Bobbin Around The World
Get Ready to explore the world and celebrate diversity like never before with a whole host of delightful new friends from the Kingdom of Hullabaloo.
Mr Hullabaloo used his senses to create his colourful story book friend, Jingles from his immediate environment within The Kingdom of Hullabaloo, his encounters with magical characters like Sir Dream-a-Lot the Wizard, Troubleena the little rascal, Dotty the Cook and Sprinkles the Mouse all culminating in his final creation.
From that creation, Mr Hullabaloo now takes a step further to discover the world outside the kingdom through Jingles' teddy bear, Bobbin, a cute, excitable little friend ready to learn about the big wide world.
With the help of Sir Dream-a-Lot and his magical Rainbow Rocket, Mr Hullabaloo joins Bobbin as he and Jingles go on a journey beyond the confines of their home environment to venture into new lands meeting Bobbin's Cousins along the way.
At each stop across this planet we all call home, they meet a new cousin who acts as an Ambassdor for the country in which they live and the Continent on which they inhabit. Bobbin's travels introduce us to the peoples of these lands giving us opportunity to explore varying cultures, traditions, languages, special holidays, foods, landscapes, weather, musical styles and physical appearance of peoples around the world.
Through Bobbin's travels, Early Years children are presented with the initial gateway in promoting awareness of varying cultural identities through encounters with relatable characters like Bobbin's Cousins who allow us to explore these diversities. Such Mindfulness awakens children's understanding and appreciation of difference and similarity between nations and their people.
Diversity and inclusivity through basic mindful awareness provides the fundamental basis for future development of tolerance and acceptance addressing racism and exclusion at its core.
Meeting Bobbin's cousins across the globe, engages children in experiencing diverse cultures through initial character recognition and association with the people they represent.
When Bobbin learns that his cousins can in turn visit him in his home environment, this opens up the opportunity for Bobbin to share his cultural background becoming aware that people the world over can travel between nations making a new land their home. Children can discover that in their own classroom they have friends from various cultural backgrounds from whom they can learn, develop and understand difference and assimilation. This addresses stereotyping and future racism and bullying.
Bobbin's Cousins introduce us to a broad range of human characters in real world scenarios from the perspective of early years children living in a country within each of the eight continents.
With our brand new book and Bobbin Around the World Teacher’s Resource Pack come Travel the world with Bobbin the Bear and become aware of diversity the Mindful Way!
Bobbin Around The World provides opportunities to make the classroom environment a culturally rich and inclusive setting with educational support materials representing multiculturalism, ethnicity, race and genders.
The materials will assist in delivering important messages around mindfulness, diversity and sustainability through the following mediums :
Culturally rich stories:
Each of Bobbin's cousin's has a story and fun facts to share about the people who live in the country they call home. The stories introduce children to the diverse and unique aspects of the people, the landscapes, the weather, the foods, the clothing, the language, the traditions, the celebrations, the lifestyles of the land being explored.
Room displays:
Bobbin's cousins can become the centre piece for display of each country that he visits with Jingles and Mr Hullabaloo. Support materials and children's Art work can make a powerful visual presentation enhancing diverse cultural awareness.
Poems:
Poems and songs from around the world are identified in the materials to represent the styles native to the places we get to visit.
Language:
Each of Bobbin's cousins will teach us how to say simple words of welcome and thanks.
'Good Day,' says Koey; 'Hola,' says Nico; 'Ni Hao,' says Ping; 'Namaste,' says Bindi; 'How'dy,' says Wendell; 'Bonjour,' says Pierre, 'Hallo,' says Ola and 'Jambo,' says Bobbin's African friends.
This can form the basis for exploring other languages that appear in the classroom setting, where children from other countries can hear their language of 'home' spoken inclusively within their new environment. Understanding, appreciation and learning something new prevails.
Music:
The language we all understand! Feeling the rhythms and the emotions through sounds of native instruments allows children to tap into the universal language of music.
