I have been inspired to introduce Beary Bear, my Class Mascot, by being in contact with the explorer Edmund Nesbitt.
Beary Bear becomes the class mascot in November each year. I use this as a time to instruct the class, in a very basic way, on the voting process. I always use 3 stuffed toys. Beary's platform is always the most attractive. All of them promise to look after the children, help them do their best, watch their desks while they are away at lunch, and help they make wise decisions. One of the toys adds this: it will sit on the leader's desk each day. Beary promises to do all the above AND go home with a different child every weekend. Like how I stack the deck?
In this simplified version, the kiddos take home a slip of paper on which, in their own handwriting, they must write their name, address and phone number. (At this time I'm trying to get them to memorize their owm addresses and phone numbers)They bring this back to me and I issue them a voter registration card which they must hang on to until time to vote for their favorite mascot candidate. (responsibility) Each candidate stumps the class for a week. Then an election is held. The voting booths are nothing more than folders standing up on desks. They bring their voter reg. cards to me and I give them a ballot. They vote in secret and place their ballots in a ballot box. (Around here we really do still have ballot boxes, no electronic voting for us.) Then students help tally the votes on the board and count. (math)Beary always wins. :)
On Fridays I "pull a stick' and the child whose name is on the stick can take Beary home for the weekend. Of course this is not without responsibility. They must return Beary on Monday with a written account of their adventures . The written account is read to the class each Monday by the child and is then placed in Beary's Travel Log. Click on the pic and you can see an example of one of the adventures.
They love Beary! Every year I take individual pictures of each one holding Beary then give it to them as a present either at Christmas or at the end of the year.
Keeping track of who gets to sit with Beary is a big deal each morning.
Beary has gone through several transformations. I've tried washing them but some of them just haven't held up very well. This one still looks like new.
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