Is it the end of the line for Classroom mascots

Totally off topic but when my son was around 6 years old he actually charged his friends 10p each to come and see me screaming the house down after being stung by a bee !

Needless to say I made him give the money back. (apparently he had made himself about £1)

When DS2 was about 5 he reported in his school diary that he'd spent the weekend "at our country cottage"

Wishful thinking on his part.

Slightly off-piste, but the youngest DS of a friend was asked by his teacher to bring in one of DM's nighties to wear in the school play (I think he was a shepherd in the Nativity) and he announced that DM didn't wear one! (No, it wasn't me, it really was a friend!)

When I taught Year 2 there was a Geography topic called "Where in the world is Barnaby Bear?". As well as excruciating TV programmes about said bear we had to torment parents with a real teddy,called Barnaby who even had his own passport! Being as school was near Heathrow and a lot of our parents worked there and got cheap flights, there was a lot of competition to take Barnaby off on amazing holidays, in term time naturally Grrr ! My favourite Barnaby photo involved him with a large gin and topic , but some kind parents photographed him pointing to a sign for my husband's village in the North East (they were Northern expats too).

The travelling bear is still going strong in most of my local schools that I do supply in. It visits McDonalds a lot.
Show and tell.... Oh goodness what a lot of interesting things I have heard and seen. The most "interesting" was shown by a 6 year old girl. A pair of Ann Summers dice with words on such as "suck" "lick" on one and "my boobs" etc etc on the other. Fortunately she was a non reader.

What a bizarre thing to give to children to look after - I've never heard of a class mascot or school pets. Our local school does have animals that the children help to look after during term time but they are pigs and sheep (might be a few ducks as well) and the offspring when they arrive. I can't see many parents being happy about trundling a pig or sheep around Tesco or the local park! Not sure the pig or sheep would be that happy about it either ...

Perhaps there should be a revolt amongst parents along the lines of Spencer/Charlie/Fred bear spent the weekend sat on the worktop staring at the sink while the family all went out and had a great time. GROWL!

Surely children can learn to read and write without all these ridiculous schemes?

My GS6 goes to a small country school in Australia and with only twelve children in the class, Buddy Bear is a frequent visitor. Last visit Buddy Bear was alone and forgotten in GS's school bag while the family spent the weekend away. On returning poor old Buddy Bear was discovered and GS quickly drew pictures of BB with the family having a great time sightseeing in Melbourne

What a chore when you come home from a weekend away to have unexpected homework. GS adores his teacher though, she is very special so he couldn't disappoint her.

I wouldn't say bizarre Hollydaze. It is not wierd and outlandish, and it probably started as a good wheeze to peg childrens attention on and tempt them into observing what they did and write about it. Equally, it is not that they cannot learn to read and write without it, it is a tool in the toolbox of "How to engage their attention with the outside world and give them another subject to talk and write about"

It is just that it has become another chore for parents to do to tick a box. It has become like that dread essay title "What I did in the school holidays"

Time for a change of tune.

I wouldn't say bizarre Hollydaze. It is not wierd and outlandish

You are quite correct Elegran - 'bizarre' is a favourite word of my granddaughters (to explain anything they find odd) and I'm afraid I have picked it up off them and tend to use it inappropriately

I don't really see the point of it. DGD used to bring "Rainbow Rabbit" home when she was in Rainbows but it generally got left with us for the week and she showed no interest in it at all. When it was time to take it back we invariably couldn't find the thing or else forgot about it completely. I hadn't realised there was such competition to do exotic things. I'm sure ours was glad of the rest when it stayed with me !

Only the reception class in GDs school have a very mucky 'Sparky Bear in motorbike leathers which they get to take home as a reward. I agree with all the negatives but as it's a school with 85% from many other countries & cultures, I did enjoy reading the diaries & it's a school without pushy parents. There were cultural differences but what really shone out was the similarities between families in the everyday tasks & importance of family ties. I look forward to GS having his turn so I can read the next lot of stories in this rapidly changing community. I just hope he's not the last one to 'win' the bear & I could suggest they do a bear's eye view of the world - or the weekend newspapers!