During the winter, in places where it gets very cold, animals have to do one of three things to survive: hibernate, migrate or adapt.
Many birds migrate to warmer climates, bears hibernate or sleep through the winter and other animals like squirrels adapt to the harsh conditions.
Are bears the only animals that hibernate? Are there any bears that do not hibernate?
Here’s a game called “Wake Up Brown Bear” to play with a group of children. In it they get to take turns being a hibernating bear.
One child is a “bear” and he lies with his eyes closed in the middle of a circle made by the other children.
The children say:
Brown bear, brown bear
Sleeping in your den.
Please be very quiet
If you shake him,
You will wake him
He will growl at you.
Leader or adult indicates to a child to be the gentle shaker. After she does this, she will resume her place in the circle.
Everyone calls out, “Wake up brown bear”.
The bear then has one guess to identify who shook him. Whether he guesses or not, the “bear” still gets to growl at that person.
Supplies:
- 4 small pine cones for the feet
- 2 large pine cones
- Assortment of other small pine cones for nose and tail
- Small piece of felt to make two ears
- Ribbon
- Glue Gun
Instructions:
- Select the largest pine cone for the body, the medium sized one for the head and the smallest ones for the arms and legs.
- Fit the head into the body and glue gun them together.
- Glue the arms and legs into place.
- Break off the rounded end of a small pine cone for a nose and do the same for the tail. Glue them on
- Cut 2 circles from the felt and glue them on at the side of the head for ears.
- Tie a bow with the ribbon and glue it on at the front of the neck.
If you want to use it as a tree ornament, fold a thread in half and knot it at the ends. Loop it around the bear’s neck.
[Photograph by Linda Dunbar. Reproduction prohibited]
