The Candy Corn Caper

We have a mystery on our hands . . . there is a Candy Corn Bandit loose at Jackson's school!  Jackson came home a couple of weeks ago and told me that candy corns were stolen from every classroom in the school!  He was very excited!  He told me that they went on a hunt for the bandit, but much to his disappointment, the bandit eluded them.  I really can't do this story justice, except to just give a play by play of my conversation with Jackson, so . . .

Jackson: There is a Candy Corn Bandit taking candy from the classrooms.  He took ours today
Mommy: Really!  Wow!
Jackson: The teacher says we can build a trap and bring it to school if we want, but we don't have to.
Mommy:  So, she asked you guys to make a trap?
Jackson: No, we went on a hunt for the Candy Corn Bandit, but we didn't catch him, so I asked if I could make a trap and bring it to school.
Mommy: Soooo, this was your idea?! (With an amused smile on my lips)
Jackson: Yeah, I drew a picture of the trap today, see!  (As he proudly displays his blueprint) . . . I'm gonna need a box.

I took several pictures of him with his blueprint, but . . . well I don't think this choice needs explanation.

Mommy: Ok.  How big are we thinking this Candy Corn Bandit is?  Like, elf sized?
Jackson: No, I think it's a person.
Mommy: (with some hesitation) Sooooo, you need a man-sized box?!
Jackson: Yes.  Well, it might be a kid, but I'm going to need a big box.
Mommy: How about we clarify with your teacher how big she thinks this bandit is and then we'll build the trap this weekend.

I was cracking up on the inside during this entire conversation!  I love that he was so excited about this and I love that he planned it out.  We asked his teacher the next morning what her thoughts on the bandit's size were.  She agreed that the bandit was about elf-sized and she was just as enthused a I was to let Jackson follow through on his plan and set up his trap in the classroom on Monday morning.  I love that his teacher was supportive of this endeavor to allow my child to learn in a way that is meaningful to him!

So, after school on Friday, we headed for Hobby Lobby.  Jackson had planned a pretty basic trap.  He wanted a box to fall on the Bandit when triggered, but he needed help with some of the details, like how to hang it from the ceiling of the classroom.  I told him I would help him figure that part out.  His classroom has the ceiling tiles that will push up, so I suggested an over the door wreath hanger to hang from the ceiling and run the string through.

With supplies in hand, we started working on the trap.  I made Jackson figure out how to make the trap.  I helped, but he had to give me instructions and he had to help me figure out how to change things when they didn't work.  We went through a couple of different scenarios to find a way to weight the box and set the trap, but finally SUCCESS!  We caught Jackson in it a couple of times!

Jackson asked me to get in the box to see if a "big person" would fit.

It wouldn't capture a "big person," but Jackson fits!  . . . Then everyone had to try it

Gage

Kynlee

Jackson and Gage (this picture cracks me up every time)

Brooklyn

Westin

Now to start the trap making.  Jackson marked where he wanted his holes and how many he wanted.  He tried several tools to make holes, but ended up with a hammer and screw driver.  In my opinion, the hammer was overkill, but who am I to get between a boy and his tools!

Stringing twine through the holes

The box is ready and everyone is so excited!

Now to create a weight.  Candy corns were not heavy enough, so this was Jackson's second attempt.

We finished it off with candy corns as bait.

This did not work . . . still not heavy enough.

Next step, a bigger container and a hand weight.  We cover it with LOTS of candy corn.  Good think I bought the big bag!

Success!!  The trap is set . . . but will it catch a thief?

YES!  Yes it will!  Action shot of box falling on Jackson as he "steals" the candy corn!

With the trap ready, we got EVERYONE up early Monday morning so we could get to school before the first bell and set up the trap for the Candy Corn Bandit.

Trap is all set up in Jackson's classroom!

Did it work?  Well, the bandit tripped the trap, but he managed to get away, but not before he left some footprints, orange sparkles and scattered some Candy Corns making a mess in the classroom.  Jackson came home very excited, but his immediate response, "The footprints were very small.  I need to build a smaller trap!"

We didn't end up building a smaller trap, but Jackson did set some traps in his room at home and left a note for the bandit requesting a note in return.  He was thrilled when he received a note!

Do you see the string across the open door?  There is also some Candy Corn bait on the night stand.

Sweet boy sleeping soundly and waiting for a note from the Candy Corn Bandit!

The Candy Corn bandit gave us several days of fun and gave Jackson an opportunity to be creative and learn from the fun!  He is convinced that the Bandit is a large Candy Corn with arms and legs.  He still wants to catch him and eat him!  We enjoyed every second of this experiment!  We are so blessed to have such a fun teacher who encourages her students to get creative and test their ideas!