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children in need and elf on the shelf !


blondie
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right I am going to ask for thoughts / ideas for TWO TOPICS -

 

children in need - what is everyone doing? ( and is the fsf doing anything pretty please ?)

 

elf on the shelf - has anyone done this before - when did they start and what did they do and where did they buy their elf (elves ) from ? never done this before and really want to do it.

 

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I have done an magic elf before but for the staff - left challenges to make people smile. He hid in various places around school so children got used to spotting him and he visited each of their rooms for a day. Some teachers took it further and got their children to write stories involving him, letters to him etc. As for where he came from - Santa obviously!!! Actually I made him out of one of those cotton pulp balls and felt.

 

Children in Need - do you mean fundraising activities or just activities? I usually do lots of spotty things - e.g. hiding spots around the classroom and counting how many of each colour you can find. Making Pudsey faces, peg boards out etc.

Edited by Froglet
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We did Elf on the shelf last year for the first time. It was GREAT!! Every morning the children would come in to find that Eric had been up to some kind of mischief. They had to find where he was and then we would take a picture to put in Eric's daily diary!! The children loved him. We bought ours through Amazon.

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I did elf on the shelf last year, he moved around the setting getting into various mischief lol the children loved it when he got in the spares cupboard and left a trail of pants everywhere! lol he hung of loo roll and wrapped stuff in wrapping paper, had a pizza and rode dinosaurs around the window sills! he hung off the book case and squirted toothpaste on the mirrors in the loo! :) I started it on the 1st of Dec he moved every night x I took photos and shared them on our parents face book page, Some of the families shared photo's of their own elves, ours was called Alf and is a felt Christmas decoration that you make yourself from Hobby craft. I put magnets in his hands so he can hold onto stuff.

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Elf on the shelf is, i believe an American book that comes with a toy elf, the story goes, ( and it has some strict rules that did not apply to mine!) that Santa allocates each home ( or in our case preschool) a Christmas elf to watch over the children, At night, the elf comes alive and goes back to the North Pole to tell Santa whats be happening. The elf usually gets up to no good over night and when the children look for him he has moved around and done stuff! sometimes he brings gifts back from Santa, mine was quite naughty and would do stuff around the setting lol. I would put some photos on but I can't seem to work out how to do it! xx

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That's my understanding twinthinguk. I actually did mine before I heard about 'Elf on the shelf' as a way of trying to create a bit of team feeling after a difficult time and mine did things like issuing a challenge to make a decoration from a pipecleaner, make someone else a drink or smile at someone. He also brought them treats - one time the challenge was to make 2 wishes - one for themselves and one for someone else but the wishes took the form of 2 miniature star biscuits (and obviously making a real wish too!). I do have a photos of the exploits my elf got up too - here are a few!

 

The Elf himself...

post-26037-0-13344300-1446300665_thumb.jpg

 

His home for the time he was in school...

 

post-26037-0-92824500-1446300733_thumb.jpg

 

Some of his many hiding places...

 

post-26037-0-82577600-1446300797_thumb.jpg

 

post-26037-0-75875100-1446300845_thumb.jpg

 

And lastly one of his challenges - pin the tail on Rudolph!

 

post-26037-0-36387000-1446300915_thumb.jpg

 

I had so much fun doing it and it took a couple of days for people to work out it was me!

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elf_on_the_Shelf

the story read aloud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wDlm3bj82Y

 

It is a recent ish American thing.. 10 yrs old now.. so probably why it is less well known here..

 

There is an official 'elf' with story book - the elf in that looks like a Cornish pixie I had as a child bought on holiday one year.. it is easy to reproduce and you could make up your own story to go with why it appears , and what it does..

 

( I have seen some really funny stories.. one had it sitting on a loo with boiled sweets in the pan.. supposedly having pooped!)

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they look great - off to the card factory tomorrow - maybe get two - does anyone have the story that goes with it or can give a quick idea what it is about please?

I posted a you tube link to someone reading the story ^^^ up there... you could watch and transcribe it.. it was the only one I found of the story, most are of peoples elf antics.

 

edit to say found another one that may be better

 

 

 

Just found a cartoon..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvKOStbu2FY

Edited by Inge
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I maybe getting too old for this job, what is the point of the elf doing naughty things? And am I alone in thinking that having an elf watching the children to report back to Father Christmas on behaviour - I have heard that that is another of his jobs - is rather sinister? Please help .......!

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I haven't looked at the story but I like Froglets idea of hiding the elf for children to find. A countdown to Christmas - an alternative to the advent tree that we normally do. The elf could have a numbered envelope with a challenge inside eg. Sing a song about reindeer or make mince pies. It depends on age of children, how many in on the day. I don't think we will talk about the elf spying on the children or being good so that Santa will come - no pressure!

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I haven't looked at the story but I like Froglets idea of hiding the elf for children to find. A countdown to Christmas - an alternative to the advent tree that we normally do. The elf could have a numbered envelope with a challenge inside eg. Sing a song about reindeer or make mince pies. It depends on age of children, how many in on the day. I don't think we will talk about the elf spying on the children or being good so that Santa will come - no pressure!

i like this idea too - don't like the idea of the elf telling father christmas whether the children have been good/bad.

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I agree, a sneaky elf isn't quite the mark. I have been out and bought the elf from The Card Factory - he comes in a box with a story book (not brilliant quality - the book that is ) cost £1.99. Thought I would have him arrive in a bit of a kerfuffle box wrapped etc. and a letter explaining who he is - but when we look inside the box he has already gone and the children need to find him. He is going to be there to teach the children about getting ready for Christmas and Thought he might take their letters back to Father Christmas in the first instance and then as mentioned above the odd challenge in the days that pass, like learning some Christmas songs, decorate the tree etc., playing the Reindeer Carrot game.

 

I admit to small worries about how "good" these Christmas activities are for children - too much adult fantasy about it all and as much as I like the North Pole video thing I feel children get so sucked in and believe a little too much and when the time for reality arrives they are sooo disappointed and can feel rather foolish, but perhaps, more importantly less trustful of the very adults they need to trust . There is a fine balance at play here I think and technology enables a whole new dimension to the idea.

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I think we will all use it in a slightly different way. It all comes back to unique child. We all know our children and families. It will be really interesting to share our experiences, good or bad, in the new year.

 

Panders - I didn't see the elf with a book. Mine was in a basket with other festive cuddly toys. I think we will ignore the story and do our own thing!!!

Edited by lsp
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Elf on the shelf looks great!

But you have to 'do' Dinovember too!

 

As for Children in need we are having a simple cake sale and non uniform day.

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Our Elf was delivered and left on the doorstep with a letter that I had made up from father Christmas. This explained that the Elf was a bit mischievous, and liked getting in a pickle and as the children had such lovely behaviour and manners maybe the elf could copy them. We never used him to report back to father Christmas!! Loving the card factory ones, must find out where our nearest one is as I think he may arrive with friends this year!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Want to do this! Off to the Card Factory this afternoon...

He's doing very well at ours this year.hides all over the place, pops up to N. Pole to see Father Christmas, and comes back and tells us how things are going up there - apparently a shortage of wrapping paper at the moment, so ours will have to print some for him to take back on Monday.

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