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Original poster

To return the class bear with a note saying thanks, but no thanks

248 replies

Wailywailywaily · 08/02/2015 16:15

DS has the Reception class Bear to entertain this weekend. The bear has two books full of his previous adventures and TBH he has a busy life.

I'm ashamed to say that he has now spent the entire weekend in his suitcase Blush.

DS gets a lot of homework for a reception child IMO - spellings, drawing and reading - and I can't be bothered to make him come up with an adventure for the Bear as well.

So I was thinking that the Bear seems to need a rest anyway and perhaps it would be just fine to send him back having had a good long snooze?

OP posts:
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SuperFlyHigh · 10/02/2015 20:39

catseverywhere I'm trying not to laugh at you losing the class bear and the teacher judging you silently.... C'mon she's kidding right?!

Makes me glad the only thing i had to look after at school as a kid were hamsters - never did. What's the big thing about the class bear? Is it teaching them responsibilities and logging journal for bear?

pettyprudence · 10/02/2015 21:45

We have the class stuffed dog for the THIRD time since Oct and all ds wants is the class bear. Stuffed dog has been replaced since last visit - clearly someone pulled a catseverywhere and lost her. Maybe deliberately? Anyway, stuffed dog has done some colouring in, eaten all her tea and had an early night.

chocoluvva · 10/02/2015 23:45

cakepop - there are schools where the children aren't allowed to take reading books home - because they don't come back - sadly some children live in extremely chaotic households and they are more likely to live in deprived areas.

bumbledoor · 11/02/2015 08:37

Just ask if you can have him for an extra week. Then book a last minute break to Mexico for him to make up for it.

Sukebind · 11/02/2015 12:20

I am sure in many cases it isn't a matter of parents trying to show off to other parents by taking the bear abroad or on educational visits (although it probably is sometimes) but more that you think you might as well make the most of it, give the child something interesting to write about if they are not usually that keen on writing or in the hopes the children might somehow take in more of the trip if they are being especially observant so they can write about it later. As I said before, the toys that have visited us have been on fairly humdrum outings and nothing spectacular but I can see where parents who do pull out all the stops are coming from.

CrazyTights · 11/02/2015 12:22

Next time we have the class bear he's going to go on a wonderful holiday to Australia or for a weekend in France Photoshop is a wonderful invention

tarashill · 11/02/2015 13:12

Don't working mothers have enough on their plate without this "class bear" to worry about. I'm just thinking about my daughter whose day is probably similar to many other stressed out over worked mothers in the country. Up at 6.45am, get kids ready for school, drop them off at sisters round the corner for her to drop them at school later. Go to work for the day, pick kids up from after school club, go home, make tea, do homework with the kids, do housework, bath kids, put them in bed......I'm exhausted just thinking about her day. Then on top of all that there's the "class bear" to worry about.....and don't get me started on the "dressing up" days when they have to go dressed up as a "hero" or whatever.
Imo there are many too demands from schools which adds to the day to day pressure and stress that parents are already under.

egnahc · 11/02/2015 13:14

there are schools where the children aren't allowed to take reading books home - because they don't come back - sadly some children live in extremely chaotic households and they are more likely to live in deprived areas.

Can you name some? I spend my life in the most socially deprived schools in the country and I have NEVER had a school that won't send books home. Rather the opposite-many do additional packs of books or donations to make up for the lack of books in some homes.

Loulou000 · 11/02/2015 13:27

It's all good writing practice, I reckon. At that age the parent is quite involved in all homework, but that's how it goes. I do remember feeling quite irritated at the amazing things some people had done with their bear, though.

SabrinaMulhollandJjones1984 · 11/02/2015 13:27

I'm not naming schools, but my mother was a SEN teacher, who visited many schools in a deprived area of Kent.

She actually used the words ' they don't even send reading books home because they never get them back. '

egnahc · 11/02/2015 13:51

Was an Sen teacher? When ? How many schools has she been in the last year that have not sent books home? So you are basing your comments on dated, 2nd hand hearsay?

