Is there an Elf on the Shelf in your classroom?

Image source

Many American teacher bloggers who I follow have an Elf on the Shelf in their classrooms. If you don't know what it is, have a look at this page. You can "adopt" an elf who brings their Christmas magic. The elves tend to get up to some mischief when humans are asleep/away. If your adopted elf lives in your classroom, the children arrive to find something out of the ordinary when they get to school. 

The official Shelf The Elf website has a gallery of photos of elf sightings. There is also a Buzzfeed post with 43 interesting sightings, providing lots of inspiration (though not all are suitable for classrooms.) Pinterest is full of photos of sightings in classrooms.

Mel D from Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations documented her Elf on the Shelf ideas on her blog. She has also shared a freebie with some writing templates. It's available in her TPT store. 

Photo from Mel D's Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations

Adopting an official elf from this website can be a little bit pricey. I'm sure less expensive elves can be "adopted" from other places. Is this something that you think you'd like to try in your classroom? 

Irish teachers, this concept could very easily be applied to St. Patrick's Day and leprechauns!