Ready, teddy, go

The teddy bear is about to celebrate its 100th birthday. What better time to plan a project about a favourite children's toy?

Adult-led activities

What a picnic!

Plan a teddy bear celebration and invite all your bears from home.

Key learning intentions

To take part in, and enjoy, a group celebration

To understand some purposes for writing and to make marks to communicate meaning

To develop fine motor control and use tools appropriately

Adult: child ratio Writing invitations: 1:2; food preparation: 1:4

Resources

* Nursery World poster * picnic invitations (see back of the Nursery World poster) * pencils/pens * balloons, streamers * rugs * bread, margarine, sandwich fillings * round bladed knive, * fruit * milk, juice, water * jugs * plastic cups * plates

Preparation

* Plan a date for the picnic and think about where it will take place.

Weather permitting, the outdoor area may be the most appropriate choice.

* Bear in mind health and safety issues when preparing the picnic food.

* Provide a few extra bears for any children who don't bring one from home.

Activity content

* Show the children the Nursery World teddy bears poster and encourage them to talk about the different teddies.

* Explain to the children that there is going to be a teddy bears' picnic in the setting and that they can all invite their bears from home.

* Write an invitation to your own bear, showing the children how the invitation format works and modelling what information to include. Write your bear's name on the envelope and put the invitation inside.

* Encourage the children to write an invitation to their bear and ask them to 'read back' their own marks.

* Remind children to take their invitations home, and offer a verbal explanation to parents/carers!

* On the day of the picnic, spread out a rug for children's bears as they arrive.

* Involve children in the preparations. Tie balloons and streamers on tree branches or hang around the indoor area. During food preparations, encourage children to use knives to spread fillings on to bread, and to cut sandwiches and fruit. Ask them to pour drinks carefully from jugs into cups. Be aware of safety issues at all times.

* Invite children to sit with their bears for the picnic and give opportunities to introduce their bears by name.

Extending learning

Key vocabulary

Invitation, picnic, knife, sharp, cut, spread, pour, fruit names.

Questions to ask

* What is your bear's name?

* What do you think he would like to eat at the picnic?

* What will you write on the envelope?

* What have you written in your invitation?

* How will your bear know when/where the picnic is?

Follow-up activities

* Plan activities and games for the children to play with their teddy bears, such as a 'teddy hunt'. Hide ten small teddies in the outdoor area and ask children to find them, marking on a piece of paper every time they find one.

* Sing the song 'Teddy Bears Picnic' with the children.

* Suggest that children ask their parents/grandparents about their teddy bears and set up a display of different generations of bears around the Nursery World poster.

* Provide a picnic hamper, teddy bears and a rug in a role-play area to enable children to re-visit the experience after the picnic day.

House guest

Introduce the children to a teddy bear called Bertie (see the back of the Nursery World poster) and explain that he is in need of somewhere to stay for the night.

Key learning intentions

To show an awareness of the needs of others and a developing sense of responsibility

To talk about own experiences and listen to other children's accounts of their experiences

To understand that writing communicates meaning

Adult:child ratio 1:6

Resources

* Nursery World poster * 'Bertie Bear' (choose a fairly robust bear, as he will need to stand up to a lot of handling!) * small suitcase with 'Bertie Bear' luggage label * diary (plain paper) * pencil * comb * toothbrush * flannel * copy of a bear story book (see box) * letter of explanation to parents/carers (see back of poster) * Bertie's letter to child (see back of poster) * envelopes * Bertie Bear's rhyme (back of poster)

Preparation

* Make copies of the letters to parents/carers and children, and write children's names on the envelopes before the project begins.

* Prepare a 'tick list' of children's names to record when individuals have taken Bertie home.

* Make the first entry in Bertie's diary as if he has visited your home.

Activity content

* Introduce Bertie Bear to the children and explain that he has come to visit your nursery and needs a place to stay each night.

* Show the children Bertie's suitcase and talk about its contents.

* Discuss how to look after Bertie.

* Read the first diary entry to children.

* Choose a child who will take Bertie home that night, explaining to the group that they all will have a turn to take him home in time. You may decide on a child who is feeling a little insecure in the setting. Include a copy of Bertie's letter (addressed to the child) in the suitcase.

* Explain to parents/carer that their child is taking Bertie home for the night and give them a copy of the explanation letter.

* When Bertie is returned the next day, make time for a group session so that the child can share their experiences and others can ask questions.

Use Bertie Bear's rhyme to introduce the session and read the diary entry.

Extending learning

Key vocabulary

Toothbrush, comb, flannel, wash, brush, clean.

Questions to ask

* How can we make Bertie feel at home in our nursery?

* What could you do to help him?

* How can we show Bertie that we are his friends?

