Park District Review - Leaping Leprechauns

Jack went to the Grayslake Park District program "Leaping Leprechauns" tonight.  This was a drop off class that started at 6:15pm and was over at 8:00pm and runs $26 - $32.

While I appreciate the freedom for two hours, these kinds of classes are a bit harder to review as I cannot relay the experience or take pictures.  I will simply have to go on what my son tells me and post pictures of the project(s) he brings home.

Drop off classes are always humorous for me right from the beginning.  It usually starts with me being asked if I am staying.  When the answer is no, I then normally get, "But I will miss you."  That lasts until we pull into the park district parking lot.  Then I cannot get him out of the car seat fast enough.  When Ms. Sam opens the door for the kids to go upstairs, Jack is usually gone like a shot with barely a "Bye" for me.  I love that he has so much fun and is so excited.

Being that this is the first program I am reviewing I will make a few comments about the time and cost of the program.  $26 - $32 might seem a bit on the high side of pricing, but they do feed my child dinner and he always bring home at least 1 craft (many times more) in addition to the activities they do.  Plus while 2 hours isn't a lot of time to get things done, I am always able to run a few errands sans the "shopping distractor."

As for the time of the class, there have been days when it seems too late for a young child to be out.  However, that being said, I appreciate that I don't have to rush home from work and then rush to get Jack to the class.  Could the class be shorter?  Probably, but with all they do with the kids there certainly would not be enough time to have that much fun.  In short, 6:15 - 8:00 may seem less than ideal for small children, but it actually works nicely.

When I arrived to pick Jack up, the kids were all in the dance studio working hard on their Irish Jig.  It was so much fun - for kids and parents.

And not to disappoint, there were awesome crafts to be brought home.

A cute leprechaun hat

Some gold the leprechaun they tried to catch left behind

A shamrock with a pot of gold

Assembled upside-down on par with Jack's unique touch 

In addition to doing crafts, eating pizza and learning a jig the kids also went on a leprechaun hunt.  As I understand it there were clues - including glow-in-the-dark footprints on the walls!

Grayslake Park District almost always puts on great programs for kids.  Jack looks forward to these special programs.