To be given a little bit of notice about being given the sodding class bear

[Loueytb3]

Right, I'm hormonal so please feel free to tell me AIBU but....

Just picked DCs up from CM. To be greeted by DS2 clutching the bag containing the class bear. CM informs me that it has to be back tomorrow. Get home, open the book to find she is right and that you are supposed to get DC to write something, draw something and take a bloody picture. All before tomorrow morning. I'm because if I had been warned I could have picked them up from the CM and done something with him. As it is, I pick them up, they have 15 mins of down time and then they go to bed at 6.30 as they are knackered. And WTF do people do who pick their kids up later???

I refuse to keep him up later to fill in the book so it's not going back tomorrow which will probably mean a black mark but I don't give a stuff.

AIBU????

teddy can have an early night with the children!

Why didn't the CM quickly do something?

Anyway, just do a quick drawing and a couple of lines and job done -5 mins tops and no drama

could he write and draw something in the morning before school?

I am SO glad my children's schools never did this bear thing. It sounds like a right royal pain in the arse.

Slumber party with the kids.

am totally with you on hating the class bear, however much notice is given

You get the bear for one night?? What's the point of that!

Just send a note saying it'll be back after the weekend when it's had time to go somewhere
Or photograph it eating breakfast

6.30?

How old are they?

Sounds like a huge PITA to me!

How about a picture of the bear making breakfast tomorrow morning, whilst your DC writes something very very short in the book?

Splodge a bit of marmalade on the page for authentic paddington style and you're done!

'Teddy slept in my bed with me'
'Teddy laid out my breakfast to surprise me in the morning!'
'Teddy hid in my book bag with my snack'
'I introduced Teddy to my favourite bear'
'Teddy came to the childminder with us'
'Teddy had a ride in the car and looked out of the window'
'Teddy ate dinner with us'
'Teddy walked to school with us this morning. It was raining. He hid under my coat'

And so on.

A child young enough to bring a bear home does not need a dazling array of bear activities.

Last time bear came home with us he went to the supermarket and put a coin in the charity box to help poorly hedgehogs, and got a sticker.

When child is asleep, arrange bear willing up next to him reading a book. Print off picture, stick in work book, get child to write- "it's not fair, he stayed up much later than me!"

Job done.

Hang on, bed at 6.30?

Teddy read a lovely story and had a healthy snack. Job done.

Why didn't the CM quickly do something?
Sorry, this is not the CM's job! Would other parents be happy if their CM decided to do this with their DC? I certainly wouldn't!

I think YABU to expect to get any notice, as bringing home the class bear is usually chosen randomly (i.e. all the names of the children who haven't had the bear home yet are put in a box/hat/etc. and 1 is chosen), but YANBU to feel 1 night isn't long enough! When I taught Reception, we used to send the class bear home every Friday for a weekend. Also, don't worry about having to do anything wildly exciting or out of routine, just because Bear is home!

I would feel immensely relieved and forever indebted if DS's CM was to take on the class bear duties.

We had the class bear once Very sweet! BUT ds was about 7 and put its hand into a glass of water and on the monday when we took him back his left hand was the size of an orange and the right was still like a little paw! So embarrassing. Can't you just do it this once They grow up so fast Ds is 17 and I still remember this so does he

I think people should be given two nights for this. That way they can at least arrange with the childminder to do something and get the child to do a bit of writing the next day if no time themselves.

We had the bear last week. I looked through the book and read all about the range of nutritionally balanced home cooked meals the bear had eaten - inc home made naan bread and 'lovely salad' and all the exciting things the bear had done.
Then dh and dd1 and I went out to dd1's parents evening leaving dd2 to do the book with dd3.

When I read it the next day it said:
' We went home and had crisps with H the baby sitter ' (they'd had tea at after school club!)
'Then we watched a DVD' (guilty as charged)
'Mummy and Daddy went out' (TO PARENT'S EVENING!)
'When they came back Mummy had a headache and had to lie down and Daddy went out again' (Ok I know that sounds like I was drunk and dh was off in a huff but actually the lights and noise at the most incompetently managed Parent's Evening gave me a migraine and dh went out to a meeting of the Deacons at our church!)

I'm hoping not to have the bear again for some time.

If they're sent to bed 15 mins after they get home, I imagine the CM must do their reading/spellings with them already.

Maybe she doesn't have time to do everything?

We have a bedtime bear at DDs school all you have to do is read a book to your child and have the bear for a night. Yours sounds pretty complicated.

YABU, they don't expect an essay, keep it simple, you could have got it done by now if you weren't on here whinging. Photo is probably not compulsary anyway.

My DD was in bed for 5.30, never mind 6.30. She was so tired she was falling asleep on the sofa.

It's daft just to send the bear home for one night, it would usually be a weekend thing so the kids actually have something to talk about. I do think the CM could have done something. Im friends with a few CM and they do homework with the kids so parents can just pick them up and have fun.

We had the class bear for 2 weeks over the Christmas holiday, we just made everything up and posed it for a few photos.