Neighbourhods around the country, including around the Illawarra, are starting to take on a beary strange appearance, with teddies popping up in the windows of homes and apartments or on letterboxes out the front.

And what better way to get us through our hibernation-like, isolation than our favourite fluffy toys of all shapes and varieties.

The global Bear Hunt social phenomenon has spread as far and wide as we come to terms with our grizzly, coronavirus-quarantined lives and now the Illawarra Bear Hunt is growing rapidly thanks to promotion from the Illawarra Mums North Facebook page.

Woonona mum of two, early childhood teacher and co-ordinator of the Illawarra Bear Hunt Kya Murphy said the hunt "was started in response to seeing communities across the world come together to provide children with a sense of connection to their community during the COVID-19 crisis".

The idea is kids can keep a look out for the bears on their afternoon walk of should they have to go on a drive with parents for any reason.

"Children's well-being, particularly during times of stress and uncertainty, can be strengthened by supporting them to develop a sense of belonging within their family and community," Ms Murphy said.

"The socially distant bear hunt aims to connect children to their community in a safe way and lessen the sense of isolation from their peers through a shared experience while maintaining social distance as advised by health professionals.

"The socially distant bear hunt can provide a catalyst for families to explore other learning opportunities while children are staying home from school but, above all else, it provides children with a sense of fun and excitement during a challenging time. "

That is a sentiment shared by Woonona mother of two Amy Harris.

"it is a good way to bring the community together without them being together," Ms Harris said.

"Our daughter is really missing outside play and this way, it's a way of getting out of the house without coming into contact with people and still socially distancing. It's an exciting adventure."

Bulli mother of two Clare Trollope said seeing the bears spring up in the windows around her suburb reminded her of the Christmas lights phenomenon.

"It's just really nice," Ms Trollope said.

"Seeing people drive past our place and seeing the bear, it's definitely cheering families up."

Do you know of another location taking part in the bear hunt, let us know in the comments below, or head to our Facebook page

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