 |
But, first, if you are anxious to order the toolkit, you can click on this link: "Order the Toolkit" Page.
Now to the rest of the story:
Children are all unique, so educational instruction requires differentiation to meet their individual strengths and needs. Other available programs work extremely well for what they need to accomplish.
The program that I have developed is easily transferable to students in the classroom, parents and their homeschooled children, grandparents who wish to contribute to the grandchildrens' education and keep connected in a fun and engaging way, and to the many travelers that wish to experience the world with a teddy bear on the go.
Before giving you a picture and a link to a purchase product, I need to first have you understand how the Teddy Bears On The Go program has impacted the lives of my students, parents, grandparents, other educators and the many travelers who have journeyed with a Teddy Bear On The Go,
Traveling teddy bears have been used in my classroom for a number of years. During that time, I have seen student self-esteem increase, confidence in their own abilities grow, and an increase in their ability to communicate with others. These are certainly examples of "Give Learning A Hug!"
To illustrate:
Students who were once quiet participants in the classroom during the school year, would be the first to raise their hands to participate in the final teddy bear travel presentations made to the rest of the school at the end of the year.
Students who were shy to make a presentation in front of their 26 classmates, had no problems standing in front of 350 primary students during the assemblies. There they would recount where the class set of bears had been over the year, or talk about one little bear's journey to Hawaii!
One student, I recall, had difficulty with reading, initially, in September. By the end of the year, having received gifts, postcards and notes back from his teddy bear, he was able to stand in front of 100s of students and read about the teddy bear's adventures in Cuba. He talked about the gifts of hand carved dolphins that we all had received from his bear Puffy. And he did that without having had much time to practise the script!
Students would ask me on a daily basis if any postcards had arrived, as they were anxious to read and learn about the teddy bear travels.
The world map was a focal point for our classroom, and each bear's confirmed destination was recorded. This provided many opportunities for students to gain a more global perspective of the world, in addition to the curriculum being taught.
The class set of donated teddy bears traveled to various destinations throughout the year and sent back postcards, treasures, and memorabilia to the students. Our little teddy bears on the go became the focal point for integration into the curriculum.
Many of the parents also became actively involved in the program and contributed by:
-taking the bears on trips;
-making videos;
-writing in the teddy bear's journal.
-locating destinations on the home map/globe so the family could follow the teddy's journey;
-help out with the Lap Quilt Block project in the classroom; and
-other school parents took bears on their trips abroad, sometimes 2 and 3 bears at a time;
Even grandparents, who had no affiliation with my students in the classroom, would take teddy bears on an adventure. One grandparent took Coujo the Bear to a local university for a visit. Unfortunatly, Coujo the Bear fell and needed to be checked out at the University Health Service. Coujo was given a letter outlining the extent of his injuries, advice to help recovery and a "chocolate valentine heart to soothe his pain". Coujo also received an honourary student certificate from that same university, suggesting that he might like to attend as a student in 2012.
Travelers have taken a bear to:
- Kenya to join The Rotary Club while they helped build an orphanage;
-Antarctica to see the whales, penguins, and seals
-Finland to have their picture taken on the sign designating the location of the Arctic Circle
-Bosnia/Herzogovina
-Caribbean cruises
Other Teachers have:
-started the program in their school
-traveled with a bear and sent a package of treasures, pictures and diary back to the school
-helped out with creating country flags for the places visited by the teddys
-created PenPals with us
What next?
"GIve Learning A Hug!" with your personal Teddy Bears On The Go(R) Toolkit. The program actively engages students in their curriculum. Parents are excited to see their students motivated to participate in school; grandparents love being able to connect with their grandchildren and contribute to the classroom; and other travelers love to see the world through the eyes of a teddy bear. Teachers now have a venue that will engage students in their own learning while making the curriculum fun.
Having spent years developing and fine tuning the learning approaches, experimenting with different projects, engaging students, consulting with specialists, family, friends and peers, suppliers, local retailers and finally, writing its curriculum, products are now available for you to purchase online.
The TeddyBearsOnTheGo toolkit - Home Edition for Parents & Grandparents contains a teddy bear and its traveling tote, journal, scratch pad, pen/pencil and a Manual. Our Toolkit now has a package of 5 Hasti-Notes to jump start the writing process. The manual provides ideas and resources for successful implementation of the program. A 7 Step Quick Start Guide is included in the manual for those who just want the basics to get started.
It's a great way to connect with the grandchildren and create history and memories together.
An Activity Guide provides activities to complement the above toolkit and is currently being developed. The guide is sold separately.
TO ORDER
To order your personal Teddy Bears On The Go Toolkit (R) via:
- the online store, select the "Order the Toolkit" Page link and place your order
- regular Email, send us a request using the Contact Us form on the website.
- the phone call us at 705-730-5844.
Teddy Bears On The Go Enterprises
