Retail Therapy, Elf on a Shelf
I engaged in some serious retail therapy this week. Yes, I spent over $100 on stuff I don't need, because shopping makes me feel better. Psychotherapy is $115/45 minute hour, so I figure this was probably a better use of my money, right?
I bought some Thanksgiving books for my classroom, which I'm pretty excited about. One of them is called Thanks For Thanksgiving, and is all about being thankful for things that make us happy (hugs and kisses, play dates, ice cream), and makes the whole concept of gratitude accessible to my little ones. I wasn't sure how I was going to teach my not-quite-three year olds about being thankful, or if I was even going to be able to do it, so that's a pretty fab tool. Another book tells the story of Thanksgiving for 2-5 year olds, and the third has all kinds of pictures from Plymouth Plantation (I love that place) and describes the life of Pilgrims.
The Polar Express, with a cd recording was added to my stash (love, love, LOVE that book!!!) and......Elf on a Shelf. He was way more money than I normally spend on things for my classroom, but I thought the idea was so cool when I heard about it last year, when I saw him at Target, I got it. It really wasn't an impulse buy; I had been planning to ask my sister to pick it up from this specialty toy store near her house that I knew had it last year, before Elf on a Shelf went mainstream. I was so excited, I took Elf back to my classroom to show another teacher, and some of the kids found him. No biggie, I said Santa sent him to visit, that the elf would be coming to watch them and report back to Santa who was being naughty and who was being nice.
Poor Tyler!!! He started bawling, convulsively sobbing, because "Santa is going to bring presents to everyone in my family but not to me and I won't get anything because I'm naaaaaaaaaughty!!!!!!!!" It took me a good ten minutes to calm him down--"Santa knows if you are *trying* to make good choices, and the elf will tell him, too," etc. I felt bad for poor Ty (this is also a kid who, when other children make him mad, he tells them "You're bad!" which makes you wonder what he's hearing at home, because it obviously is not making him feel good about himself), but part of me was turning cartwheels and singing "Hooray! This is gonna be the best behavior modification tool EVAR!!!!!" I cannot WAIT for the elf to officially come to school, which I think I'll do the first school day after Thanksgiving. Don't want the novelty to wear off, you know....
I bought some Thanksgiving books for my classroom, which I'm pretty excited about. One of them is called Thanks For Thanksgiving, and is all about being thankful for things that make us happy (hugs and kisses, play dates, ice cream), and makes the whole concept of gratitude accessible to my little ones. I wasn't sure how I was going to teach my not-quite-three year olds about being thankful, or if I was even going to be able to do it, so that's a pretty fab tool. Another book tells the story of Thanksgiving for 2-5 year olds, and the third has all kinds of pictures from Plymouth Plantation (I love that place) and describes the life of Pilgrims.
The Polar Express, with a cd recording was added to my stash (love, love, LOVE that book!!!) and......Elf on a Shelf. He was way more money than I normally spend on things for my classroom, but I thought the idea was so cool when I heard about it last year, when I saw him at Target, I got it. It really wasn't an impulse buy; I had been planning to ask my sister to pick it up from this specialty toy store near her house that I knew had it last year, before Elf on a Shelf went mainstream. I was so excited, I took Elf back to my classroom to show another teacher, and some of the kids found him. No biggie, I said Santa sent him to visit, that the elf would be coming to watch them and report back to Santa who was being naughty and who was being nice.
Poor Tyler!!! He started bawling, convulsively sobbing, because "Santa is going to bring presents to everyone in my family but not to me and I won't get anything because I'm naaaaaaaaaughty!!!!!!!!" It took me a good ten minutes to calm him down--"Santa knows if you are *trying* to make good choices, and the elf will tell him, too," etc. I felt bad for poor Ty (this is also a kid who, when other children make him mad, he tells them "You're bad!" which makes you wonder what he's hearing at home, because it obviously is not making him feel good about himself), but part of me was turning cartwheels and singing "Hooray! This is gonna be the best behavior modification tool EVAR!!!!!" I cannot WAIT for the elf to officially come to school, which I think I'll do the first school day after Thanksgiving. Don't want the novelty to wear off, you know....