Jan-u-BEAR-y

We had fun with BEARS!!! In the center is my very own Mr. Bear. He is 54 years old,  and I enjoyed telling the children all about him. I shared stories from my childhood such as the time I pulled his eyes off and got a red marker to replace them and added a belly button, and how I put my dad's shaving cream on his muzzle and shaved him. I showed them the ruddy scars from the shave, and told all about how I felt so bad later that I drew angel wings on Mr. Bear with a red ink pen and bandaged him up.Unfortunately Mr. Bear is really stinky and worn from so many years of love and storage...

Part of the day's theme was BYOB (Bring Your Own Bear). We had eight children and five of them remembered to bring in their bears. It's a shame that I forgot to take photos of them.  My energy level was pretty low that afternoon, but we had quality time talking and working together. It was a peaceful and relaxed program with library regulars who were just happy to be together.

Both of these books are really good. I usually lean towards humor with the children,

 but these are two serious books that they really liked, almost to the verge of tears, though

fortunately no one broke down. The Teddy Bear by David McPhail  has a homeless man as a main character which brought up a questions about homelessness. I was asked "Why is the man sleeping in the dumpster?" My reply was "Because it is warmer than sleeping on the cold ground."

One True Bear by Ted Dewan is about a boy named Damien who destroys teddy bears. A brave bear  volunteers from "teddy bear headquarters' to become Damien's one true bear.  It is a well constructed story about courage and love and having "the right stuffing". 

We made Bear Paw Cookies. The children wrote their names on their square of parchment paper 

and our helper Martha baked them for us. Here is the recipe:

http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cookies-bars/dh/bear-paws

For our art project, I laid out strips of felt, bits of felt, pompoms and glue. I also had cloth scissors available, so I had to be sure to watch the younger children.  Everyone was very careful and responsible.

They made scarves and wraps for their bears. I had paper bags for them to take home their creations and allowed them to take home some extra craft materials. 

The Music

Going On A Bear Hunt - Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael- Yummy Yellow From The Learning Groove

The Bear Went Over The Mountain - Six Little Ducks

Bear Went Over The Mountain- The Bounding Bear- Mother Goose Rocks Vol. 5

Freddy Bear The Teddy Bear - Ralph's World - Ralph's World

Teddy Bears' Picnic- Greg & Steve- Shake, Rattle & Rock

Teddy Bear Picnic- Green Eyed Fleas- Mother Goose Rocks Vol. 5