Moose on the Loose

I don't know who was more excited, my students or me!  Today, a NEW moose arrived in our classroom to keep an eye on our learning.
I have been wanting to participate in the Elf on the Shelf tradition, but with no kids of my own, and a very diverse classroom, I knew it wasn't the right fit.  But, I can add another moose to my classroom!
Kelli, from Tales from a Teacher, created this perfect activity pack that I scooped up in the TPT sale.

We had a morning meeting and read the letter that Spike (that is what my kiddos named him) wrote us.

Students then found him hiding behind the writing paper.  They inferred that was due to the letter he wrote us.  After that, we voted on a name.

We also discussed the rules:
1) Do NOT touch Spike, or he will not come back.
2) Do NOT spoil his location for classmates.
3) Once you find him, have a silent celebration, and wait till all classmates have located him, before chatting about Spike's location.

Each kiddo then received their Moose on the Loose journal.  They will be documenting Spike's daily antics and inferring about what he was up to each night.

His location changed three times today.  I don't know if there will be three location changes everyday, but today was a hoot!

Do you have an elf or festive animal spreading joy in your classroom?

Check out what other teachers are doing to spread Holiday Cheer: