Whinge about Barnaby Bear and term time holidays

[bozza]

DS is in year one and they have the barnaby bear thing where children can take him and have their photograph taken with him and then a pin is put on a world map with a string to the photo. I know BB is part of the national curriculum so I suppose this happens everywhere.

But it is useless for anyone who goes on holiday in the summer holiday (because they will be out of that class by that point), and also if you go on holiday at Easter or Spring Bank they have to draw it out of a hat and you are unlikely to get a turn. But if you save loads of money by going ski-ing in January or to Centreparks in March, or to Spain in June (all actual occurences) then you get to take BB with you and get your photo up. And, of course, if you can't afford to go anywhere - tough.

DS was a bit upset that he couldn't have him when we went to Legoland at Spring Bank. We were allowed to send in a photo of him with his own teddy bear which made it up a bit, especially as Legoland is quite cool if you are 6 and live in Yorkshire. But still....

I have just realised that I should have put this in AIBU. But really AIBU to think that the school shouldn't be favouring children who take termtime holidays at the expense of those who don't? Or am I being petty?

That's crap. Can't they just have barnaby bear home for a weekend and have local stuff photographed? I'm sure I've read of similar projects but there's no map, just a diary you can stick a photo in and write about BB's activities for the evening/weekend.

As you say, otherwise it's startlingly unfair for those who can't afford flashy holidays and those who don't want to go away during term time.

Crazy.

Well the teacher says that it is ok just to take him to Grandma's or whatever but when they see a world map (of which the UK is a very tiny part) up on the wall and pins to Australia, Tenerife, Switzerland etc they are not impressed. As it happens DS did a diary of legoland of his own volition which the teacher has put up. The only thing is that he had a huge crossing out on the title page.

Yes, I think the map thing is a bad call, imo. As you say, glorifies the mega holidays to the expense of the other kids.

Probably just thoughtlessness on the part of the teacher, but even so. Do you get on well enough with her to give her feedback - while you appreciate that she can't change it this year, in future years might it be worth having a display board without a map as the central part?

Agree it does seem unfair Bozza.

Mind you DS1's Reception Barnaby is not a well-travelled bear. He has a high old time at the cinema, football practice, swimming, McD's, parties, mass...

ha when my DD did the "take the Bear home weekend" it was the weekend of a local pre-schools fayre so we took pictures of the bear playing the stalls and also shoved him and another bear up a tree and took pictures of that. the other kids thought a tree climbing bear who had made a friend was so cool. We made a little scarpbook to send into school!

It was pre Barnaby and was PB Bear!

This does seem odd! I thought schools discouraged families from taking children out of class during term, and this policy would seem to actively reward it!
I didn't realise that bl**dy Barnaby Bear was part of the National Curriculum - DS is about to join the top group at nursery, where they have a Barnaby Bear, and I'm dreading having to cook up educational outings for the benefit of an inanimate object made of plush and kapok!

we never got the pre-school one (thank god) and it seems to have died a death, but a friend said that they had 5 (!!!!!) in reception this year (all different ones). It can come the park with us, I'm not doing out of the ordinary stuff for a bear - or we could sit it on the bottom step and say it had to stay at home cos it was naughty! Do like the tree climbing idea though.

We seem to have avoided it at our school, thank god. Otherwise I'd have had to have fought against my very perverse sense of humour and inventing activities along the line of living it up at the local nightclub, getting rat-arsed and getting up to naughty activites with female teddy bears...

... I'd have probably have got my ds expelled... or at the very least had social services on my back for years...

or you could lie and say you were going to New Zealand but.....

Barnaby Bear woke up and realised it had all been a dream!!

that is what I would do!!

Yeah, can't you take some photos of landmarks around the world and photoshop BB in? See how outlandish you can get before the teacher twigs you were making it all up

NO! Even better - really bugger up her map and photoshop him onto the moon...

oh the moon, fantastic, ds is sooo into space and rockets, i am doing that!

I think maybe there is an issue with the way our school is doing it TBH. To do with choosing when to have the bear rather than having it foisted on you at incovenient moments. DS's current teacher has only been in post since Christmas so she inherited the system but it might be worth having a word - DD will be in Y1 in 3 years time. I did have a bit of a word, hence DS taking "classic pooh" as he calls his bear to legoland.

This is how it is handled in our school.

The cuddly Barnaby Bear forms part of the geography display and stays put but the 'real' Barnaby Bear send postcards from all over the world - sent by friends and relatives who have been asked to send them without the class knowing.

It's quite cute when a card is read out from Barnaby Bear and a child says "Oooh, my uncle's just come back from there!!

Didn't know BB was part of curriculum, thought it was just our school being sadistic to parents and children. You are apparently supposed to make him clothes while you have him. We had the curse of BB on a ski trip to Norway @ Easter. Didn't dare pack him as we have lost luggage in the past, so had the little blighter in my hand luggage.
DS2 was devastated all the previous weekends of the school year he didn't get BB , and I presume all the others were too - the 30th kid must be thinking they haven;t been good all school year (it is supposedly a child that has been specialy good that week - and DS2 complained that naughty kids who were less evil that week got it while kids who were always good didn't...)
What is the pointof BB?

we ahev a take a bear home wekend, but nto for holidays. term time holidays are OK though- we never agreed with them but havetaken 2 days this term, seeinga s everyone else has. (We ahve checked what tehy will miss though and its 2 days of mrs tufty - think they'll learn more on their 4 day mini beast safari dha nd I have arranged for my birthday in the new forest frankly (2 days being weekend))

Everyone else goeson holiday to cool palces and brings back presents - often 2 or 3 pounds each- for all 30 classmates . No chance of them getting that! Some mud or a stone, maybe.

Won't happen after this year however as DS1 goes to Juniors, and we don't think its on then really.

We also ahve Prayer Bear......

LOL at peachy wandering into school on a Monday morning with 30 stones. Lots of children bring sweets etc back from their hols. I sent some in when it was DS's birthday but that was all.

we brought a bag of fudge back from cornwall for ds to take into pre-school to share out (ie one sweet per child), unfortunately I emm never got round to taking it in, and I am now eating them when he isn't around .

BB is part of the national Curriculum? [eye rolling emoticon]? An unnapealing bulky, and by now unhygenic, extra to be stuffed in your luggage?

DP nearly lost 'ours' when he took DS to NY last year. They had to go back to the museum the next day and get him out of lost property.

I completely agree, it is divisive if not handled well. But I think peopole get saddled with ours at w/es as well as hols.

We have Barnaby Bear and another bear at our school. Mostly they just go home over-night or weekends with the child and it is probably just a way of getting the child to practise writing - just what they did after school, etc (though of course it does mean you can't park your child in front of the tv if BB is visiting )

I was not overjoyed to have one of the bears over half-term - was convinced we would lose him, photos of a family gathering were ruined by the bear being waved in front of the camera AND we forgot to pack the notebook you are supposed to write in so it had to be done in a rush the night we got back!

it's when you have to wash the sodding thing becasue the previous child to have had it doesn't come from the freshest smelling home, so you have to lie that it did something other than go round and round in the washing machine.....

Our infant children often have a class bear but he is only taken home for weekends and nothing special is expected!

Most children take him to the park or to Granny's or whatever. Nothing more exciting than a family day trip out.

Who on earth thought this up? Is it just an excuse for richer better travelled children to show off where they have been and what they have done? Glad my DCs are at secondary/university now. What is the educational purpose?