DON'T leave them in too long!

Here is a before and after shot of the Styrofoam cups: 

And to finish it off, all you need are the Keebler E.L. Fudge Cookies!

{Which are perfect, because they stand on their own and they are yummy!}

We are also going to read these books before we make our leprechaun trap.

Our traps are nothing special... we just randomly put things up around our classroom.

I also have some great March packets {available in my TpT Shop} if you are looking for a little something extra to do this week! Just click on the pictures to check them out!

What fun activities do you do for St. Patrick's Day?