Is it the end of the line for Classroom mascots

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!

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 !

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 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.

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.

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?

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 ...

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.

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).

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 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.

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)

janeainsworth marigold1 and Elegran

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

Perhaps it is us to blame for the competitive attitude janerowena

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.

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!

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.

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!

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'.

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).

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.

soutra and when, that's the spirit!

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!

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!

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.

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.