HIBERNATION

                                         

 BOOKS:

Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky

Animals in Winter by H. Bancroft

Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dobcovich

Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming

When Will it be Spring? by Catherine Walters

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

 

 OTHER BOOKS ABOUT BEARS:

Where's my Teddy? by Jez Alborough

Bear Shadow by Frank Asch

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?

by Nancy White Carlstrom

Jamberry by Bruce Degan

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Where Do Bears Sleep? by Barbara Shook Hazen

Bears by Deborah Hodge

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

by Bill Martin Jr.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

by Bill Martin Jr.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

 

 

  

 POEMS AND FINGERPLAYS:

"Hibernation"

Where do the bears go when the leaves turn red?

They crawl into a cave and go to bed.

They hibernate, don't do anything,

And don't come out till the arrival of Spring.

 

"Winter"

Winter is cold.

There is snow in the sky.

The squirrels gather nuts.

The wild geese fly.

The fluffy red fox has his coat to keep warm.

The bear's in her cave

Sleeping all through the storm.

 

"Grandpa Bear's Lullaby"

~Author Unkown

The night is long,

But fur is deep.

You will be warm

In Winter sleep.

The cave is dark,

But dreams are bright.

And, they will serve

As Winter light.

Sleep, my little bears, sleep.

 

"Time for Sleeping"

Now, its time for sleeping.
The bears go in their caves.
It keeps them warm and cozy.
Time for lazy days.
When the snow is gone & the sun comes out to play,
The bears will wake up from their sleep
and then go on to play.

"Bear is Sleeping"              
("Frere Jacques" tune)    

Bear is sleeping. Bear is sleeping.
Let it snow! Let it snow!
Sleeping all the winter, sleeping all the winter
Snug and warm, snug and warm.
Soon it will be springtime,
Soon it will be spring time.
Wake up, bears!
Wake up, bears!

"Bear Fingerplay"

~author unknown

Here is a cave.
(Bend fingers on one hand)
Inside is a bear.
(Put thumb inside fingers.)


Now he comes out
To get some fresh air.
(Pop out thumb.)

He stays out all summer
In sunshine and heat.
He hunts in the forest
For berries to eat.
(Move thumb in a circle.)


When snow starts to fall
He hurries inside
His warm little cave
And there he will hide.
(Put thumb inside fingers.)

Snow covers the cave
Like a fluffy white rug.
Inside the bear sleeps
All cozy and snug.
(Place one hand over the other.)

 

 

 PHONICS:

1. Put programmed letter bears in alphabetical order.

2. Match lowercase letter bears to uppercase letter caves.

 

 

 MATH:

1. Number Identification- Create cave workmats

 with numbers written on them. Children place bear 

 counters or Teddy Grahams on each cave depending on

 the number written on it.

2. Estimation- Guess how many Teddy Grahams are in a

    ziplock bag.

3. Measurement:

    A. Estimate the circumference of a teddy bear's

     belly using yarn. Graph if yarn was too short, too

     long, or just right.

     B. Measure teddy bear using unifex cubes.

                      

4. Graph bear counters or gummy bears according to color.

5. Subtraction- Place 10 Teddy Grahams on a bed

workmat. Sing "There Were Ten in a Bed" and

remove and eat one Teddy Graham for each verse.

 

 

 SCIENCE:

    1. Bear Hibernation Experiment- Ask students why

       do they think bears wake up in Spring. Cut out

       newspaper bear and fold in half and then in half

       again. Place bear in pan of warm water. Bear will

       unfold due to warmth of water. Explain the

       weather gets warmer in Spring, causing the bear

       to wake.

      2. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting

          bears and people.

       3. Match animal flashcards to places they

           hibernate

           flashcards:

           bear- cave

           fish- bottom of frozen pond

           snake- under rock

           racoon- in tree trunk

           woodchuck- hole in ground

 

 

 ART:

1.      Bear in a Tissue Box Cave- Children paint tissue box brown. Glue cottonballs on top of box to represent snow. Cut out bear pattern. Children put bear in box to “hibernate”.

2.    Bear in Paper Plate Cave- Cut paper plate in half. Children color plate brown. Attach bear pattern.

3. Paper Plate Bear Head- Add paper ears, eyes, pop pom nose, and mouth

4. Cinnamon Bears- Mix sugar and cinnamon. Have children cut out bear pattern, place glue on pattern and sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar mixture. Add wiggly eyes.

5. Paper bag bear- Color, cut out, glue bear head and paw patterns on to brown paper bag. Patterns can be found at:

   http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/bear.shtml

 

 

 MUSIC:

1.      “Hibernation” (“Aloutte” tune)

Hibernation. Time to go to sleep.

Hibernation. Time to go to sleep.

 

In the winter, where’s the bear?

Sleeping in its log or lair.

Where’s the bear? Log or lair.

Where’s the bear? Log or lair.

Oh!

 

In the winter, where’s the frog?

Sleeping by a pond or log.

Where’s the frog? Pond or log.

Where’s the frog? Pond or log.

Oh!

 

In the winter, where's the snake?

In the mud beneath the lake.

Where's the snake? Mud beneath the lake.

Where's the snake? Mud beneath the lake.

Oh!

 

In the winter, where's the bat?

In a cave is where it's at.

Where's the bat? In a cave is where it's at.

Oh!

 

 

        2. “Bears Are Sleeping”
            (tune:  “Brother John”)
            Bears are sleeping,
            Bears are sleeping,
            In their lairs.
            In their lairs.
            Soon it will be springtime,
            Soon it will be spring time,
            Wake up, bears!
            Wake up, bears!

 

       3. "Teddy bear, Teddy bear"

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, turn around.

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, touch the ground.

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, tie your shoe.

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, climb the stairs.

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, say your prayers.

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, shut the light.

            Teddy bear, Teddy bear, say good-night.

 

              TEDDY BEAR DAY

            

At the end of the week, I have "Teddy Bear Day". The children dress in pj's and slippers and bring in teddybears. We do many activities involving the bears such as having them sit with us in Circle Time while we read a book about bears, measuring them with unifex cubes, graphing them according to color, and classifying them according to size. We make our own "Bear Books" in which we name a bear and its favorite food and game. I create a cave for the children and their bears using a table and blanket. We eat Teddy Grahams and milk for snack.

                            

                          

 Bear Printables:

   http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/bear.shtml

   

    http://www.first-school.ws/t/bagbear1.htm

 

    http://www.buyteachercreated.com/estore/files/samples/TCR_estore/BTC/3062s.pdf

 

    http://images.google.com/images?

    q=bear+coloring+page&hl=en

 

    http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/art/storytelling/bears/storytellingbears.html