Traveling Teddy Bears
Some very creative teachers have used stuffed animals, such as teddy bears, as a way to interest children in learning about different parts of the world.
The class sends their plush friend on a trip to another school in a different part of the world, or they get parents to take them on business trips, vacations, etc. The idea is to take pictures of teddy in this new place, collect souvenirs, and write back and forth with people from the visit. It’s a great way to improve reading, language arts, and geography skills.
In looking for examples of such stuffed animals, and their trips, I was disappointed to see that the links I found were not for recent projects. Has this educational activity stopped being used so much, or did I just not find the current ones? I sure hope it’s not been abandoned, as I think it is a wonderfully creative and effective teaching technique.
Benni the Bear Around the World
Moose on the Loose
Homer the Bear
Geo Bears
California Trail Bear Journals
Have YOU ever participated in one of these imaginative activities? Would you like to do one, yourself, with your own children? Maybe these links will give you some ideas.
My first grade classroom has a barnyard theme, complete with a big, red “Reading Barn”. Our classroom pet is Darby the Donkey. Darby goes home with a different child nightly. The parents help the child write in Darby’s diary to tell of his time with their family. I also tucked a disposable camera into his special backpack. If the family is planning a special trip, they may request that Darby accompany them. Darby recently saw Ty Pennington and Michael Maloney at a taping of Extreme Makeover Home Edition!
Sounds like Darby does a great job of encouraging reading and writing skills! Thanks for sharing, JJC.