I haven't made my mind up on this new tradition yet. Fun, creepy, over doing it?? lol He is every where this year.
Have any of you been doing this for your family or daycare?
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I haven't made my mind up on this new tradition yet. Fun, creepy, over doing it?? lol He is every where this year.
Have any of you been doing this for your family or daycare?
Not familiar with this. Please explain.
I'm going back and forth on this too Daisy. Not sure if I want to get into it or not.
Mimi...it's a little elf that is supposed to be sent from Santa to check on the kids to see how they are behaving before Christmas and sends reports back to Santa. I believe that is it anyways.
Comes with a book to read to the kids, as well as an elf.
And some people set him in different places so that each morning the children have to find him. Nice creepy Christmas fun. I am sure my own kids would love it. I can imagine that some days he wouldn't get moved at all and my daughter would be confused. lol I am the same with the tooth fairy. He is always forgetting to visit. He is pretty creepy too. Or she??
Type it into pinterest. There are a ton of ideas on there on where to hide the elf. I'm old fashioned. I still tell the kids that Santa sees everything! LOL
I am so excited about Elf on the Shelf. I am starting it tomorrow (dec 1) for my kids and I have a letter printed out from Santa to introduce it to my kids tomorrow. I am planning to do it for my own kids -- not the daycare.
I figure I put so much time prepping crafts and fun for the daycare that this is something I want to do for my own kids. They deserve it.
I found tons of great ideas on pinterest. Some are so funny and I can't wait to try. I hope my kids like it.
I am not sure why it would be creepy. The elf is really cute and I think it will be fun.
:)
I wish I had done it a couple of years ago when my kids were younger but I didn't know about it then
I think it is nice that you want to keep just for your own family. Usually everything has to be shared around here too.
It will be one thing they will remember forever I bet.
I tried to tell my ten year old yesterday that Santa was watching but he still didn't want to shovel the path. lol
I saw it in a magazine once and thought it was a little cute, never tried it though. Just visited a friend last weekend and the little boy, 6yrs, showed him to me and seemed really excited about it, seems kids like it. :)
I had never heard of this until I read this thread. I looked up the website for it. http://http://www.elfontheshelf.com/ it looks cool. I would love to do this with my two boys.
Thank you for letting us know about The Elf :)
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Originally Posted by Spixie33
My thoughts on it too. I'm getting one (tonight) and it's going to be for my DD....our 'special' time.
It sounds kind of cute, but for me, when something becomes over commericalized like this, I tend to stay away from it. It is bad enough that Christmas has become so over-commercialized...I actually really tend to avoid hyping up my kids. We get a tree and decorate and do all of that, but I really downplay the whole gift thing and Santa making his list etc. I think it puts a bit of unneeded stress on kids...wondering if they have been good enough for Santa to give them gifts...I don't know...not my thing I guess as I am focusing more on the giving than the getting.
Ive been toying with the idea too. Where can i get an "elf on a shelf"??
I'm with Sunnydays on the downplaying. I try to remember that I am the caregiver and not the parent. It is up to the parents to develop traditions so if they want an elf at their house fine, or want to take the kids to see Santa, fine, those are parent privileges. I did those things with my kids when they were little and would never dream of taking the fun out of these kinds of things for the parents. The same reason I downplay birthdays such as no candles - parents get to see the child's reaction not me.
We do the Elf on the Shelf in the daycare ... I love the concept and educational fun I can use him for and have pinned a ton of ideas for them when they wake up from nap ... I do not have wee ones of my own anymore so my daycare kids are my surragates to share the magic of Chrismtas with ;)
Than last night at our local provider Christmas party we were also talking about doing a Random Acts of Kindness campaign with our daycare's to remind people that December is more about GIVING of SELF than the commercialization of presents for one another ... so now with that idea in my head and a multi tasker at heart I have decided to tweak my Elf plans a little bit this year and have him leave the children little 'challenges to pay it forward' during the month of December.
