Teddy Bear Scavenger Hunts Are a Beary Good Way to Pass the Time While Social Distancing

Nobody is quite sure who started the first teddy bear hunt, but this social distancing scavenger hunt seems to have been inspired by the award-winning children's book, Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen. In the book, a family sets out on an adventure to catch a bear.

They face many obstacles along the way and in the end are chased straight back home by the menacing bear. Teddy bear hunts, on the other hand, are safer and have a much happier ending.

If you've noticed an unusual amount of teddy bears around town, your neighbourhood may already be participating in a teddy bear hunt! The easiest way to find out is to search on Facebook or NextDoor (or a similar app that your neighbourhood may use) for "Teddy Bear Hunt" or "Going on a Bear Hunt" and the name of your city.

If you find there is already one in progress, it's time to put those bears (or other stuffed animals) out in your home's front-facing windows and then head out for a drive or walk around town to look for others.

If you find that your city is not yet participating in a bear hunt, you can get the bear party started yourself. Start by setting bears out in your own home and try getting a few friends or family members to do the same.

If your town uses NextDoor or has a Facebook group, share a post stating what a teddy bear hunt is and encourage others to place bears in their windows so local kids can search for them. If not, you can share via your personal social media and ask friends to spread the word.

Don't forget to snap a few photos so everyone can see what you found.

If you are unable to walk or drive around your neighbourhood, there are still opportunities to participate in a virtual teddy bear hunt. If you search #goingonabearhunt or #teddybearhunt on Instagram or join one of the Facebook groups that are sharing teddy bear hunt photos from around the world, your kids can see hundreds of photos of stuffed animals. To make it more fun, challenge them to see how many different animals they can find or to track down bear photos from every continent.