Holiday Reads: Elf on the Shelf

One of my favorite things about Christmas is elves.  I do love them!  In our classroom, we have an elf, Ralph, that visits every year.  He's a good elf, not one of those that pulls all sorts of tricks on us.  He just watches and reports to Santa.  

Pretending to be an elf is good fun.  We always sew elf hats in our class. 

This was the first time the kids traced a pattern and cut out the fleece themselves.  They did a great job.  A block helps to keep the fleece in place.  We pre-cut the fabric a little larger than the pattern so it was easier to manage sewing with a large group.

Sewing fleece can be a little harder than felt, but everyone was successful!  Most made their hats from start to finish in 20 minutes.  I sewed little bells on the top for the kids.  From experience, I know that they can be hard to sew on tightly.  A lost bell is sad!

"I would make toys."

 For a writing activity, the kids drew elf self-portraits (we draw self-portraits each month and then will be their December portrait).  They also wrote about how they would help Santa if they were an elf.  Instead of draw illustrations, we added a photo wearing the elf hat they sewed up.  These works will be displayed in the hallway for all to enjoy!

"I would hide under the couch."

 Elves gone wild!

Book read:
Elf on the Shelf by Carol V. Aebersold