While the elf on the shelf is a fun December thing he really needs to be there from January to November to keep the kids in line for the whole year don't you think, lol.
LOL - ya the commercialism of retail stores would love if we stretched out Christmas even longer - but I agree the expectation of behaviour is same all year long here regardless if we can see an elf ... they way i tell the story is he's here all year long we just can only see him the magical month of December ;)
Ha, I always love the way you think Playfelt!Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
I have my Christmas decorations out and today I grabbed my Rudolph ceramic deer that I made in the 80's haha and sang the Rudoph song and danced around with my big stuffed Santa when I sang Santa Claus is coming to town and have a snowman puppet for Frosty and so on. I think the kids need the visual to associate with the songs. We also shake tambourines when I sing Jingle Bells. But I hate the commercialized stuff too.
Well see now you made me see the elf in a new light. If it is presented in the right way, it need not be about getting more instead of giving more. I guess it all depends how you explain the elf and what he is looking for and why :laugh:
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Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio
. I honestly think that we almost had more fun in the thinking up and setting up (we just kept it as a special thing for our children) then the kids did the next morning....we even made a whole video with our Elf. Love your idea of giving our kids challenges! Taylor (our elf) will be making an appearance this weekend;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio
Sorry, but the Random Acts of Kindness was brought up by a wonderful friend of mine here in London, Ont. who deserves the credit. If you would like more information I'd be happy to provide it for you.
She provided some of us with the pages she typed up and her ideas.
Yes indeed Momof4 as I said it was brought up when talking with others at a meeting - never claimed the Random Acts of Kindness was my idea just that the idea brought up at a meeting prompted me to want to combine it with the Elf on Shelf I do with my program which is a different concept than shared at the meeting and for the record since your post seems to implie I did have have permission or thank the person whose ideas prompted my tweak on it I did thank and SHARE that new idea with the provider in question on her Facebook page to thank her for her idea as that prompted my variation from her idea.
Just as the Random Act of Kindess concept shared from the provider at the meeting was found online from various other people's blog who had done it and shared it and she was inspired from from those ideas ... just as many others who colaborate and share online the purpose being others will be inspired by the idea and tweak it to use it with their groups ... how many providers make handprint ornaments with their group and know whose idea that was FIRST before it started flying around online ... the reality is that as great an idea the Random Acts of Kindness is it was not coined or created by the wonderful lady you are talking about either which is why I did not feel the need to cite her reference.
As the concept has been around for years in fact our Local Ontario Early years did it the last couple years with people who use the playroom recording their acts and so forth so technically I could have got my idea from anywhere since Random Acts of Kindness term is well everwhere this time of year .
So my apologizes if you seem to think I was taking credit for someone else's idea - I was not and am sure that others on here have heard of the concept of Random Acts of Kindness before and know it was not my ORIGINAL idea nor did I create Elf on Shelf so am not taking credit for that either and nor do I imagine I am the first person across North Amreica to have the idea to combine the two concepts together and have our elf challenge kids random acts.
It's my house!Quote:
Originally Posted by darasmommy
I celebrate Christmas, if they don't well then SORRY I"m not going to change my house to please you. I have my tree and 3 nativity sets up. If it was THAT important to a parent then they should have found someone who also didn't practice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momof4
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio
My girlfriend has been doing RAOK every year on her birthday since she was 16 (now 30) and does one for every age...so this year she did 30 RAOK. It's not a "original" idea and many many people have been doing it for years and it just so happens to be a BIG talked about "tradition" this year.
