Another Post from the Past- January 2017:I was so excited to row We’re Going On a Bear Hunt, because Parker LOVES bears!  This was our very last BFIAR bear book, so it was bittersweet.  Our family has enjoyed every book on our BFIAR journey, and this was no exception!

I was excited to create our sensory box for this book.  I set aside all the pieces and presented it as an invitation to create the Sensory story box.  

The kids LOVED this activity!

It looked so pretty with all the layers of color!

READY TO ROW:

Kick-off Breakfast:

I made special bear pancakes to kick off this special row!

The kids gobbled them up! We were off to a sweet start.

Title Page:

I like the kids to create a cover page for each book we row.

The kids each drew their cover pages based on various elements from the book.

BIBLE:

I created a Bible memory printable pack for this book.

You can download your FREE copy here at our TPT Store!

Parker worked on his verse until he was able to recite it from memory.

Fruit of the Spirit:

We read 9 Fruits Alive and talked about the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

The kids colored a Fruit if the Spirit puzzle worksheet (Preschool Mom).

I cut them apart and they glued the pieces together on green construction paper.

Fruit of the Spirit Faces:

The kids painted their plates with our whipped cream “snow”.

They used various fruits to make happy faces in the whipped cream.

This was a fun way to incorporate Bible and Art into an edible “CRAFTivity”!

SOCIAL STUDIES:

Geography:

I made a fun breakfast for the kids as we traversed through a snowstorm, grass, mud, and more!

Each part of the story was represented on our plate.It was a bit of a tasty mess, but it was a fun way to embark on our adventure!

We had sensory bottles for each part of our bear hunt!

Tall Grass:

First we explored the tall grass by reading Green Grass Grew All Around on our Epic app.

Deep River:

Next, we explored the deep river. We read both fictional and non-fictional books about rivers.

I created a “Build a River” landform activity for Parker.

He used our landform cards as a guide and built the river out of the felt pieces I prepared.

The older kids added some inserts (Mrs. Jones Creation Station) into their notebooks.

Thick Mud:

We made our way through the mud as we whipped up some chocolate mousse to squish, squelch through.

Everyone helped measure and mix our luscious chocolate mousse.

We even read Fun in the Mud on our Epic app while we let our mousse chill.

This was a “mud pie” everyone loved. Wouldn’t you?

Dark Forest:

We read about forests on our Epic app.

We also read about trees in the winter time.

Swirling Snowstorm:

We made a fun “snow storm in a jar” activity.

We read many snow-themed books and most featured an adorable bear!

We made a delicious batch of homemade whipped cream. Yummy snowstorm in our mouths!

Snow Line Experiment:

Jordan conducted a snow line experiment. First, he filled a mason jar with ice (no snow here) and drew a line on the jar marking the snow line.

After it melted, we marked the water line Then he measured the difference. We talked about “why” the snow filled more of the jar. As snow falls, air takes up space in between. As the snow melts, the air rises and the fill line lowers.

We read so many fun snow themed books!

Frozen Fun:

While going through the swirly whirly snowstorm, we explored freezing water.

Art on Ice:

I brought out brushes and watercolors for the kids to paint their ice blocks. They painted to their hearts content.

Snowflake Craft:

We read The Story of Snowflake and Inkdrop and I set out an invitation to create snowflakes.

The kids added glitter glue and gems to their foam snowflakes.

Gloomy Cave:

We started our cave exploration with a fun peanut toast cave with fruit and yogurt.

They LOVED it! Afterwards, we read several wonderful books about caves.

I added a “Build a Cave” tray on our Learning Lane.

Parker used the Lego Duplos to build a nice cozy cave any bear would love to sleep in.

We built an awesome cave with pillows, blankets, and more! We turned on our flashlights and did some of our schoolwork inside.

Movie:

We found an animated version of the book snd watched it on our playlist.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Story Review:

I printed large story sequencing cards (twinkl.com) for the kids to use as we tried to remember the story.

Everyone helped put our cards in order.

Parker used the story cards over and over again during this row.

Story Match:

I made a story review activity using the onomatopoeic words from the story.

I set it out on our learning lane with habitat cards and story figures.

The boys took turns doing the activity.

This was another fun way to review story sequence.

Parker continued to work on various CVC word activities.

MATH:

Teddy Bear Exploration:

The kids explored weights and measurements using their favorite teddy bears.

I drew a teddy bear on the board and we reviewed how yo measure height, width, perimeter, and area.

Everyone weighed and measured their teddy bears.

Honey Bear Measuring:

I made a fun honey bear math worksheet for the kids to practice measuring area, perimeter, and more.

You can download your copy here at our TPT store.

The kids practiced measuring width, height, area, and perimeter using goldfish crackers.

Gummy Bear Math:

Since we were learning about bears, we did s little gummy bear math. I gave everyone a sorting and graphing worksheet as well as a cup of gummy bears.

The kids sorted their gummy bears by color.

After sorting their gummy bears, they counted and graphed their results.

Hands-on Math:

Bear Math:

We did many bear-themed math activities on our Learning Lane.

Winter Math:

I created a Winter Theme Preschool Math Pack.

You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store.

Using the mats from the pack, Parker built each number from playdough, used gems to count to that number, and practiced writing it.

SCIENCE:

Habitat:

I made a We’re Going on a Bear Hunt My Go-Along-Animals pack.

You can download your copy here.

I brought out our go-along-animals and Welcome Home, Bear for our habitat unit.

The kids colored their animals and added them to their habitat booklet.

Bears:

We read all about brown bears and black bears.

We brought out our types of bear cards and toob figures. Parkie matched the figures to the cards.

I also brought out our Melissa and Doug Wood Bear Family. While dressing up each bear, we reviewed the scientific bear family cards.

We read many more bear picture books.

We even ate a beary fun sandwich for lunch.

ARTS, CRAFTS, & FUN:

Story Maps:

We made story maps to use on our own bear hunt.

The kids colored their story elements, cut them out, and pasted them on brown construction paper.

Bear Hunt:

We put on our spelunking hats, grabbed our maps, and went on our own bear hunt!

Teddy Bear Cookies:

We made little teddy bear cookies with raisins, mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, and nuts.

The kids sat together at the table eating their cookies.We also watched an animated version of this adorable book on our playlist.

Bear Hunt Craft:

I brought out paints, paper scraps, and foam letters for the kids to make a story CRAFTivity.

The kids layered the story elements using paint and paper scraps. The kids added our book title in foam letters.

Helpful Links:

Youtube Playlist:

Pinterest Board:

https://pin.it/4MZNFLT