TRAVELING STUFFED BEAR VISITS DAY CARE

Loren Coker doesn't know where or even what Saipan is, nor does she really care. She isn't interested in the street layout of Washington, D.C., and she doesn't care about what the weather was last Christmas in Great Falls, Mont.

What did peak Loren's interest when she awoke from her nap at Kid's World Kare Center Monday afternoon was the knowledge that it was her turn to take Cinnabear home for a stay over.

"She's coming with me," the 2-year old possessively said after giving the stuffed bear a big hug. "It's my turn to take care of her."

Cinnabear is a world-travelling stuffed bear who has been visiting Coker's child-care provider since Thursday. Her journey began after Christmas when she left her home in Great Falls. Since then Cinnabear has visited family and other child-care centers in Iowa, Wisconsin, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Saipan and Missouri.

Cinnabear travels with the usual gear for a world traveler, including a journal, scrapbook of photos and postcards, and a collection of maps to explain where she has been and plans to go. She arrives at each child-care center via mail or delivery and stays for up to 10 days. Kid's World is the last stop of the season for Cinnabear until next fall, when she begins another tour.

Thomas LaMunion, center director, said Cinnabear has been a priority of Loren's since the bear arrived last week. Loren -- like most of the children attending the center -- is attracted to the bear's ability to give and request hugs, he said.

"The big thing is that she can talk," he said. "The after-school kids thought it was exciting that she'd been overseas, and the Kid's World staff was really excited about the fact that we got her, but for the regular kids they just like it that she can say things."

LaMunion said Cinnabear made a stop in Cape Girardeau after he signed up through an e-mail service set up for child-care providers. The bear's visit gives providers a chance to talk about geography and share information about other places in the world, he said.

He said he hasn't found many Cape Girardeau souvenirs to add to Cinnabear's souvenir bag so far, although he has given her a key chain and postcard from Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston. There will also be pictures to remind her of her visit with the Kid's World children, he said.

"It's pretty neat that we got her here, so we're just going to add what we can to her bag so she can tell a little about her trip to Missouri when she gets back," he said.