People have been doing random - read unplanned/unexpected acts of kindness for generations prompted by teachers within the classroom, sunday school teachers, parents to their children to give to neighbours as in leaving plates of cookies on the doorstep of an elderly neighbour. I know I have heard of the "random acts of kindness" moniker as if it was a new thing across the media but really it is an old concept just reminding new generations to not be so selfish and willingly give back. Really sad that we need to be reminded in this way but in support of Reggio she shared an idea of how she was adapting something she had heard about to her particular group of daycare children which is what we do daily with games, poems, songs, menus, etc. Not exactly sure what is up here but no one has the market cornered on being kind or suggesting that others do it too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Momof4
Um, ok, I meant that my friend made a list of the ideas she's going to use and I wanted to get permission from her before we give out her specific ideas. I'm sure it's been done a lot before. Anyway, to those of you asking for the information, as soon as I get her permission I'll forward it to you. She has some great plans.
I never heard of Elf on the Shelf until friday when the grade 1 girl I look after came home all excited about him in her classroom at school. I thought it was just something the teacher had thought up until I read this post!
I buy gifts for my daycare kids at Christmas..try to keep to $ 20.00 limit. Most of my daycare are school kids, so not sure if I am going to do Elf on the shelf.
They like to help me with Christmas baking and they love the decorations. I have a wreath on the front door (doing the decorating today) with a cute snowman hanging in the middle. I hang small candy canes on the Christmas tree that I give out to them for a treat. I put out the home made nativity scene that an uncle made for us years ago..complete with lights in it. I have Christmas carols on CD's that we sing along to. I have two large lighted deers (buck and a doe) that we put out on the front lawn, which they really love, along with lighted lollipops and all the lights on the house(no more bushes, they all got cut down). OK, I am getting into the Christmas spirit now that I am talking about it!
Random Acts of Kindness has a foundation and a website. Here is the link...if you search the database you can find 273 different ideas for random acts: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
There is also lessons plans for educators as well as TONS if useful and fun ideas!
Also speaking if Elf on the Shelf...here is a hilarious blog entry by one of my favorite bloggers about the subject. Warning: Dont be offended because it is meant to be funny so read it with a light heart http://www.peopleiwanttopunchintheth...f-mommies.html
:laugh::laugh::laugh :Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity
:wub: it because it is so very true ~ some of the ideas I have seen make me laugh .... the the lady whose Elf snuck into everyones beds while they slept and PAINTED THEIR TOES ... seriously whose children sleep still and deep enough to remove their blankets and grab hold of their feet and sit there and paint their toes perfectly for the morning and well aside from that small probability what parent RISKS them waking up and getting caught ~ INSANE indeed ... either that or what did the elf put in the kiddies bedtime hot chocolate to have them sleep so soundly and still not to end up with red toe nail polish all over the bed????
While I love the idea of the Elf and the fun he creates ... I admit that I am like this blogger and think that many of the ideas out there will make more bloody mess for me than is worth the 3 seconds of magic it makes for the kids .. I am opting for more 'quick and painless' places for him to be found and since I am doing this during daycare hours it basically be Elfie getting caught exploring 'invitations' I would have set out for during quiet time anyway and having left them their little 'act of kindness challenge' for the next day ... he wont be making MESS in my house that's for sure I will live that for any insane clients of mine to have their elf at home doing on the 'night watch' ;)
I totally bought into the hype and went and got the elf this weekend.
This is one of those things that we will do as a family. However, if a daycare family is doing it too then the kids will recognize it and it will feed into the belief.
I have heard of some schools having their kids make RAOK boxs as an advent calendar. Every day they open a box and complete that RAOK. Nice idea to count down to Christmas.
When my kids were in school (oldest is 29 years old so we are talking many years ago) this was done at Valentines day with the idea that so much was done at Christmas and it was a busy and expensive time for families. In February they did things like make favours and take them to a seniors home to be put on the dinner trays, or do things for younger age groups like read with them or invite them to a games day with snacks. They were to do special acts of kindness for their family and neighbours without being asked and write down what they did to share like shovelling snow or feeding the dog or cleaning their room. They also did collections for the food bank at this time again everyone gave at Christmas but by mid February the shelves would be in need of replenishment and families could afford to donate. It probably had a catching name that I have now forgotten but it was a time to "Share and Care".