The Great Flour Snow Angel
Your elf has mistaken the kitchen worktop for a snowy field and made a spectacular flour snow angel. Five minutes to set up, with plenty of evidence left at the scene.
Apparently the snow at the North Pole was not quite enough. Your elf has raided the baking cupboard and turned a patch of kitchen worktop into a private snow-angel park, complete with a tipped bag and a suspiciously floury spoon.
It's one of the quickest Elf on the Shelf ideas of the month, and one of the most giggle-worthy. Children love spotting the clues and working out how the elf did it, which makes it a perfect morning surprise when you're short of time.
How to set it up
- Choose a clear, dry patch of worktop. Sprinkle a thin layer of flour over an area just larger than your elf with its arms and legs spread.
- Lay the elf on its back. Gently sweep its arms up and down and its legs out and in to leave the outline of a snow angel. Use the back of the teaspoon to make the sweeping arcs clearer if needed.
- Tip the empty paper bag onto its side beside the elf. Add a small spoonful of flour at the opening and a scruffy trail leading towards the angel. Leave the teaspoon halfway along as evidence.
- Settle the elf in the middle with its arms wide and its face looking up, caught enjoying the snowfall.
- When the children discover it, ask them to give the elf's technique a score out of ten. Can they invent a convincing excuse for the mess?
The quick clear-up
Lift the elf carefully and brush loose flour from its clothes. Sweep the flour from the worktop into a dustpan or scrape it onto paper before wiping the surface with a damp cloth. Keeping the flour layer thin gives you the snowy effect with less to clear away.