Is it the end of the line for Classroom mascots

My DGD in Australia had a wretched bear for the week-end from her school, (I have forgotten its name) and what a bother it was, both to my DD and my DGD.
As you said gillybob it would appear to be a competition by the pushy parent brigade. I think it is awful and so glad my three offspring didn't have such nonsense when they were young. I have my photograph with the grubby thing and am in the book for posterity.

But easier to cope with than the awful tesponsibility of having the class pet over the weekend! I still laugh at Frank Muir's account of having Sandy the guinea pig ( or was he a hamster?) and the dash to the petshop for his "replacement" in time for school on Monday

<sigh> "responsibility"

I'd be so tempted to tuck Teddy up in bed for the weekend with a poorly tummy!

That sadly wouldn't earn little Jane or Johnny any house points though Lona

My DGD's class mascot got "caught up" in the Icelandic volcano (photographs to prove it too) and sadly no one has ever been able to top that !

That bl**dy monkey is so much more well travelled than I will ever be!

One of my twin grandaughters has just had Bella Bear from nursery for a few days. The overwhelming temptation was to photograph this rather smelly object with its backside hanging out of the washing machine, just before it was shoved in there for a good clean. It did the rounds of library, petting farm and cake baking in my kitchen, then my daughter returned it to nursery, saying 'please don't give it to her sister next week,' 'Perhaps in a few weeks, then' grinned the nursery nurse. 'NO!' said daughter, 'over my dead body!' I think they got the message.

I can offer to photoshop class bears sitting near to Icelandic fumeroles and boiling mud pools for a small large fee.

Nellie

I remember having the nursery rabbit for the weekend, letting it out into our fenced garden and being unable to catch it. DH got home from the pub to find DD1, DS and me out in the garden at 10.00pm, trying to catch the bloody sweet little thing or stop it burrowing its way underneath the fence. DH strode into the herbaceous border, grabbed it by its ears and plonked it back into its cage. Needless to say, it stayed in there all weekend and we didn't bring it home again.

At least a class mascot is inanimate, but DIL found that a step too far at half-term!

We have also encountered Flat Stanley, at least not personally, but DD1 has ......

Who thinks up these things, have they nothing better to do in school?

there are quite enough unhygenic soft toys around most people's houses [with children and grandchildren] without the class bear/monkey/cat joining in. As you say, it's an awful responsibility isn't it?The child would be really upset if it got lost.It's bad enough stopping our children from getting lost without the added angst of losing the 'mascot'.It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to take it out anywhere, but is that the point of it, that you have to take the darn thing on holiday with you?If you pop it into the wash, how will it come out looking? You can never be sure with soft toys and I have ruined more than one in the past!

Rose Do you mean 'Flat Eric'? [The yellow critter.]

This is Flat Stanley, a little man cut out of cardboard and coloured in; he is then sent away to a friend or relative anywhere in the world where he is photographed and sent back home. It becomes competetive, I think, because the children are hoping that their Flat Stanley travelled furthest.

If it's inconvenient, rebel. Explain to your child why you're rebelling. Return the offensive article to school/nursery with no story. They'll get the message loud and clear.

Minibags did bring some revolting object home from school once. It got flung in a corner and forgotten about and we had to be reminded to return it. I guess she had the same cavalier attitude as I did, thank goodness. There was a storybook too with which she was not impressed.

when's DD has the right idea.

gillybob I think I'd have told the teacher that Albert, like Jim, who got eaten by a lion in the Hilaire Belloc cautionary tale, came to a sorry end . I'd have read the Jim tale to the child too.

Flat Stanley is a literacy project, so the concept is probably good, but it all starts to get competitive, my Flat Stanley went furthest etc.

DD1 got sent one by a friend and then had to photograph him in various places and send him back.

I liked the story about the bear who spent the weekend "wandering aimlessly round B&Q looking at taps.. " and it's probably more like ehat most mums and dads do at the weekend!

SiL threatened to park Bella Bear on the sofa between the four of them whilst they all watched Britain's Got Talent, with a KFC family bucket!

soutra and when, that's the spirit!

My gandchildren are always realy chuffed when they get the mascot, but I hadn't thought of the competitiveness aspect. They also do a 'show and tell' which sometimes causes a bit of anguish. I think the fact that the child doesn't know he/she is getting the mascot until that Friday nips in the bud any flights to New York though.

Reminds me of nearly 50 years ago when SIL went into school to see that DN had written the same thing in his 'daily diary' every day:

'Helped Mummy hang out the washing' (DB and SIL had 3 children aged 5 and under).

I have never heard of these mascots, and am glad I never had to give one house-room. The Health and Safety aspect doesn't bear thinking about. I try to avoid the DGC's favourite cuddly toys, never mind anyone else's.

I was always suspicious of the diaries in which the children had to describe what they had done at the weekend, thinking this was a way for the school to spy on family life.
One weekend my 8 year-old DD wrote 'We took Grandma to Blanchland so she could have a drink of beer at the King's Head.'

The teacher, the redoubtable Mrs Shepherd, put a red line through 'the King's Head' and substituted 'The Lord Crewe Arms'.

DD revealed all in her " weekend diary " when she recounted how Mummy had to treat all of them for nits! Cue call from headmistress to collect and take home until sure the infestation was gone!

My son's first teacher said that it was her way of ensuring that the children didn't spend all weekend in front of the tv. They had to write a diary about what the pet had been up to, and provide documentary evidence - tickets, postcards etc. I can remember being furious at the time!

Then last summer we had it all over again, with my grandson. My daughter phoned up as they were due to spend that weekend with us. Normally they all just chill, this time we had to go out for the day to document The Bear. So we went to Bressingham, the steam trains were going, the gardens were open and unbeknown to us they also had some awful children's cartoon chaarcter there, a bright blue knight that maybe some of you will be familiar with. We managed to collect a whole boxload of rubbish for the teacher to sort through - served him right! That bear was photo'd at least once a minute over a five hour period. It was exhausting. The pressure! And I have to admit - it was all of our own making. It really brought out the competitive spirit. That Bear was cuddled by a Knight from TV, sat in five engines with the drivers and had a ride on a charger on a merry-go-round.

Reminds me of my friends little boy who had to do a daily "news" story in primary school....... "my uncle stayed the night and had a drink with my mummy, daddy wasn't there".
Said friend only found this out at a class open day when the teacher referred her to the "news" stories, as you can imagine friend was utterly mortified and hastily explained her husband was away on a business trip and her BROTHER was staying on holiday for a few days!

I heard of one child who wrote that she couldn't sleep with mummy in the big bed last night because mummy had a friend visiting and he slept there.

janeainsworth marigold1 and Elegran

Out of the mouths of babes............

Perhaps it is us to blame for the competitive attitude janerowena