Bellman Bear was a teddy bear in my classroom when I was a teacher. I often used teddy bears to teach skills and lessons to my children. When I retired, my daughter and I began writing children's books using Bellman to teach children about the world beyond where they live through his eyes. We are writing books about different states in the United States and different countries throughout the world. Bellman actually goes to these places, and we take photographs of him to use as teaching tools about the history of each place. At the beginning of our Global Collaboration, I gave each class a "Bellman Jr" teddy bear and a set of Bellman's books. We were surprised to discover that this common link of a teddy bear and books created an instant bonding vehicle for the two classes of children. The children immediately began talking about Bellman and discussing his books with each other.
Seeing the success that these mutual books created, we decided to share other books together to also create literature discussions. We used two books about
Owen and Mzee by Isabella and Craig Hatcoff. These books are about a giant tortoise and a baby hippo who became unlikely friends in Africa. After reading the books to each class, we discussed how this story was connected to Global Buddies.
My suggestion is to find a stuffed animal of some sort that the children can send each other to create that instant bond. Also, choose good children's literature that both classes can read and discuss together. If we had had more time during our Global Collaboration, I would have had the children write their own adventure stories about Bellman to share with each other. Use your imagination and create learning opportunities with your global partners to promote reading and writing skills through Global Buddies!