* Which of your toys do you think he would like to play with at home?

* Can you show Bertie the right way to clean his teeth?

* How will you take care of him in the park?

Follow-up activities

* If children go away on holiday, encourage them to take Bertie with them and to send a postcard to the setting.

* Use the diary entries to make a book about 'Bertie's Travels'. Include photographs of him with the children in different areas of the setting.

Keep the book in the book corner.

Child-initiated learning

Encourage the children to develop their own ideas and interests across the curriculum by adding topic resources to the basic provision.

Home role play area

Additional resources

*'The Three Bears' story book * three teddy bears * three bowls * three chairs and beds (all graded in size) * porridge box * large pan and wooden spoon

Possible learning experiences

* Talking about key characters and events in the story of the three bears.

* Sequencing events and retelling a familiar story.

* Exploring story ideas and feelings through role-play.

* Using language to recreate roles.

* Negotiating roles and taking turns in play.

* Exploring the concept of size, comparing sizes and using comparative vocabulary such as big, bigger, biggest.

* Matching one object with another, for example, matching the bowls and the bears.

* Counting up to three objects reliably.

The practitioner role

* Share the story of 'The Three Bears' with the children.

* Play alongside children, taking on the role of one of the characters.

* Extend children's thinking with questions such as, 'How do you think the bears felt when they discovered that someone had been in their house?', 'Who do you think this bowl belongs to?', 'Which room did Goldilocks go into first?', 'How many spoons do we need to put on the table for the bears' breakfast?'

* Model the use of mathematical language.

* Take photographs of the children's role play and produce your own version of 'The Three Bears' storybook.

Workshop/craft area

Additional resources

* A range of teddy bears (different sizes and shapes) * scissors * open-eye needles * string * a variety of fabrics and threads * ribbons * paper * pencils * tape measures * rulers * examples of paper patterns for children's clothes * examples of teddies'/dolls' clothes

Possible learning experiences

* Talking about the features of different teddy bears, comparing size, shape, texture of fur and so on.

* Discussing what types of clothing each teddy bear needs.

* Looking at our own people-sized clothes to see how they are made.

* Dismantling dolls' clothes and piecing them back together again.

* Selecting materials to make clothes for teddy bears.

* Finding ways of joining and fixing materials to clothe the teddy bears.

* Drawing around bears on to fabric/paper and cutting out pieces to make clothes/patterns.

The practitioner role

* Encourage children to think about different purposes for clothes and to choose materials according to purpose, for example, waterproof material for a raincoat.

* Make some clothes for a teddy yourself, experimenting with different ways of fitting them, for example, tying with string, sewing and taping.

* Support children with physical skills such as drawing around teddy's legs and cutting fabric.

* Look with children at the paper patterns, holding pieces against them and measuring for size.

Book corner

Additional resources

* Large piece of fabric/old sheets or blankets * den frame * bean bags * teddy bears (large and small) * range of 'bear' books (see 'resources' for fiction book ideas) * mark-making equipment * torches/safety lanterns * backpack *colander * large cardboard box * pair of Wellington boots * rug * picnic hamper

Possible learning experiences

* Building a bear cave using a den frame and fabric/old sheets or blankets.

* Sharing books with teddy bears or friends in the bear cave.

* Making up own bear stories and re-telling familiar bear stories.

* Developing the characters of teddy bears in the bear cave and using them in story play.

* Writing bear stories and reading them to friends/drawing bear pictures.

* Exploring themes from familiar bear stories through role play, such as anxieties about going to sleep in the dark (Can't you sleep, Little Bear? by Martin Waddell) and planning a picnic on the moon (Whatever next? by Jill Murphy). (See box.)

The practitioner role

* Make sure the bear books are attractively displayed and easily accessible to children.

* Provide any necessary resources to support developing play.

* Read bear books with children in the bear cave.

* Tell children your own, made-up bear stories.

* Engage in children's role play and support their imaginative ideas.

* Scribe children's story ideas and read them back to the group.

* Encourage parents/carers to spend time reading stories with their child in the bear cave.

Bear story books

* How do I put it on? by Shigeo Watanabe and Yasuo Ohtomo (Red Fox, Pounds 4.99)

* Can't you sleep, Little Bear by Martin Waddell (Walker Books Pounds 4.99)

* Whatever next? by Jill Murphy (Macmillan Books, 4.99)

* Peace at last by Jill Murphy (Macmillan Books, 4.99)

* Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? by Bill Martin (Hamish Hamilton Children's Books, 4.99)

* Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Ian Beck (Oxford University Press, Pounds 4.99)

* Old Bear and Little Bear's trousers by Jane Hissey (Red Fox)

* We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen (Walker Books, 5.99)