Hey There, Sleepy Bear! Lesson Plan

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What We Are Learning

 

Science Focus:

hibernation

 

Theme Vocabulary:

hibernate, den, refreshing

 

Skills We’re Practicing:

group discussion, critical thinking, vocabulary, singing, fine-motor skills, shape identifi cation

  • Practice prediction skills with Old Bear by Kevin Henkes. In the book, Old Bear falls asleep for the winter and dreams about the seasons. When you get to the part where Old Bear wakes up, tell children that he has just awoken from hibernating. Ask children to predict what he will see when he peeks out of his den. Were their predictions correct?

Don’t Wake the Bear!

Materials: none

  • Play the game Duck, Duck, Goose—but with a hibernation twist!
  • Have children sit in a circle. Choose one child to be the “nature explorer.” The rest of the children will be bears.
  • The bears will curl up and pretend to sleep. The explorer will walk around the circle, tapping each bear on the head and either saying “hibernating” or “awake.” When the explorer taps a bear and says “awake,” that bear jumps up and growls! The bear chases the nature explorer back to their spot. The student who was pretending to be the bear now gets to be the nature explorer. gross-motor skills/ listening skills

Materials: paper plates, brown paint, plastic forks, brown construction paper, scissors, glue, craft sticks

  • Children can engage in dramatic play with this adorable bear mask.
  • In advance, fold paper plates in half and trace the arcs in the middle. Cut semicircles from the brown construction paper to make bear ears; there should be enough for two per child.
  • Give each child a folded paper plate. Help children cut along the arc and unfold the plate to reveal a circle. Have children “fork paint” the circle brown by dipping their fork in paint and making marks on the plate. (This will create texture and look like fur!) When the paint dries, have children glue on the bear ears. Finally, have children glue a craft stick to the bottom of the paper plate so they can hold up their masks.
  • Encourage children to use their masks and act out what bears do to prepare for hibernation! dramatic play/fine-motor skills