What's a Teddy Bear to you?

[Nolcrest]

Teddy Bear Week in pre-school this week. Today was Teddy Bear Day and I asked the class to bring in their teddy bears for teddy bear activities. (Notes sent home plus posted on our parent board w/a picture of a teddy bear.)

I was rather surprised as to the amount of children who brought in a stuffed character but definately not a bear.

Is a Teddy Bear a bear to you? I guess I assumed every child had a "teddy bear" - maybe not. It really got me thinking.

 

[sam_gordon]

Teddy Bear Week in pre-school this week. Today was Teddy Bear Day and I asked the class to bring in their teddy bears for teddy bear activities. (Notes sent home plus posted on our parent board w/a picture of a teddy bear.)

I was rather surprised as to the amount of children who brought in a stuffed character but definately not a bear.

Is a Teddy Bear a bear to you? I guess I assumed every child had a "teddy bear" - maybe not. It really got me thinking.

As a parent, I would assume the day as "stuffed animal" day even though you specified 'Teddy Bear'. I had a teddy bear growing up. My oldest daughter did, the two younger ones no.

 

[ilovepcot]

Teddy Bear Week in pre-school this week. Today was Teddy Bear Day and I asked the class to bring in their teddy bears for teddy bear activities. (Notes sent home plus posted on our parent board w/a picture of a teddy bear.)

I was rather surprised as to the amount of children who brought in a stuffed character but definately not a bear.

Is a Teddy Bear a bear to you? I guess I assumed every child had a "teddy bear" - maybe not. It really got me thinking.

Well, yeah. But I can see that maybe not many children have them now. I don't suppose they're as popular as when I was little...so many more things to select from now.

 

[cornflake]

Teddy Bear Week in pre-school this week. Today was Teddy Bear Day and I asked the class to bring in their teddy bears for teddy bear activities. (Notes sent home plus posted on our parent board w/a picture of a teddy bear.)

I was rather surprised as to the amount of children who brought in a stuffed character but definately not a bear.

Is a Teddy Bear a bear to you? I guess I assumed every child had a "teddy bear" - maybe not. It really got me thinking.

Many kids may have an actual bear someplace but that's not 'their teddy.'

To me, your teddy bear is your beloved stuffy, be it giraffe, mouse, whatever. I mean yes, originally bears and Roosevelt and there are certainly plenty of bears but there's no rhyme or reason to what one a child bonds with.

A kid might have a crib and later bed with five beautiful, soft, cuddly actual bears and cling to the giraffe wearing the scratchy coat someone won at a fair. If you said bring your teddy, that's what they'd likely bring.

If you said bring A teddy bear, I think you'd be more likely to get actual bears maybe?

 

[mrssmith06]

I would not assume that every child has a teddy bear. I don't think that is as popular as it used to be... there are so many character stuffed things kids would rather have these days!

 

[mfd25wife]

I would think it was "favorite stuffed animal week". DD had a Raggedy Ann that went everywhere with her. She eventually got a bear but she was older. Even Build A Bear sells more other animals than Teddy bears. DD kept both her bear and poodle from there, and she's now 20.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

My kids both had teddy bears, but slept cuddled with a Goofy (DS) and Piglet (DD) They would take those to school on teddy bear day, as that was what they used and loved the most.

 

[Minnesota!]

My kids never had a "bear" as their teddy bear. ODS had a stuffed Simba, and then a stuffed dog named Andy. YDS had a stuffed dog...named Dogga. And then he had Donald Puppy. And now he has Perry. Which is what you (the teacher) would have gotten on Teddy Bear day

 

[minkydog]

Neither of my older two kids had much love for a particular bear, but DS26 has a very old stuffed dog named Max(the dog in Little Mermaid) and DD19 still sleeps with her large stuffed camel, "Donkey". Crazy kid. She named that thing and was insistent that the one-humped wonder was definitely a donkey. Ah well, what are ya gonna do?

Christian, on the other hand, LOVES his big teddy bears. He has two, a big giant cream colored(well, used to be cream colored, before he loved it to death) and a large brown bear. Both bears have permanently stiffened foreheads from all the kisses he gives them. I expect them to turn real any day...

 

[kirstenb1]

My kids never had teddy bears until they were school agers, and went to Build a Bear. They had a boatload of other stuffed animals though!!

 

[luvmy3]

My kids never had bears, my dd had a monkey (she still has him on her bed sshhh) and my middle ds had a dog. My youngest never was attached to an animal, just his blanket.

 

[JessicaR]

I would not assume that every child has a teddy bear. I don't think that is as popular as it used to be... there are so many character stuffed things kids would rather have these days!

I agree with this.

When my youngest was in 1st grade we had a teddy bear clinic - each child brought in their "teddy bear" many were just stuffed animals.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I just checked my son's room the only Bear he has is Special agent Oso. He has Mickey, Phillie Phanatic, dog pillow pet and dream light, a cat pillow pet, and a dog from build a bear.

 

[Buckalew11]

Not sure DD ever had a teddy bear until August--when she was leaving for college, lol. She went to Built a Bear and built one.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I would expect a Teddy Bear to look like this.

That said, my DD had a stuffed dog and DS had a stuffed panda bear. No "Teddy" bears in our house.

 

[GusGus77]

My daughter had this recently and I realized she didn't have any stuffed bears! Luckily I saved a couple from my childhood and I knew where it was packed away! So I rummaged through the crawl space for a teddy bear. I guess I just thought it meant it had to be specifically a bear.... I guess I am in the minority....

 

[anniemae]

teddy bears are like the original stuffed animal. Now there are soooooooo many stuffed animals. My dd has stuffed monkeys, fish, snakes, bunnies, hippos etc. I think she has one stuffed bear somewhere. Many many years ago, I think stuffed animals were more rare and maybe there wasn't the selection there is today?

 

[Poohforyou]

My dd has 2 stuffed bears from build a bear birthday parties years ago but they aren't her favorite animal. I can tell you as a preschooler if my dd wanted to bring an animal other than a teddy bear in for teddy bear week i'd have let her. That isn't a battle worth fighting.

 

[CheekyRose]

Since you specified "teddy bear", I'd assume you meant an actual bear. If a teacher meant "your favorite stuffed animal", I'd expect the wording such as "stuffy" or "stuffed animal".

That said, a lot of kids don't have teddy bears anymore. Our elementary school does a teddy bear picnic in kindergarten where the kids are supposed to bring in a teddy bear. My kids both brought in teddy bears that they had received as gifts and we had around the house in like-new condition. They both had tons of stuffed animals of other sorts, but just never liked the bears, so if it weren't for those gifts, both my kids would have had to bring in a dog or horse or monkey.

 

[rszdtrvl]

To me, a teddy bear is a stuffed bear. Not a giraffe, moose, cat, etc. A bear.

That being said, kids have different stuffies. I slept with a teddy bear until I met my husband at age 19.

DS sleeps with a pillow pet. He has a hard time sleeping without it - even though he is almost 16.