Ben and Barbara Bear Visit Kidderminster Nursery

Children from the age of 2 years and up at Little Trinity Nursery in Kidderminster played host to American bear siblings, Ben and Barbara, during a visit to the nursery to tell the children all about their lives, adventures and world experiences. Nursery Manager, Gaynor Carter, speaking about Ben and Barbara’s amazing adventures explained: “Many years ago I lived in America and I was given Ben the Bear by the family I stayed with as a leaving present. I introduced my friend Ben to the children in the nursery some years ago and he now comes to visit the children every few years. “As part of the children’s early learning goals, our well-travelled furry friend Ben brought souvenirs and post cards back from all the wonderful places he had visited to show the children and with Ben’s visits becoming so popular, we now ‘invite’ his sister Barbara to join him!” Dressed to impress, Ben and Barbara each have their own passport which show all the stamps of the places they’ve been, helping the children with their understanding of languages and literacy, as well as helping with discussions about the many people of the world. They also have a suitcase of clothes to sustain them during their stay, with the children each taking turns to take the Bears home to meet their parents and record and take pictures in a diary of some of the many things they do together before returning to nursery to share their friendship adventures with the rest of the class. Miss Carter added; “Ben and Barbara make a real impact on the day’s curriculum activities which tend to take on a slightly ‘bear focus’ because as you can imagine, such well- travelled bears like to be the centre of attention. “Taking part in imaginative and thought provoking activities helps to encourage their personal and social development as well as their understanding of the world, as we talk about different cultures and the similarities and differences between us. Over the next few weeks we will continue with our global focus of 'The World Around Us' with a range of activities on offer for all the children to enjoy.”