Teddy Bear Circle Books & Support Services

This  is the author’s newest project component, offering members guidance in using two classroom based therapeutic techniques in concert; bibliotherapy and integration of Teddy Bears in classroom life. During these stressful times, many schools are reporting anxiety and depression even among their youngest children, and have been using Teddy Bears in classroom practice to decrease stress and heighten connection. (Koplow, 2002, 2009, 2021) If your school is one of them, consider integrating Teddy Bear Circle Books Support Services into your Schools That Heal work in 2022-23. Two types of support will be available:

1. Members of Teddy Bear Circle Books will :

• Be provided with  a Guide to using Lesley Koplow’s  first 2 Teddy Bear Circle Publications book series, “Stories for Children in the Time of Covid". (Link to books on Amazon) and "Understanding Feelings in Community "as well as to future Teddy Bear Circle Publications. See books included  below.

     This guide will help teachers and parents to:

• Read to children with their Teddy Bears, engaging both audiences in group process

• Follow children’s lead  and reflect emergent themes in meaningful ways

• Invite children to express thoughts and feelings through drawing, story dictation and story acting, writing and symbolic play following story time.

• Help teachers and social workers to connect children’s worries and anxieties to developmental issues that may need more support.

• Address loss issues when they arise.

• Be provided with Teddy Bear Circle Children’s Book  recommendations for read alouds that address developmental and emergent issues in your school community as needed.

•  Receive  templates and sample texts for teacher-made books to help staff address emergent issues that are not readily available in existing literature.

• Have interested teachers, librarians and mental health staff attend a virtual Teddy Bear Circle Seminar to enhance teacher/clinician communication techniques using story.

• Have interested parents attend a virtualTeddy Bear Circle Seminar to enhance parent-child communication through story.

2.  Author in Residence ( 1-2 schools per year)*

Schools committing to Author in Residence will have author of Teddy Bear Circle Publications onsite at your school twice monthly for 8 months during the school year to do the following:

• First monthly visit: Observe in classrooms and talk with teachers about emergent issues, provide consultation.

• In Between Visits, Offsite Work: Author will write a story that addresses an emergent issue in one classroom or grade. Author will begin illustration.

• Second Monthly Visit: Continue illustration process onsite, integrating children's artwork.

• End of Month: Produce book for classroom/school library. Provide invitations for follow up conversation and activities.

• Capped. Check with Lesley before enrolling.

• Includes PD session for teacher and session for parents if requested.