Bobbin's cousins each have unique songs created in the style of the music native to their home country. Hear the country toe tapping rhythm of the banjo play with Cousin Wendell, the soothing echo of the garden chimes with Cousin Ping, the heart pulsing beat of the sitar with Cousin Bindi, the smile inducing pulse of the accordion with Cousin Pierre, the enthusiastic Latin beat of the maracas and the gentle relaxing sound of the panpipes with Cousin Nico, the call of the sea in the didgeredoo with Cousin Koey; the ringing of the distant sleigh bells with Cousin Ola and enjoy the ground trembling rhythm of the drums on Safari with Bobbin in Africa.
Food:
Join Dotty the Cook at Storybook Castle as she and Mischief the Mouse take us on a culinary journey recreating the foods from the places Bobbin and Jingles have visited. With Bobbin's cousins, children get the chance to learn, taste and discuss the foods they have been introduced to on their travels around the world. Involving children in these experiences helps to develop a dialogue which opens up the awareness of other cultures and their culinary richness.
Arts and crafts:
These are the fun ways to learn about diverse cultural identities and backgrounds. Join Cousin Bindi in creating a Diwali rangoli to celebrate her tradition of honouring the dawn of the new Spring season; make lotus blossom flowers with Cousin Ping to ready the school garden for the arrival of those five speckled frogs; create dream catchers to sway in the breeze with Cousin Wendell and listen to the soothing chimes as we relax outdoors; paint finger-dot patterns with Cousin Koey to display our native Australian art form; sponge paint the sunflower fields of France with Cousin Pierre to brightly decorate our French restaurant play area; make colourful zig-zag patterns with Cousin Nico to show his native poncho dress style; design and cut hanging paper snowflakes with Cousin Ola to decorate the Winter time display.
Welcome visitors to the classroom:
Exploring ethnicities within the classroom, opening minds, broadening awareness by inviting visitors from various cultural backgrounds to allow children the opportunity to see first hand the diverse cultures existing in our own communities. Bobbin's cousin's are the ideal initiation for promoting such a visit.
Important Mindful Concepts:
Travelling around the world with Bobbin also gives children an awareness of movement between countries beyond our own environment. Although Bobbin travels via The Rainbow Rocket with the aid of the magical wizard Sir Dream-a-Lot, when his cousins travel to visit him, they travel via plane, boat, train to bridge the gap between countries and continents that land and sea separates. Learning that Bobbin's cousins have their own unique modes of transport to navigate the terrain of their home countries develops an appreciation of how different cultures adapt to their surroundings, for example, Cousin Ola travels over ice and snow by sleigh in the Northern Polar regions; to visit Bobbin she travels over sea by boat and plane. Cousin Pierre cycles in his home country of France and enjoys a trip on the Eurostar train when he visits Bobbin. Cousin Koey has grown up learning how to surf in his native Australia and must take a long plane journey to meet his cousin Bobbin.
The Friendship Tree enhances the concept of appreciation for all who share the planet we collectively call home. Bobbin is given a unique gift from each of his cousins to represent their individual backgrounds and traditions. Collectively these gifts display a positive appreciation for uniqueness, difference and similarity planting the seeds for continued growth in cultural awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusivity through mindfulness for future growth, acceptance and respect.
Bobbin Around the World builds upon the characters encountered in the first book 'Mr Hullabaloo and Jingles.'
Bobbin is a new little bear who gets to discover the world beyond his own environment at Storybook Castle in the Kingdom of Hullabaloo. To help him learn about the big wide world beyond the Kingdom, he is joined on his travels by The Hullabaloo Crew, each with their own important role to play in Bobbin's discoveries.
Sir Dream-a-Lot is the Rainbow Rocket Controller showing Bobbin 'A New Place to See' at each stop he makes and expanding his understanding with 'A New Way to Say.'
Mr Hullabaloo is Bobbin's Tour Guide, expanding Bobbin's appreciation for the people he meets and their cultural traditions with 'A New Date to Celebrate.'
Jingles the Jester is Bobbin's fun friend who helps him to enjoy new music and song from around the world with 'A New Song to Sing' and having fun together with 'A New Game to Play.'
Dotty the Cook (and Sprinkles the Mouse, her helper) remain at Storybook Castle awaiting Bobbin's return to make some tasty recipes from around the world; 'A New Treat to Eat.'
Bobbin loves learning about new animals wherever he goes and expands his knowledge with, 'A New Kind to Find.'