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Building a bear with heart |
 Editor's note Note on new workshops series Workshops come in many formats. They can be as serious as a senior surgeon's scalpel slicing through a cadaver in a medical school, or as relaxing as bubbling through a scuba diving course. The method can be formal - a constitutional rights lecture to non-lawyers or a fun workshop on finger painting. Some workshops are free, but for others you pay in advance, as you go, or at the end. The length of a workshop can be as short as a couple of hours or as long as several weeks. Starting today, Learning Post launches its workshop series, which will explore short courses or projects that teach skills related to language, arts, sports, cooking, computing, vocations, and even hobbies. Today we look at a "feel good" workshop and expand it into a lesson activity. How do you make a bear? Most of us would think you just take a rag doll and stuff some cotton or old cloth inside, paint a face on and summon a lot of imagination. Only the people at the just-opened Build-a-Bear Workshop, located on the sixth floor of Central Chidlom, could create a multi-step fantasy journey that sews you so tightly to the end product that you have to take an oath to care for your new love object for the rest of your life. It comes, of course, complete with ``official'' documents and recovery technology in case it's ever lost or stolen from its owner. Today, Learning Post will discuss this unusual workshop, what your children can learn or practice during the workshop, and finally how teachers can use the basics of the workshop in the classroom as a language-building activity. But to get the most out of either the workshop or the lesson activity you must first abandon all your adult or mature traits and let your inner child and your imagination take control _ i.e., be a kid again. Let's begin! Stuff and fluff After you bring your friend, child or your kid's birthday party (I just brought myself in the form of an overgrown youngster) to the Build-a-Bear Workshop, you will be greeted by a friendly bear helper. I was lucky and got three: Sawitra Wongkovit (``Lilly''), Montarata Yingvilasprasert (``Goy'') and Nualsiri Masanthiah. They guided me in selecting a generic, nondescript, run-of-the-mill not-yet-stuffed bear. There is an assortment of other animals to choose from as well. Next, select a voice for your animal. The voice can be a standard bow-wow, moo, or meow sound; or you can record a private audio message in the so-called sound room. I opted for the private message. I put it in the bear's right paw, so I wouldn't forget where to press to replay the recording. Your love object-to-be can't love you back unless it has a heart, right? Choose a satin heart in solid red or a red-and-white checker pattern. I chose the solid red. This being a miniature fantasyland, you can't just plop the heart inside the doll, you must warm it up by rubbing it briskly between your hands. Now put it in? No, where's your imagination? A child could do better. You have to make a secret wish first. Hint: close your eyes and don't tell. After the wish, gently place the warm heart into the deflated chest of the bear. After carefully tucking the heart inside, I gave my limp doll to Ramida Jaudum, a ``bear builder'', who stuffed it for me. You can stuff it yourself if you prefer, but the bear builders are really good. I asked for extra stuffing, because I like fat, pre-hibernation-size bears. Before stitching up your coarse-haired critter, you have to insert part A of a two-part bar-coded ID tag into the bear. We'll return to part B of the ID tag later. Next, the little Ursus arctos gets not one but two baths. Relax, they're only pretend baths: the fluff brush and sink are 100 percent real; the soap and water, 100 percent imaginary. Now your friend is beginning to look like a teddy bear doll. But doll is much to passe and would evidence a lack of marketing savvy. What follows is what separates the big bears from the little bears. Bring a smile to a child Next, choose the doll's wardrobe: socks, shoes, dress, pants, shirt, shades, hat, bandanas, backpacks, you name it. There are so many choices, styles and colours that my personal wardrobe seemed deficient by comparison. After you get your bear all dressed up, it's time for its first picture and a naming ceremony. Be sure to choose a name that looks good on a birth certificate _ that's right, a birth certificate. Now that you've chosen a ritzy name, sit at the specially programmed ``kiddy'' computers that sport brightly coloured, over-sized keys. Swipe part B of the ID tag into the computer's barcode reader. Next, type in essential data such as the doll's name, parents' names, address, phone number, etc. Parts A and B of the ID tag permanently bind you and your doll for life. Even if it's stolen or lost and recovered, the finder or police could have the doll scanned at a Build-a-Bear store and it will be returned to you. Barry Erdos, president and chief operating officer of Build-a-Bear, says that, ``Of the 35 million stuffed animals sold, 2,500 have been safely returned to their owners using the ID tag system.'' Amazing. If only recovering a lost child were that easy. Oath and `boxominium' You must take an oath affirming that you will love, care and provide for your furry friend forever. Finally, the bear gets to move into its own condominium, called a ``Cub Condo''. It's more like a