Here are some ideas for making your Bear unit special.

NEW Printable Bear words for your thematic word wall!

Click here!

Books

click here to go to the Goldilocks page.

Click HERE for a link to the printable Bear Hunt book from Dr. Jean's website!

fingerplay *see below*

Chant/fingerplay

*see below*

Teddy Bears Picnic

Anne Murray

this is the best unaccented American sounding version of this song I have found so far. 

Five Little Teddy Bears

Five little teddy bears standing in a line.

The first one said, "I'm feeling fine"

The second one said, "Let's go and play"

The third one said, "Let's play all day!"

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run"

The fifth one said, "Isn't Pre-K fun?"

Corduroy Was a Bear

(tune: This Old Man)

Corduroy was a bear,

He had no friends anywhere.

He lost his button and he was all alone,

Until a girl named Lisa took him home.

Corduroy

Provide each student a brown sheet of construction with a copied outline of teddy bear.  Have each student cut out the teddy bear.  Next, provide each student with a green piece of construction paper with a copied picture of Corduroy's overalls.  Place the green paper over the top of the corrugated cardboard and rub a green crayon flat over the top of the paper. This will create the effect of corduroy fabric.  Next, cut out the overalls, glue them on the teddy bear, and add buttons with glue.  Finally, use wiggly eyes and crayons to add Corduroy's facial features.  (the sample at left is missing the eyes and corrugated cardboard effect)

5 Little Teddy Bears

Dip a teddy bear sponge in liquid Elmer's glue and press on construction paper five times to create five little teddy bears.  Next, sprinkle coffee grounds over the bears, cut out the poem and glue it to the bottom of the page. 

Teddy Bear's Picnic

Have a Teddy Bear's Picnic day and allow each child to bring their favorite bear from home.  Make sure you have plenty extra for those children who forget or don't own a teddy bear.  March around in a circle with your bears while the Teddy Bear's Picnic song plays in the background.  Lay the tablecloth in the middle of the circle and have the students arrange their bears around the edge.  To avoid mishaps, I have the students sit at the tables and the bears on the floor while we eat our snack.  Take pictures throughout the day to make a class book titled "Our Teddy Bear's Picnic".  

Pocket for Corduroy

In the story Pocket for Corduroy the little bear wants a pocket to keep things in.  In keeping with this theme provide each child with a purple piece of construction paper copied with an outline of a pocket.  Have each child cut out their pocket and lace the yarn around the edges, you can tie off the yarn for each child when they are finished lacing.    Next, give each student a blank index card and ask them to draw something they would like to keep in their pocket.   Finally, insert the index card into the pocket.

Favorite Bear Story Graph

Make a graph on the chart paper. At the top of the graph place a Xerox picture of the cover of four or five bear stories that were read aloud to the class during your bear unit.  You may need to shrink the copies to fit them at the top of the graph.  Next, provide each student with a 5x5 piece of paper and ask them to draw a picture from their favorite bear story, making sure to point out which 4 or 5 stories to choose from.  Finally, have each student come up to the graph and glue his or her picture in the appropriate spot.  As a whole class review the graph and determine which story was the class favorite and read that story to the class again. 

10 in the Bed

Materials for activity w/Teddy Grahams:

This is a small group activity the children will LOVE.  Provide each student with a Xerox picture of a bed, students may color the bed with crayons if they choose.  Next, give each student 10 Teddy Graham crackers and ask them to put the bears in the bed.  When everybody is ready we begin singing the song and eating the bears as we go along.  This activity is great for one-to-one correspondence. 

Matierals for activity w/die-cuts (pictured at left): glue, small teddy bear die-cuts, crayons

Provide each student with a Xerox picture of a bed, students may color the bed with crayons if they choose.  Next, give each student 10 die-cut bears and ask them to glue the bears in the bed.

Bear Buddy Bag

If you are not familiar with my Buddy Bag program click here.  I send home a stuffed Teddy Bear in a bag along with the book Corduroy.  Record yourself reading the story on a cassette tape for those students whose parents cannot or will not read it to them at home.  Put the cassette tape in the tape player ($5 at Wal Mart) along with a composition notebook and instructions to treat Corduroy as a "friend" just like Lisa in the book.  The parents can write about their experiences with Corduroy in the notebook.   If you have a Corduroy bear that's great, but any bear will do.   The Corduroy bears are available from Barnes & Noble.

Bear Hunt

This is one of our favorites!  After reading the book Going on a Bear Hunt and singing the song for a few days we go on a "Bear Hunt" just like in the book.  I hide a bear somewhere in the school and we all set out on our "journey" to find him.  As we go to places like the cafeteria we sing the song and use words like "munch, munch, munch".  When we go through the office we put our fingers to our lips like we're saying "shhhh" and we whisper "tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe".  We look for the bear in the library, cafeteria, office, playground, and janitor's office (that's where he usually hides).  This is one adventure your kids will never forget!

TIP: Take pictures along the way so you can make a class book later.