Image: Bryan Ledgard
Barnaby Bear® is an excellent ambassador for understanding the world for young people and is now well over twenty years old.
Thanks to Paula Richardson, a trustee of the GA, and someone who has been involved with GA Publishing for many years, for sending through some information on the origins of Barnaby, who was licensed to the BBC for a number of animated series and books, and is still around, having adventures.
She told me
I devised BB as a scheme of work back in 1995 when we had to rush out schemes of work for all the nC subjects. This was the most frequently downloaded SOW for quite a long period. I then had the copyright given to me from DfE and the BBC which I passed onto the GA.
Some further background on the origins of Barnaby Bear.
The Barnaby Bear project arising from the QCA Scheme of Work
(‘Where in the World is Barnaby Bear’?) has done much to promote new ways of
bringing geography alive for younger children. It is a useful tool in involving
children in working with geographical concepts which otherwise might be too
difficult for them. Using an animal is a way into arousing interest and
curiosity in young children and provides a bridge from their own small world to
a larger world outside.
From 1998 – 2002 the BBC filmed 12 programmes for the
‘Watch’ series – 8 were geographically based and 4 were more generally based
for showing on ‘Cbeebies’. All these programmes have enjoyed a run /re-run on
television which has far out stripped the normal ‘five year ’limit for programmes
of this type.
The geography programmes were then sold to CBeebies and ran for
several years on this channel.
I have a 'hand puppet style' bear. BB also appeared at Michael Bradford's Conference after dinner speech.
Barnaby Bear is due to get a relaunch, so keep an eye out for the cuddly globetrotter...
Several GA Presidents and other staff have also been seen wearing the costume at the GA Conference over the years. Can you guess who this is inside the costume?
Clue - he's the next GA President up on the blog.
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