SabrinaMulhollandJjones1984 · 11/02/2015 14:02

You don't have to go all Paxman on me egnahc. I'm not lying, and she's not making it up - it was something she told me about some of the schools in her area, when we were discussing my dc's schools.

Solfrankmud · 11/02/2015 14:27

Stick it in the washing machine as soon as it arrives. It's covered in other kid's slobber (kisses) so wash away it's germ ridden filth.

On the plus side, he has a lovely adventure in a washing machine for you to write about!

chocoluvva · 11/02/2015 14:33

I'm certainly not naming the school ( I worked at) either! Are you mad?! Shock It was quite a long time ago though. The school was fairly under-resourced.

I agree that schools make too many demands - if you're happy to do the class bear/have a pet home/provide dressing-up outfits/bake for the fayre etc great. How nice. But even if you're not a busy parent you still have a life outside school.

BramwellBrown · 11/02/2015 15:37

We got DD's class bear for the whole of the summer holidays Hmm We added plenty of photos of him writing up his diary and doing homework with comments like 'today Bear had to spend the morning writing, he wasn't very happy about this as he'd much rather be out enjoying the sunshine'

BramwellBrown · 11/02/2015 15:59

There are schools that don't send books home by the way, my friends kids are year 3 and 4 now and have never had a reading book home (although since their schools been an academy her yr 1 has started getting books) and when I was at secondary we weren't allowed to take books out the school library (egnahc if it means that much to you I can tell you I went to Sandown Court/Tunbridge Wells High)

CrazyTights · 11/02/2015 16:16

tarashill up at 6.45am, that's a lie in compared to many who are up at 6am getting ready to be at work at 7am so they are ready for the children arriving in class! The children love the class bear and the dressing up days.

LostMyBaubles · 11/02/2015 16:25

My ds is 4, hes never had a reading book home.
The school isnt in a deprived area.

I cant wait for the bear to come home lol.
Ds hasnt seen it yet lol

sparkysparkysparky · 11/02/2015 16:32

"Our" bear spent its first night on an Arctic expedition, ie in the freezer, because we in the sparky house have convinced ourselves this is a good way of killing off bugs.

magimedi · 11/02/2015 16:44

I am sure I remember reading another thread about class bears a couple of years ago & one of the parents of the DC who had the CB was in the police & took CB on a raid of a crack den.

tarashill · 11/02/2015 17:14

Kids do love it and if that's all it was it would be fine, buts it's all the other pressures on working parents from schools that concern me.

sarahsnail · 11/02/2015 17:25

The reception Bear came to our house and the first thing he did was have a trip into the washing machine and spent the weekend drying out on the radiator, no way was that going to bed with DC after all those exciting adventures from everyone else and not even a wash.....lol ..... he went back smelling lovely and fresh.

NotCitrus · 11/02/2015 17:52

I remember SIL bringing dn age 2 over for the weekend, very harassed getting 2yo in buggy in the rush hour across London, carrying all her kit for the weekend as well as his, dropping it all in our hall so she could run away as she was late for work, and then as a parting shot pulling out this bear as large as dn and said "oh yes, and you have to take this bear with you all weekend and write in this book or dn will be Really Upset. Bye!"

She could really have done with some warning that she was going to have to add a toddler-sized bear to her journeys.

Dn panicked all weekend that we might lose the bear (no chance...) but it seemed to enjoy local park and museum.

Thankfully in the five years since we've never seen one. Though I was rather relieved that someone else agreed to have nursery's goldfish over Christmas.

Original poster
Wailywailywaily · 11/02/2015 20:15

Sparky I think you might be onto something there. After all to properly kill bugs we normally boil things but I don't think the Bear would survive. I have been thinking that a warm bath followed by a relax on the radiator might be exactly what the bugs need to breed like mad.
I wonder how long you need to freeze it to kill off bugs?

OP posts:
CheshireEditor · 11/02/2015 21:40

Our class bear (dog) is having a birthday party during golden time on Friday and the children are making biscuits - total VIP class bear! They've been planning it as a class, groups are making different things, each group has to do a party game etc Good group working together learning imagination skills and most damm inportantly, FUN.

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