National Teddy Bear Day is September 9 and a great way to celebrate is to host a Teddy Bear hike! Check out some of these tips from our members on how to host a successful hike.
Molly Colglazier, branch ambassador for the Fort Wayne branch, has hosted two past Teddy Bear hikes. "Before the hike, I mark a path with bright ribbons to lead us to the 'bear den.' We read Going on a Bear Hunt, and during that time I have a helper (either a parent or an older kid volunteer) hide the bears in the woods at the end of the path I previously marked. All the bears are in the same spot. After our story, we hike to find our bears. The kids like to keep a lookout for the ribbons. After all the kids find their bears, we hike with our bears for a little bit."
Nicholl Summers, of the Portland area, suggests knowing your maximum capacity of attendees in advance. "It was such a fun event that everyone wanted to attend and it grew and grew and grew. The first one [at the Newton, Kansas branch] I had about 30 families show up in a very small, brand new branch of fewer than 200 people. So the second time I hosted one in a much bigger branch (Charleston/Lowcountry) of almost 3,000 people at the time. I reached out to some parks and one state park/historical site, in particular, was very accommodating and helpful. They gave us maximum parking capacity, gave us a free permit for a large gathering, and helped direct traffic on the day of the event. We had approximately 250 people [RSVP] and show up. The families that attended had a lot of fun, the historical site was excited about the publicity and revenue from parking fees, and it was a win-win for everyone. If I hadn't gone into it with the expectation of so many people being interested, it likely wouldn't have gone so smoothly. I was glad we were able to work with the park so we were able to accommodate everyone and not have to turn anyone away."Another way for a fun-filled Teddy Bear hike is to incorporate a story. "I did [a Teddy Bear hike] with the Dayton, Ohio group and we had a parent read Going on a Bear Hunt after we had a picnic with our bears. We then went on a hike and the kids all brought their bears with them on it," said Jen Taylor, currently of the Conway-Myrtle Beach, SC of the branch.
Member Laura Haugen, of the Capital Region, has also hosted a Teddy Bear hike. Despite dealing with some cold weather, Haugen's hike was still fun for those who attended. "We read a story while a co-host hid the teddy bears in a maze that is at a local park. It was fun for [the kids] to find them hidden in the maze!"
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