Understanding of the world: Have bear, will travel

Our travelling teddies have given the children a first-person perspective on the world, says Tina Hendy of Westwood Nursery, University of Bath

Over the past year our nursery has had three new members join us - Baby Bear, Nursery Bear and Pre-school Bear, otherwise known as the Travelling Bears. We have a bear for each room, and when a child goes on holiday they get to take the bear named after their room with them. While they are away they take pictures of themselves and the bear in front of a famous place or landmark.

Their picture is then displayed on our board with the world map.

It was Mark Baker, one of our nursery nurses, who came up with the idea to help develop the children's knowledge and understanding of the world. The idea has taught the children a great deal about the world we live in and has been fun for them at the same time.

The display has really developed over the past few months. We have photos from the Millennium Dome in London, Tiannemen Square in Peking, China, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and Robben Island in South Africa, just to name a few.

In all, I think we have about 40 pictures on the board. We have a map of the world and also a map of the British Isles so children who have not been abroad do not feel left out.

Having the bears is a great idea because it gives the children a better awareness of where other children come from. It's hard to teach children about the world they live in, but this actually gives us some evidence so it's easier for the children to understand. They can actually see where the other children have been; they can put pictures to the places.