Poems &
Songs

Literature
Connections

Bears!

Bears. bears,
I like bears.
Polar bears,
Grizzly bears,
Black bears,
I like bears.

Bear Cheer

The bears are in!
The bears are out!
Grab a bear and give a shout!
Give me a B!
Give me an E!
Give me an A!
Give me a R!
Give me and S!
What have you got?
BEARS!!!!!

Three Brown Bears
(Tune: Three Blind Mice)

Three brown bears,
Three brown bears
See all their beds,
See all their chairs.
The mommy cooked in
A big brown pot,
The daddy's porridge
Was much too hot,
The baby bear always cried a lot.
Three brown bears.

B-E-A-R
(Tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic)

When your feeling lonely,
Find a b-e-a-r bear,
When your feeling lonely,
Find a b-e-a-r bear,
When your feeling lonely,
Find a b-e-a-r bear,
And you won't feel lonely,
Any m-o-r-e more!

Five Little Bears: Counting Up

One little bear
Wondering what to do
Along came another
Then there were two! 

Two little bears
Climbing up a tree
Along came another
Then there were three!

 Three little bears
Ate an apple core
Along came another
Then there were four!

 Four little honey bears
Found honey in a hive
Along came another
Then there were five!

Five Little Bears: Counting Down

Five little bears
Heard a loud roar
One ran away
Then there were four! 

Four little bears
Climbing up a tree
One slid down
Then there were three!

 Three little bears
Deciding what to do
One fell asleep
Then there were two!

 Two little bears
Having lots of fun
One went home
Then there was one!

 One little bear
Feeling all alone
Ran to his mother
Then there were none!

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
tie your shoe
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear that will do
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
go upstairs
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say your prayers
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn out the lights
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say goodnight.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear
(Movement Activity)

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, reach up high
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
wink one eye,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
slap your knees,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
sit down please.

(Children follow movements
to the song)

Teddy Bears

Pick your teddy bear
Up from the ground,
Then go dancing all around.
Hold him high and hold him low,
As round and round and round you go!

(do actions with the teddy bears to suit and substitute other words/actions )

   Hold him left and hold him right,
  Hold him tight with all your might!
   Hold him close and hold him far,
  Pretend that he can drive a car!
Hold him in front and hold him in back,
Sit down with him on your lap!

The polar bear lives in Alaska,
He never gets cold in a storm,
He swims in cold icy water,
His heavy coat keeps him warm.
Warm, warm, warm, warm,
His heavy coat keeps him warm.
Warm, warm, warm, warm,
His heavy coat keeps him warm.

In the summer,
Fall, and spring
The black bear sports
And has his fling,
But winter sends him
Straight indoors
And there he snores...
And snores...
And snores.

Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear,
Where have you been?
Over the mountains -
Such things I've seen!

Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear,
What have you done?
Eaten blueberries
Made ripe by the sun.

Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear,
What have you found?
Ice-cold spring water
Deep from the ground.

Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear,
What do you dream?
Sweet tasting salmon
Swimming upstream.

Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear,
Where do you creep?
Into my dark cave
Alone, let me sleep!

Little Bear
(Tune: Frere Jacques)

Are you sleepy, Are you sleepy
Little bear, little bear?
Wintertime is coming,
Wintertime is coming,
Very soon, very soon.

Find a cave, Find a cave,
Little bear, little bear
Wintertime is here,
Wintertime is here,
Go to sleep, go to sleep.

Are you sleepy, Are you sleepy
Little bear, little bear?
You will wake in springtime
In the warm, warm springtime
Little bear, little bear

Time to wake up, Time to wake up
Little bear, little bear
Springtime is here,
Springtime is here
Wake up now, wake up now!

(children repeat each line after adult)
We're going on a bear hunt,
We're gonna catch a big one,
What a beautiful day,
We're not scared.
Oh ,oh!
Grass,
Long, wavy, grass.
We can't go over it,
We can't go under it,
We've gotta go through it!
Swishy swashy, swishy swashy.

We're going on a bear hunt,
We're gonna catch a big one,
What a beautiful day,
We're not scared.
Oh ,oh!
Mud,
Thick, oozy mud.
We can't go over it,
We can't go under it,
We've gotta go through it!
Squelch squelch, squelch squelch

We're going on a bear hunt,
We're gonna catch a big one,
What a beautiful day,
We're not scared.
Oh ,oh!
A river,
A deep, cold river.
We can't go over it,
We can't go under it,
We've gotta go through it!
Splish splosh, splish splosh.

We're going on a bear hunt,
We're gonna catch a big one,
What a beautiful day,
We're not scared.
Oh ,oh!
A forest,
A big, dark forest.
We can't go over it,
We can't go under it,
We've gotta go through it!
Stumble trip, stumble trip.

We're going on a bear hunt,
We're gonna catch a big one,
What a beautiful day,
We're not scared.
Oh ,oh!
A cave,
A scary, dark cave.
We can't go over it,
We can't go under it,
We've gotta go through it!
Tiptoe, tiptoe.

