Meet Jingles!

The other day I got a little surprise from one of my students.  He walked up to me holding a beautifully wrapped present and a big grin on his face.  "I got this for you!" he said.  He was so excited he was about to burst.  As I started to unwrap it, he could no longer hold it in.  "I GOT YOU AN ELF!!!!!"  

Pandemonium ensued among my normally docile group of of 8 years olds.  What is a teacher to do?  "I picked her because she looks like you!"  Now that was a first.  I've never been told I look like an elf.  Yet, I was flattered.  I've heard how much kiddos love their elves.  There was no way I was going to squash this holiday spirit!  Like it or not, I was about to jump onto the "Elf on the Shelf" bandwagon. 

Meet Jingles.....

My boys are 17 and 14, so they missed out on this phenomenon.  I needed to catch up in a hurry!  I found a cute freebie from Brenda featured in a post at Teaching, Dreaming, Learning.  Here are our Elf Diaries.

The diaries were a big hit!  Each day they record where Jingles shows up and what she's doing.  But the best part is the questions that they ask Jingles.  Here are a few.

Do you know my elf at home?
Do you leave your spot when the teacher leaves?
How old are you?
Do you have a husband?
Can you get me a picture of Santa?
Can you leave shoes at a fireplace and get candy?
What do you do at the North Pole?
How do you get from place to place?
Can you tell me if I'm on the "Nice List"?
What do you do on the weekends?
How old is Santa?

Aren't they priceless?  I may have been a bit apprehensive about this new tradition, but I am lovin' our little elf.  There is nothing like experiencing the joy of children.  

On Monday morning, my little friends will find that Jingles got into our dice basket...

I am totally embracing Jingles as my alter ego.  I am officially having too much fun!!!