Jolly's Adventures Continue!

Well, Jolly didn't get into quite the predicament Freddie the Elf did in Virginia, but he did have loads of fun... and some trouble... in our classroom.  He's an elf that brought plenty of holiday spirit to our classroom.  Just look!

Ziplining on the Christmas lights.  He also had a beautiful mountain scene projected on the SmartBoard here.

He got himself into a bit of a predicament on this day.  The green army man was upset that he didn't have his own elf, so he tried to kidnap Jolly! Luckily, we were able to brainstorm some ideas and save Jolly ... WIHOUT touching him!  We taped the army man in his place, and ate the MREs he left.  (Because on this morning, David looked at me, pulled the MREs he brought back out of the pantry, and said "Hey, can you make the elf do something with these?")

The kids wrote about what happened for their morning work.

Look at what a sweet reader Jolly is! He knows how to select a good-fit book and sit criss-cross applesauce while reading!

When Jolly had his North Pole breakfast, he also brought us a waffle iron and all the ingredients necessary to make waffles! (How convenient!!) As I made the kids their waffles with the things Jolly set out, we talked about the steps one at a time so they could write a How-To piece on How To Make Waffles in the future.

I just love having an elf visit our classroom.   He keeps a close eye on the kiddos and reports back to Santa, so I don't have to worry about any crazy behavior!

Jolly the Elf

On December 1, students arrived in our classroom and noticed some tiny trees and a gigantic mess of snow coming from the ceiling.  Nestled in the trees was a tiny note from our elf, Jolly:

He told us that he wanted to visit, but could only make an appearance if the students were well-behaved.  The following day, we came back to class and saw Jolly sitting beside the trees and icicle lights hanging from our ceiling!  He'd also put up a Christmas tree! His sign said "I love Christmas! I decorated for you!"  He also brought the Elf on the Shelf book for us to read.  Students learned that it was important not to touch him or he'd lose his Christmas magic and wouldn't be able to come back to visit us each day.

On Monday the 5th, we realized Jolly had a really good time over the weekend.  He returned to us in a robe and slippers near a bubbly hot tub!

Unfortunately, someone in our class touched Jolly on Monday.  He did not return to us on Tuesday.

Instead, the elf in another Kindergarten class had a note addressed to us!  He told us that because someone touched and pushed Jolly that he could not come back.  He was sad at the North Pole and really hoped Santa might give him just enough magic to come back again.  The other elf was willing to let Santa know how the kids did on Tuesday.

Immediately after reading the letter, ALL of the kids said "WE NEED TO WRITE HIM A LETTER!" (Who am I to turn down a writing assignment that the kids came up with themselves?)

Their requests to Santa were precious.

I had a good feeling that the letters would convince Santa to let Jolly come back.

Sure enough, on Wednesday morning, we found Jolly back in our classroom!

This time he was up high on a swing, where no one could touch him - even on accident.

He left another elf-sized note in the trees for us:

I just love having an elf in the classroom.  The kids get excited to find out what he's up to each day,

and for most of the kiddos, it helps them make good choices.  

Meet Diamond, Our Class Elf

After brainstorming various names and taking a class vote, our Elf on the Shelf's name is Diamond.

For the past few years, I've heard students talk about their elves and I've heard parents/coworkers share cute things their elf has done... but I never really understood the full process until I introduced the elf in the classroom this year. 

We are having so much fun with her! She's a sneaky one. But she loves books, just like us!