The Bears is a free two-week bilateral programme, which puts pupils not only in touch with Alex, the teddy bear from Germany, but also with a German school class. The German class hosts Ben, the British teddy bear, at the same time as the UK school hosts Alex, making this a fun, interactive way for primary children to learn about each other’s language and culture! The bears come with a wide range of downloadable resources with ideas for short-term bilateral activities, which tie in with primary curriculum topics wherever possible.

British and German schools link up on this programme to share information about the bears' 'activities' and to learn a bit about the other school with a view to setting up longer-term contact. We strongly encourage schools to continue their link after the bears' visit and will be happy to support you in this.

• There are two real, furry teddy bears, Alex from Germany and Ben from the UK.
• Alex travels to schools in the UK, Ben to their respective project partner schools in Germany.
• Each bear is accompanied by a wide range of colourful, downloadable resources, including flashcards, worksheets and detailed lesson ideas. These are linked, where possible, with curriculum topics.
• Each participating teacher receives access to a special online Bears area, with songs, interactive games and quizzes. In addition, pupils together with teachers can record Alex's adventures in the Bears blog.
• The bears normally stay for a period of two weeks.

If you don't have a partner school for the project, don't worry! We can help you find one.

Please note: The Bears project is open to schools in the UK and Germany only.

Further information

If you are interested in hosting the Bears, or would simply like to find out more, please contact us by using the Bears project sign-up form.