cardboard box doghouse than a condo. You may want to call it a ``boxominium''. But, hey, where's your imagination? Finally, while you are walking hand in paw on cloud nine, and still feeling lovey-dovey, you are greeted by a warm smile from the cashier. Now, if only you could pay for your fun-filled frolic with imaginary money. LESSON ACTIVITY DESIGNING A BEAR At the workshop Parents and relatives, while at the workshop, should encourage the child to be actively involved with building the bear. Actively discuss each step, process and decision with him or her. The conversation can be in English or Thai, depending on the age and skills of your child and your goals. Keep it light. Remember, this is meant primarily to be a ``feel good'' activity, not a difficult grammar or vocabulary lesson. You can always relive the experience step by step at home, if you want to reemphasise the language skills. In the classroom In the classroom use what you now know about the Build-a-Bear process as a back drop in class to get students to design or build (an imaginary?) bear. Note: Even though the theme is bears, don't limit your students' imagination. A stuffed hippopatomus or a mechanical robot serves the same language-building purpose. First, divide the class into three or more groups and ask each group to discuss _ without the use of pencils or paper _ how they would design a basic bear (or other doll/character). What about a fancy bear? Any extras? What could they do to make the owner (``parent''?) feel closer to the bear. Ten minutes should be sufficient, but allow up to 30 minutes if your students are avid talkers. Next, have each group appoint a secretary to record the group's ideas. Make sure students use short notes; this is not a writing activity. Allow five minutes. After that, each group selects a student to draw a picture of their bear-to-be. Only one student in each group may draw on the notepad. The others must use only words to direct the artist's pen. Allow 7-8 minutes. Next, divide the whiteboard into sections equal to the number of groups, and have each group assign a representative to re-draw the group's bear on the whiteboard. Allow five minutes. Finally, the teacher should choose a student from each group to come to the whiteboard and explain their group's creation. After selecting the presenter, give the presenter 5-7 minutes to rehearse his/her presentation within their respective group. The group gets to help the presenter polish their remarks, and stronger English speakers can aid weaker, perhaps less confident, students. Allow each presenter about three minutes to report. Following the presentations, each group votes on the best bear based on originality, the image on the whiteboard, and oral presentations. Remind each group that they can not vote for their own group, they must vote for another group. After students select a winner, have the students applaud themselves on a job well done. The full exercise takes about 45 minutes. Teacher strategy Notice that the group chose its own secretary, its own notepad designer, and its own whiteboard artist. But the teacher chose the presenter to make the final report. The idea here is that members of the group must work together. Let them choose. The teacher should monitor all groups and make sure that a different student does each job. This prevents a strong student from dominating the group; and it forces students to share equally responsibility, leadership and control. There is no reason why each group can't choose it's own reporter. But consider reserving that power because after monitoring each group throughout, you will have a good picture of who's actively participating and who's not. I generally pick the weakest or least involved student in each group to be the reporter. It may seem unfair not to reward the ``best'' student in each group (who may have come up with the most and best ideas) but, again, this forces the group to jump behind the ``weakest'' student and to help him/her prepare for the final presentation. It also forces the weaker student to get involved. She or he now has the support of the group, and that's exactly what teamwork is about. Review The students should feel great at the end of the build-a-bear activity. Let them take that good feeling home and savour their success. During the next class, however, revisit the build-a-bear theme as a 5-7 minute review. Most groups would not have come up with the ideas of giving the bear a heart, a voice, interchangeable outfits, ID tags, a birth certificate, affinity oath, and its own ``boxominium''. Either directly share these broader ideas with the students or elicit these and other ideas from the students. Show them what more there is. Last week, I tried it with my upper intermediate and beginners classes, and both classes had an equally riotous time. Build-a-Bear Workshop is located on the sixth floor of Central Chidlom. An average stuffed animal will cost from 500-1,000 baht. For more information, contact Build-a-Bear Workshop at 02-793-7777 ext. 3618 or log onto www.buildabear.co.th . English skills at work Some skills used in the workshop depend on whether the child is working alone, with a parent or within a group. Although many of the skills overlap, not all skills listed will be used in both the workshop and the classroom activity. In the workshop
Setting a plan. In the classroom
Communicative use of the language for a purpose
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