Earmuffs to the rescue!

So as I've mentioned in the last 2 posts, my class has been uber chatty these past couple of days.  Monday I said, okay, it's the start of a new month, there are holiday decorations up, snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, holiday books out, an elf, it's understandable they are excited and chatty.  However, yesterday they still were, maybe even worse!  I thought there is no way that I am going to make it to the 21st with my sanity if this continues.  Enter earmuffs for Elfie.  I made earmuffs out of little pom pom balls and a pipecleaner.  I used sticky tac to stick the pom poms to the pipecleaner, and then more sticky tac to stick the earmuffs to his ears.  Then I wrote a note, which you can see below.

And another shot, up close.  

So the students came in today and immediately started looking for him.  One of my students found him pretty quickly so they all ran over to where he was to read the note.  They also noticed his earmuffs right away.  One of my girls said, "he's wearing them because it's cold outside."  The students who read the note said, "No, we were too noisy for him and it hurt his little ears."  lol  Let me tell you, it was so quiet in my room during morning work time, I almost couldn't believe it.  I e-mailed 2 of my team members to tell them and my teammate next door replied back, "Where can I get me one of those???"  lol  All day if some students started getting loud, the other students would say, "Be quiet, or Elfie will leave!!!"  Those earmuffs and the note saved my sanity today!  lol  Look at the cute note another one of my little girls wrote to Elfie during Daily 5 time on her white board.  

So tomorrow Elfie wrote a note praising them for their good job and hoping he doesn't have to put those earmuffs on again.  They are on his lap.  lol  We'll see if Elfie has to threaten to leave again to get them to be quiet.  lol  

Another funny thing is that one of my teammates brought in an old elf of hers from home.  It looks NOTHING like the elf on the shelf.  It looks more like a Santa or gnome.  However the kids in her class are treating it just like an elf on the shelf!  So funny!  Then my teammate next door who asked where she could get one since it was helping my class to be quiet, told me after school that one of her kids told her she was the only teacher who didn't have one.  I told her that's not true, then she said, well in 2nd grade.  I said I bet that's not true either, I'm sure our teammate on the end doesn't have one (but none of our students go in her room, so they wouldn't know that).  Well anyway it sounds like she really is going to go out and get an elf for her room, which just cracks me up, as she is Jewish, but whatever, most of the kids in her class aren't!  lol  So it's elf craziness in 2nd grade!  Now to just stay creative with what to do with him...