(say the following verse all together and quickly)
OH NO IT'S A BEAR!!!
Quick!
Through the cave, tiptoe, tiptoe,
Through the forest, stumble trip, stumble trip,
Through the river, splish splosh, splish splosh,
Through the mud, squelch squelch, squelch squelch,
Through the grass, swishy swashy, swishy swashy.
Run to the house, run up the stairs,
Oh oh forgot to shut the door!
Run back downstairs, shut the door,
Run back up, to the bedroom,
Jump into bed, pull up the covers,
WE ARE NEVER GOING ON A BEAR HUNT AGAIN!!

Tell students that they will be reading about Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  If most students seem to be familiar with this story, ask what they think they know about the characters and what happens in the story.  If the majority of your students do not seem familiar with the story, delve into a picture walk with them.

Day 1:  Introduce the title and author.; Show the cover and discuss what the story might be about and whether it is real or fictional.; Explain that there are many versions of this story.; Take a picture walk making sure to discuss the sizes of the bears, bowls, chairs, and beds.; Read aloud for enjoyment.

Day2:    Reread the story.  Discuss who the main characters are and where the story takes place.  Also ask students to think about whether it was safe/ right for Goldilocks to enter the Bear's house. How would they feel if someone came into their house and did what Goldilocks did?  What do they think happened to Goldilocks after she left the Bear's house? What will the Bear family do next?

Day 3: Reread The Three Bears and ask students to tell you when they hear some opposites. (little-wee/great big, hot/cold, hard/soft, head/foot);  Have students match pictures that show opposites. 

Day 4: Ask students what the three bears ate their porridge in (bowls).  Ask students what letter 'bowl' begins with.  Draw a picture of a bowl and write the letter 'Bb' underneath the picture.  Have students brainstorm other words that begin like 'bowl'.   Write/draw small pictures of each suggested 'Bb' item until the bowl is full.   (A variation would be to have pictures already made and to have a Bb/not Bb picture sort. Have students place the pictures that start like 'bowl' into the bowl and to place the ones that do not start with the same sound outside of the bowl.)

Day 5:  Divide the class into four small groups- one group for each of  the main characters. Reread the story with the groups of students reading/saying what the bears and Goldilocks say.

Guided Reading

Choose the following supplementary activities:
Sequence pictures from the story
Set up flannel board or book at the listening center
Make Venn Diagrams comparing versions of
The Three Bears
Focus Letters-b, w, s, t
Sight Words-a, the
Do an oral retelling
Discuss beginning, middle, end of a story
Discuss reality vs. fantasy

Interactive Writing

Facts learned about real bears

Have the students generate information for a KWL chart (what they Know, what they Want to know, and what they Learned) before beginning your bear unit.

Help the students to research and compile a list of Bear Facts including what they like to eat, where they live, and how they get ready for the winter.

Compare and contrast different kinds of bears such as the black bear, the grizzly bear, and the polar bear.

Independent Writing

Bear Story Starters:  Provide each student with a honey pot shaped booklet with blank pages or a sheet of writing paper shaped like a honey pot.  Provide the students with one of the following story starters to choose from.  They will write or dictate a story according to the starter they chose.

* Today, a bear rode my bus to school and ...
* A bear ate next to me in the cafeteria and ...
* I saw a bear in the principal's office and ...
* Yesterday my toy bear came to life and ... 

Little Readers
(Predictable Books)

The Bear Book 

Provide each student with their own copy of "The Bear" book for them to read and color.  Each page will contain one of the following sentences and a simple picture for the students to color.

Text:
See my ears. 
See my eyes. 
See my nose. 
See my paws. 
See my claws. 
See my fur. 
See my underwear. 
See this bear in underwear. 

Sorting Fun

 Ask the children to sort the teddy bears by categories  (size, color, those wearing bows, etc.)  Then count the number in each category.  Also, let the children come up with ideas for categories.  Talk about more and less.  

Teddy Graphing

Use teddy bear counters in Math activities and for graphing.  Students can graph them by color individually.  Provide them with a handful of bears and a graphing form with the appropriate color words already in place.  The students graph the color bears that they received, then share their graphs with the class

Teddy Estimation

Have students estimate how many teddy bear counters, Teddy Grahams,or gummy bears are in a jar.

Honey Hives

Photocopy beehives onto yellow construction paper and program them with a number.   Laminate.  The students will count out the correct number of mini bee erasers and place them on the hives.

Teddy Patterns

Jamberry Activities

Have a jam tasting party with the four berry flavors listed in the book and Ritz crackers. Have students draw their favorite berry and make a class graph.

Color Bears

 Buy teddy bear stickers in 10 different colors.  Mix them up in a box and put the box out on table with a grid which has 10 squares.  Challenge the children to find 10 DIFFERENT colored teddy bears and stick 1 to each square of the grid.  This activity involved color discrimination, counting, 1 to 1 correspondence,fine motor skills etc. etc.

Dressing Up Bears

Gather numbers of clothing for teddy bears to place in the house corner. Encourage the children to dress up their bears in assorted outfits.

Playdough Fun

Place brown playdough with bear cookie cutters on a table allow the children to use imagination.

