Where Best Friends Are Made!
This month we took along four fierce little critics to experience and review the well known Build a Bear workshop.
Staff: The staff at Build a bear were very cheerful and just as enthusiastic as the children, they patiently guided them through each process with lots of enthusiasm.
Choose me: With a wide variety of bears from brown to multicoloured, they are each individually priced so it is very easy to pick a suitable one if you would like to keep within a budget.
Hear me: You are able to record your own sound which we thought was a lovely touch. There are a variety of sounds to choose from, which you can place inside your chosen bear, a barking dog, a cat or perhaps an actual pulsing heartbeat. Matthew opted for something a bit different and put a barking dog inside his bear!
Stuff me: Every child has the opportunity to pick a heart and place it inside their bears. The children took this step very seriously as they gave their bears the gift of life!
The children took it in turns to stuff their bears under supervision by pressing a pedal and activating a machine which pumped stuffing into their bears.
Stitch me: Each of the bears have loose stitches at the back which are carefully sewn up by a member of staff. The children smiled in turn as they held their bears and cuddled them with love.
Fluff me: A step which the children loved. Very cleverly they have invented a Bear bath where the children can brush and pretend to wash their bears with hot air! If only it were that simple in real life when it comes to bathing them!
Dress Me: You won’t be failed to be impressed by the wide variety of clothing and accessories.From dresses to shoes the children had a great time mixing and matching different outfits. For the more outrageous child you can even purchase rollerskates or a skateboard for your bear!
Name me: ‘Made him’ Sienna called as she registered her bear on the computer. This process simply involves naming your bear and very cleverly listing your address so if your bear ever gets lost and is handed in, Build a Bear will be able to post him back to you. The keyboard is simple and it was really nice to sit with each child and calmly discuss each step.
Take Me Home: As the birth certificate was rolled up and placed inside Bears new box each new found friend was placed inside the box ready to be taken home. The boxes can be coloured in and are made out of sturdy cardboard.
Each of these steps allowed the children to personalise their bears and make them feel like their own. They may have started off as empty cases but the end result was obvious to see, we had four very cuddly and fashion conscious bears all packaged up and ready to take home.
The experience is ongoing, the children were invited to bring their bears back to visit and give them a bath.
Overall we found Build A Bear to be a lovely experience to share with your child. Whether it is a first personalised bear you are looking for or a fun filled day out this is certainly the place to visit for laughter and lots of fun.
http://www.buildabear.co.uk/
