POLAR BEARS
You will need a large (8 ½” x ll”), white (light cardboard) polar bear (side view) cutout for each child.

• Set out some glue and some white cotton balls.
• Give each child a polar bear cutout.
• Show your children how to place some glue on the middle of their bear, then place a cotton ball on top.
• Encourage your children to cover the middle part of their bear shape with cotton balls.

Extension:  Use the bears on a large winter bulletin board in your room.
 

• Let your children use white chalk to draw snow covered ground, mountains and snowflakes on sheets of dark blue construction paper.

Extension:

• Set out white tempera paint and cotton swabs.
• Have your children use the paint and the cotton swabs to create more snowy designs or animal shapes.

JUMPING POLAR BEARS

•  Set out some heavy large white papers on your floor.  Tape to hold in place.
• Let your children pretend to be polar bears and have then pretend that the white papers are ice sheets floating in the water.
• Now encourage your children to take turns jumping from one ice sheet to the next across your room.

MOVE LIKE POLAR BEARS
Chant the following rhyme and have your children move like a polar bear.

                Polar Bear, Polar Bear turn around.
                Polar Bear, Polar Bear touch the ground.
                Polar Bear, Polar Bear bend down low.
                Polar Bear, Polar Bear touch your toe.

                Polar Bear, Polar Bear slide on the ice.
                Polar Bear, Polar Bear spin around, twice.
                Polar Bear, Polar Bear reach up high.
                Polar Bear, Polar Bear touch the sky.
                                                                Jean Warren
                                                                Adapted Traditional

POLAR BEAR DISCOVERY

CAMOUFLAGE
Discuss with your children how the polar bears coat of white helps to camouflage him in his white environment.  If he had brown fur what would happen?  On the other hand, brown bears live in the forests where the color brown blends into their environment.

• Give your children a piece of white paper.
• Then give them a cut out of a brown bear and a white bear.
• Have them spatter white paint across their page to represent snow.
• When they are done, ask them which bear is harder to see in the snow.

• Set out books about Polar Bears, see if your children can find out what kind of fish the polar bears like to eat.
• Winter time is a great time to go to the Zoo to watch the polar bears.  They like to come out and play when the weather is cold.
• Polar Bears eat a lot, so that they will develop a good layer of fat (or blubber) on their bodies.  Blubber helps the bears to keep warm in the cold water.
• Polar Bears come from the Brown bear family.  They are bears who moved up North and when they decided to stay, their fur turned white to help protect them from predators.

POLAR BEAR WALKS ‘CROSS THE SNOW
Tune:  “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Polar Bear walks ‘cross the snow,
‘Cross the snow, ‘cross the snow,
Polar Bear walks ‘cross the snow,
Moving very slow.

Polar Bear starts to run real fast,
Run real fast, run real fast.
Polar Bear starts to run real fast,
Now he’s home at last!
                                Jean Warren

DID YOU EVER SEE A POLAR BEAR?
Tune:  “Did You Ever See A Lassie?”

Did you ever see a polar bear,
A polar bear, a polar bear?
Did you ever see a polar bear
Sliding on ice?
He slips and slides,
He twirls and glides.
Did you ever see a polar bear,
Sliding on ice?
                                Jean Warren
 

THE POLAR BEAR JUMPED INTO THE WATER
Tune:  “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”

The polar bear jumped into the water,
The polar bear jumped into the water,
The polar bear jumped into the water
And what do you think he did?

He started to swim around,
He started to swim around,
He started to swim around,
And what do you think he saw?

He saw a great big fish,
He saw a great big fish,
He saw a great big fish
And what do you think he did?

He caught that great big fish,
He caught that great big fish,
He caught that great big fish
And what do you think he did?

He ate the great big fish,
He ate the great big fish,
He ate the great big fish
And what do you think he did?

He climbed up on the snow,
He climbed up on the snow,
He climbed up on the snow
And what do you think he did?

He took a great big nap,
He took a great big nap,
He took a great big nap,
Then what do you think he did?
He jumped into the water,

(Repeat song if you like)

                                                Jean Warren

 
POLAR BEARS HAVE FIR THAT’S WHITE
Tune:  “Mary Had A Little Lamb”

Polar bears have fir that’s white,
Fur that’s white, fur that’s white.
Polar bears have fir that’s white
It lets them hide from sight.

Polar bears are big and strong,
Big and strong, big and strong.
Polar bears are big and strong,
They swim the whole day long.

Polar bears have lots of blubber,
Lots of blubber, lots of blubber.
Polar bears have lots of blubber,
To keep them nice and warm.

POLAR BEAR SNACKS

POLAR BEAR SALAD

• Place a large spoonful of cottage cheese on a small plate.
• Press it into a round shape with the back of a spoon.
• Add two small dabs of cottage cheese at the top of the round shape for ears.
• When all the salads are made, let your children add black olives or eyes and noses.