Teddy Bear Day

Last Friday was Teddy Bear day in JK!

We all brought in a stuffed animal friend to spend the day with us.  The children were so excited to have a friend from home that they could hug and share their day with. 

 Even our EA brought in her special teddy bear from home! This teddy bear moved, talked, danced and sang!  It was a wonderful surprise!

 Most teddy bears behaved themselves......I think only one needed a "time-out".  

 We started off our day by observing and comparing all of our animal friends. 

 We talked about how they were the same and different, and then we took some time to sort our "bears" in a variety of different ways.  All suggested by the children: 

~Some were brown, and some were not.

~Some were bears and some were other kinds of animals.

~Some had bows or ribbons, and others did not.

~Some had holes in them, and others were whole.

After making different sorting piles, we lined up our bears and made an AB pattern with them......brown/not brown/brown/not brown...

Lastly, we lined them up on the counter from shortest (smallest) to tallest (biggest).  

We did a number of bear themed activities throughout the day.  After hearing a different rendition of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears (there are a few out there), we sorted items into small, medium, and large categories...much like baby bear, mama bear, and papa bear.

During our literacy centre time, some children coloured a brown bear book, some played alphabet games, and others did name activities, all with their furry friends by their sides, on their laps, or on the table.......

Much to the disappointment of some, one of the rules for the day was that the bears were to remain in the classroom for the day.  They weren't allowed outside for recess, or in the wash-room......they were part of our gym class though!  In gym we involved our bears in our warm ups, played "What time is it Mr. Bear", and we did some teddy bear relays.

By the end of the day, the JK adventurers and their furry friends were ready for a bear nap.  

After a little Teddy Graham snack, everyone went home donning their lovely bear headbands/hats.

(Okay, maybe not everyone......a couple of the children were sick of the head-wear and wanted the hats packed in their backpacks...)