Hi! Nice to see you here. (Instructions on how to play are here and in the FREE printable PDF.)
I made up Polar Bear Over There in November 2017 as a game to play with my children during the Christmas holiday season. I was looking for a fun alternative to Elf on the Shelf that was less focused on the commercial aspects of the holiday season. I couldn’t find one that was right for us — so I invented it instead! Each night, I hid our Polar Bear ornament along with a handwritten note on how the kids could help save its habitat. Each morning, the kids enthusiastically found it, and we would read and act on the Polar Bear’s note together.
The next year, the kids began asking about the Polar Bear again right after Halloween, so I began preparing the Polar Bear notes ahead of time. As I did, I decided I should share Polar Bear Over There with a wider audience — including you!
Every year, I add something new to Polar Bear Over There. This year, I have added a FREE printable PDF containing pre-formatted Polar Bear Notes and printable Polar Bears. You can also purchase this PDF on Etsy if you’d like, and a portion of the profits will be donated to a nonprofit working to combat climate change! Everything you need to play is free on this website and in the printable PDF, which is in an easy-to-use and print format.
Here are some photos of our 2018 Polar Bear playtime. I’m hoping to share some great photos of our Polar Bear over the years and throughout this holiday season with the #PolarBearOverThere hashtag on Instagram and Twitter!
About me: My name is Sheridan MacAuley. I’m a lifelong environmentalist with a masters degree in environmental sciences and a background in environmental biotech. I’m also a mom, writer, maker of many things, and exclamation point enthusiast. This project combines so many of my interests!
I hope you enjoy this site! If you have any comments, questions, or ideas, please send me a kind note at smacauley at gmail dot com. Thank you!