Literature Based Kindergarten: Bear Snores On

Primary Literature

• Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, a sweet rhyming story of a hibernating bear who's lair fills up with other animals as he sleeps. He wakes up to find them having party and is bit distraught until a mouse invites him to join the fun. 

• Vocabulary words to review.
• hibernate - to spend all or part of winter in an inactive state where heartbeat and breathing slows
• lair - den of a wild animal
• dank - unpleasantly moist
• scuttles - run from view
• nibble - small bites
• flutter - moving quickly
• titter - a nervous laugh
• slumbering - sleeping
• blubbers - crying noisily
• fret - irritated state

Complementary Literature 

• We worked on memorizing When The Snow is on The Ground by Mother Goose

The little robin grieve

When the Snow is on the ground, 

For the trees have no leaves

And no berries can be found. 

The air is cold, the worms are hid;

For robin here what can be done?

Let's strow around some crumbs of bread, 

And then he'll live till snow is gone. 

• Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming, the animals are beginning to notice that the weather is changing from autumn to winter and run around to warn each other that it is time to hibernate. 
• The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader, this book is a Caldecott award winning book and the illustrations are breathtaking and realistic. The book starts with telling how woodland animals are preparing for winter by adapting, hibernating, and migrating. A big snow comes and covers all the food and the animals who did not migrate/hibernate; they are hungry until a couple sets out food for them. 
• Don't Wake the Bear by Marjorie Dennis Murray, this story is very similar to Bear Snores On. A whole bunch of animals sneak in to a bear's warm and cozy lair except this time not for a party but to sleep. The suspense builds as the cave becomes more crowded with animals each  being warned, "not to wake up the bear!"
• Hibernation by Margaret Hall this is a great nonfiction introduction to hibernation. Real life pictures  are accompanied by short brief descriptions explain how different animals hibernate. 
• Other bear books by Karma Wilson, these rhyming stories follow the same animals as they have different adventures. 

Learning Activities/Games

• Sorting bears by size and color

• Patterning with bears

• Classifying animals by hibernation, migration, or adaption. This printable is from Montessori Print Shop for $3.29. 

• Counting by twos, we used diy two bead stairs to count by twos in to bear muffin cups.

Art

• Bear faces made from paper plates and bowls. 

Supplies: 2 paper plates, 2 bowls, black felt, brown paint, brushes, and hot glue. 

Step 1: cut the rim of the bowl and ears out of the second paper plate. 

Step 2: paint the bowl and paper plate 

Step 3: cut a nose and ears out of felt

Step 4: glue bowl, ears, and felt on to paper plate. We used a hot glue gun for this. 

If you are looking for more book extension ideas please stop by our homeschooling page.