elf on the shelf

I received an email about this idea before december and decided to try it this year. Each family has an elf that watches how the children behave during the day. At night he flies back to the North Pole to give a report to Santa, and when he returns in the morning, he is hiding somewhere in the house, and the kids have to find him when they wake up. We then put him back up on the shelf where he's not to be touched while doing his work. It has really helped improve good behavior...the kids are sharing more, playing nicely, and using inside voices. Every now then I have to remind them that the elf is watching and they usually whip right back into shape. They absolutely love searching for him in the morning! So here's some pictures of our Elf.