scottiedog Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Hi all, We are wanting to get a 'Take Home Ted' and begin to use him at pre-school. As anyone got any ideas to help us along the way. What was the easiest way to let the parents know what it was about, any pitfalls or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Scottiedog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie A. Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 We have one toy for morning nursery and one for afternoon. Each toy has his own little rucksack to live in (charity shop) and an A5 size diary (blank notebook - a photo of the toy is on the front). Inside the diary I print off a page written by the toy introducing himself, saying what he enjoys doing when he visits everyone's homes (eg having stories read to him, songs sung to him, meeting other teddies, joining everyone for mealtimes, going on outings, etc). We used to put other things also in the rucksack, eg dolls' PJ's for bedtime, a story book, a nursery rhyme CD, but stopped doing this when the back frequently came back minus the items. Each child has a turn at taking the rucksack home for the night (or weekend if Friday). Sometimes a child is chosen if they have done something really fantastic during the session / been particularly helpful / have said they are doing something special that evening / has a birthday, etc. We do keep a list, to make sure that everyone has a turn. Parents are encouraged to write a short paragraph (as if the toy has written it) and the child to draw a picture. Some parents take digital photos and add those too. Some parents even write imaginary stories, eg "on the way home we bumped into Ben 10 ....." The following day, we read what has been written in the diary to the whole class and the child feels really special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 This is something we have been thinking about as well - thanks for the ideas Jackie A. We will probably add the details to a newsletter to inform parents that we are starting to use this. We have made a lot of changes/added new ideas since September so I hope the parents/children do not feel too overwhelmed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjayne Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 We have a panda - as that is our nursery logo also , and same ideas as the others , she has a bag, toothbrush, nightwear and a book in which her 'adventures 'are recorded. We also include a disposible camera for the children and parents to use, and when it's all full we go and get it printed and the photos go into the dairy too. She has even been to Euro Disney and Spain !We have been doing this for about 4 years now and the children love it , and it gives us another talking point with the parents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trasong Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Hi, we have been doing this for a while too. As in other posts we also keep a list to ensure everyone has a turn trying to give it for something positive that has happened that day. Thomas bear goes home for one night only Monday to Thursday. We have found that if they have it over the weekend or during school holidays they can loose some of the items or forget to bring it back straight away. In Thomas' bag he has a bar of soap, a flannel, a toothbrush, toothpaste (empty tube that has been washed out) a blanket, a book of the child's choice and a laminated welcome letter and a list of items that are supposed to be in the bag. We also have a diary that we encourage the parents to write in about Thomas' visit and the chidren can add a picture if they wish. At story time each day we read their story and choose the next child. This also allows us to check that all the items have been returned. Another issue we have had is that sometimes the bear has come back wet (urine) so we tell the children that Thomas doesn't like to sleep in the same bed and that's why he has his own blanket to sleep on the floor. Some children have actually made him his own bed out of a shoe box. We have recently just invested in some pull along trolleys to put the bear and his belongings in. The children love it! As a one off we have also changed the bear to a chinese doll named Ning for chinese new year. He has chopsticks and a non-fiction book about china in as well as the usual items. The parents really love this too and really get involved one family had a full chinese new year party another made and ate a stir-fry using the chopsticks. Sorry about the long post but hope it is of some help to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenlatoy Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 We have a Humphrey soft toy (from Humphrey's Corner). When we started using him, we sent him home with a scrapbook so the children could record what they did with him to show and discuss in circle time. It worked fine to start with but the parents became really competitive and were filling 3 to 4 pages with glossy photographs and huge essays! It became a chore for us to share in circle time and a chore for parents because they felt they had to compete with previous entries. We have given Humphrey a few weeks rest and have now re-launched him with a ring binder with blank sheets which encourage parents to write just a few words and a space for the child to either draw a picture or stick a photograph. It works much better! Humphrey.docx Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 We have Toffee Teddy The Exploring Bear. He takes his diary with him wherever he goes and likes to visits lots of new places. The children get to take him home for a couple of nights eg Mon to Wed, Wed to Fri and Fri to Mon. He also goes home during the holidays so he gets to go on longer trips. Staff have also taken him especially if they are going somewhere unusual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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