Weighing Teddies

Using Teddy Bear Counters for weighing with balance
scale, sorting, and counting

Graphing Bears

Give each child an assortment of Teddy Bear Grahams and grid paper to make graph (& then eat!)

Letter Matching

Make small, medium ,and large bear cutouts.  On the large one put a capital letter, on the medium a picture that begins with that letter, and on the small one the lower case version of the letter.  Laminate.  Students match these up as a center.

Tea Bears

  Precut teddy bear from poster board.  Have parents save used tea bags. Let children open the dried bags and shake the dried tea over the bear that has been covered with glue.   Use a tub to lay the bear in first so the excess tea doesn't get all over.   When they dry they look like fuzzy bears.  Staple on  bows for a really cute bear!

Coffee Bear

Print a bear pattern out on brown construction paper. Then cover the paper with glue. Let the children sprinkle on  coffee grounds or crushed Graham crackers onto the bear. Cut it out for a great smelling bear!

Cinnamon Bear

Mix sugar and cinnamon. Have children cut out bear shape. Children can place glue anywhere on the bear and add cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Smelly Bears

Glue sandpaper to tag board and then cut out bear shapes. Give the children cinnamon sticks and let them rub the
sticks on the sandpaper. The bears will smell like cinnamon!

Polar Bear, Polar Bear

Make a polar bear painting. You will need a sheet of white paper and a white bear cutout for each student. Glue the cut out to the paper with ONE drop of glue. Then sponge paint around the edge of the cut out bear to the edge of the paper. Let dry. Peel off the bear cutout and you should have a white bear shape on the page. Children can add a face with black crayon.

Teddy Bear Poster

When the children bring their bears to school, help the children trace around them onto a large piece of paper. 
The children then color them to look like their teddies.  Add the following sentences:

My bear's name is ________. 
______ is ________inches long. (use a ruler to measure)
________came to live with me when_____________.
(tell the story of where  bear came from)
__________ and I like to ______________.  (what the child likes to do with teddy)
 
The children can fill in the lines  themselves or with adult help.  The sentences can be changed to any topic that might capture the interest of children.  Try to describe what teddy and the child liked to eat at a teddy bear picnic.!

Healthy Bear Check Ups

  Have some Dramatic Play fun at the Bear Hospital!  Allow some children to be the doctors.  Other children can bring their bears for a "check-up".  The Bear Doctors check the bears with stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, tongue depressors.  If the bears have an ailment...they put a band-aid or some gauze on it to make it better.  The doctors prescribe Bear Hug's twice daily
and lots of bed rest with the owner.  Sometimes the bears have to have an x-ray.   (Get some old x-ray film and cut out teddy bear shapes) To check bear eyes, put patches (with a pawprint on the front) over the bear's eye and had them read which way the paw points (up, down, left, right).  A certificate can be given out to each bear signed by a B.D. *bear doctor!*
Teddy Bear Health Certificate
Bear Patient
Name______________________________________
Next of Kin_________________________________ (put child's name here)

 Well Bear__________

Tender Loving Care Syndrome (TLC): 
Too Much____  Just Right_____Not enough____

 Ailing Bear Symptoms:   Loss of Limb____     Paw____    Arm____     Leg____
(check one)

 Stuffing Herniation______     
Weakness of Auxiliary Seams______
Squint Due to Loss of Eye______
 Jaundice Due to Color Loss____________________     Old Age Debilitation _________________

 RX:  Hug Bear Twice Daily__________
              Bed Rest with Owner __________
                 Date__________________

 Checked by:   ________________________________
                                          B.D. (Bear Doctor)

Three Bears Theater

Create a "fairy tale theater" for this story.    Each child is given a house cut-out made of folded paper.  They illustrate the exterior however they want, but on the inside they needed to depict the important areas/details of the Bears' house (table with 3 different-sized bowls in the kitchen, 3 different-sized chairs in the living room, and 3 different-sized beds in the bedroom).  Then make popsicle stick puppets and retell the tale to someone.

Teddy Bear Picnic

Read The Teddy Bears' Picnic (or listen to the song).   Have students bring their teddy bears from home for the picnic.  This would be a great time to sample all those bear and honey snacks! (Teddy Grahams, gummy bears, etc.)  While the bears are there, have the students make a bear headband for themselves and their bears.  They can wear them while the students are reading to their bears.

Cinnamon Bear Biscuits  

Each student should be provided with an unbaked canned biscuit and a small piece of aluminum foil with their name written on it with a Sharpie marker.  The student will tear the biscuit dough into 6 pieces and form a bear's head, body, arms, and legs.   Sprinkle the bear with cinnamon and bake according to the package directions.

Bear Biscuits

10 - oz. tube refrigerated biscuits
raisins
maraschino cherries
honey
Separate biscuits.  Cut three biscuits into 1/8's.  Leave six whole.  For each bear biscuit, roll three of the small pieces into balls for the two ears and the nose.  Firmly press them onto the face.  Press in raisins for eyes and nose.   Add 1/4 maraschino cherry to each ear.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 8 - 10 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown. 
Enjoy with honey, of course!