Celebrate Eeyore's Birthday

Winnie the Pooh's friend Eeyore celebrates his birthday this weekend (April 27), and let's not forget the occasion!* You see, Eeyore felt sad when he thought his friends forgot his birthday, but even the imperfect gifts of a popped balloon and an empty honey jar (brought by Pooh Bear and Piglet) cheered him up immensely. Ah, the value of friendship! Indeed, little ones can learn a lot from the classic story of Eeyore and his friends... and older folks like to get in on the fun, too.

So how to celebrate? It all depends... If you live in Austin, Texas, you can celebrate Eeyore's birthday at the annual Eeyore Festival. The event includes a number of planned activities for family and children. The reality is that though the event is policed more than it used to be, there are some 'unplanned activities' (like drug use) that obviously aren't child-friendly. There is a designated children's area, though, open 11:00 to 4:00, so Eeyore's birthday can be enjoyed safely by its original audience: children.

In recent years, my city, Seattle, has held its own smaller and more toned down Eeyore celebration. It will be interesting to see if the celebration spreads. But if your community isn't celebrating -- or if you don't feel comfortable bringing your little ones to planned festivities -- you can still commemorate Eeyore at home with your kids. Eeyore's birthday story is a great way to explore issues of friendship and loneliness as well as personal differences. (Of course it's also a classic story available in two main versions (the A.A. Milne original and the Disney version -- that in itself makes it a learning opportunity.)

On this page, you will find a variety of resources about Eeyore's birthday... and Eeyore's friends.

• Friendship
• Depression Why is Eeyore sad? Why do people get sad?
• Not giving up on people Eeyore seems very pessimistic, yet it just makes his day when he's given... a busted balloon and an empty honey pot. What lessons does this teach? (Eeyore is pessimistic, but is he unappreciative?)
• Self-esteem and abilities/ disabilities Why does owl want to pretend he's better at spelling than he really is?
• Good intentions Was it Piglet's fault that he busted the balloon? Why or why not? What about Winnie the Pooh? Is he also blameless?

Children can role play Eeyore's feelings. From around the web, here are some more ideas for using Eeyore in the classroom (or homeschool program). You can teach conflict resolution, character development, and critical thinking... plus try out a little origami.

This is the version I remember from my childhood. Like many children, I would listen to or read the same story over and over. While I remember this one fondly, the A.A. Milne original has its own charms.

Eeyore's Birthday has been a tradition in Austin since the early 1960's. It is now held as a benefit for local charities and includes a drum circle as a signature event.

Seattle celebrates --? Well, uh, Austin was doing it... This is a smaller scale tribute to Eeyore, held in Seattle's Cal Anderson Park. It's also an idea for other local bands: an Eeyore's birthday concert.

Bray if you like donkeys.