Buddy Bear Travels

In this activity students will be introduced to different customs and cultures via a traveling teddy bear. This toy ambassador will collect information and memorabilia from each student in the class and their families. A box with a teddy bear and journal will be delivered to the class. Students will use a journal, included in the “traveling box,” to document his adventures in their classroom. Students will be encouraged to interact with the teddy bear outside of school and record the details of his time with them in the journal. In doing so, this activity hopes to encourage students to write, and promote a motivating learning environment in which students are exposed to various viewpoints from peers of different backgrounds.

Related Websites:

For lesson plans related to this activity, see Buddy Bears created by Valerie Becker and Dara Feldman, available at The Apple Learning Interchange 2007. Please also visit the United Buddy Bears Website for more information about the official Buddy Bear project.

Materials Needed:

• Buddy Bear Packet
• Buddy Bear Template
• Parent Letter

Each travel kit contains:

• A folder including information, a journal entry section and a buddy bear template
• The teddy bear
• Parent letter and permission slip
• Teachers and students are expected to add information and memorabilia to the travel kit before sending it to the next destination. These items must include:
  • Journal Entries
    Students are expected to write one entry in the journal while the teddy bear is at their house. These journal entries may express what the teddy bear is learning, the adventures the teddy bear has experienced during his visit and the interesting people he has met along the way.
  • Photographs
    Teachers are asked to add digital photos of the teddy bear with each student, along with an appropriate caption (photo should be labeled with child's first name). These will be placed in the photo album provided in the travel kit and online. Remember, photos for the website must be digital and must be sent during, or immediately following, the teddy bear’s visit.

Option: A class may decide to do this as a school exchange project and document the teddy bear's adventure in their class and local community and then forward it to a different school. We will be sending our buddy bears to a school in Taiwan!!

*Teddy Bear Adventures is based on and adapted from My World + Your World = One World, Buddy Bears created by Valerie Becker and Dara Feldman, available at The Apple Learning Interchange 2007.