Elf on the Shelf

It's that time of the year where the Elf on the Shelf comes out to watch our kids (not creepy at all!!)! I've seen numerous Facebook posts of all the trouble those elves are getting into these days...making snow angels in the sugar bowl, having snowball fights with marshmallows, building igloos in the ice cube tray...these elves are out of control! ;-)
I recently came across a positive spin on the Elf on the Shelf that teaches kindness, gratitude and love...and well, I'm all about teachable moments in our every day lives when it comes to our kids!
Check out the Kindness Elves at The Imagination Tree:
Start sometime new this year!!!

• They will arrive in our home and have been sent to share some love and magic at Christmas time.
• They will only be sharing kind ideas and noticing things that are lovely. There will be no focus on negativity, but they will still be lots of fun and silliness too!
• They will be moved somewhere different each morning, sometimes in funny situations and positions, often next to an item that we need for that day’s kindness activity e.g. inside a mixing bowl ready to bake some cookies as a gift.
• They will be holding little suggestions for acts of kindness, love or helpfulness that we can do together that day for e.g. “Let’s collect some of your toys and give them away to the children’s hospital”, “let’s make some cookies for the neighbors”, “shall we visit an elderly friend/ relative?” etc.
• When they see the children doing kind and lovely things, they will leave a little note for them to find in the morning e.g. “Oh I loved it when I saw you sharing your new book with your little sister” or “you were very kind to help your Mommy load the dishwasher!” etc.
• Some mornings they may wake up to find the elves have lined up their shoes, tidied their coats, got the breakfast things ready or fixed a broken toy etc. Modelling direct ways to be kind and helpful as a prompt for the children in the day.    

Read the whole article here: Kindness Elves

Small Acts of Kindness Making a BIG Difference!

Thank you to the kids and families who came out to support Snowflakes for Sandy Hook.
After a peaceful snowflake meditation and moving and breathing to find peace in our bodies, the kids and I discussed different ways we can send peace into the world through random acts of kindness. This all inspired by #26Acts - a hash tag that is sweeping the nation. The movement was started to inspire random acts of kindness in honor of the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Time has passed and our lives go on, but the tragedy is still in our minds and the community is still in our hearts. With the help of the Alluem Kids this week and kids across the US, Sandy Hook students will be surprised to come back to thousands of snowflakes filling their hallways and classrooms. Snowflakes filled with love and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
A random act of kindness from one child to another.

Discussing acts of kindness.

Snowflake makers.

Snowflake makers.

Glitter Station!