We're Going on a Bear Hunt

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury

This book is a favorite at our house and with good reason. With the rhythm, repetition, and adventure the descriptions and sound effects capture imagination and have a memorable text to act out again and again in outdoor play.
When we started up after a break I asked my son which book he wanted to do first and he came running in with this one saying "Lets get the bear!" and so our adventure began...

Materials you will need this week: 

Scissors, Glue, Pot, Spoon, 2 water bottles, pudding/jello/yogurt in a small container, broom, printables linked below, stuffed animal, chair, scarves or small blankets/dish clothes, basket or bowl, outdoor gear, and check out the link to the optional art project for supplies needed there.

Day 1: Sound Effects

Skills: Listening, Narrative, Audible perception

Read through the story once slowly enjoying the rhythm of the text. Ask your child if they would like to go on a bear hunt? How would they feel if they found one? What do you think the bear wanted when he followed them home? Do they like the feel of mud between their toes? Do they think it will snow soon? Or any other questions that come to mind to start a conversation about the book and get them practicing narration skills.

Read through it a 2nd time using the sound effects found at: Reading Confetti (We didn't have jello so we used yogurt instead, we also didn't have soda bottles and a cup worked okay too.)

Day 2: Sequencing

Skills: Sequencing, cutting, gluing (fine motor skills)

Read through the book again. Talk about how first they had to go through the grass then.... Once they found the bear they had to head back! Firs through the cave then.... have them name the steps the best they can then do one of the many great sequencing options found at teachers pay teachers when you look up "We're going on a bear hunt".
Since my older child is into maps lately and has been drawn into this book study with us we decided to go with a map of the bear hunt. To be honest it seemed like a little much for my 3 year old though so a few days later we tried basic sequencing cards with pictures from the book and had much more success.

Day 3: Prepositional Words

Skills: Prepositional words, following directions, imaginative play, narrative skills.

After reading through the story again we imagined that the bear just wanted to play then took a stuffed bear and pretended the step stool was his cave. (You can use any chair for this exercise) He hid inside it walked around it, looked behind it, climbed over it as we sang "The bear went over a mountain" Then we put him in a basket and pretended to float down the river. He walked through the "river" of scarves and was tucked into bed. As we played I tried to use as many of the prepositional words as I could think of or ask him "Where is the bear now?" or "Lets put the bear beside his boat?" Changing the preposition to see which ones he knows and which ones we can still work on. This lesson took the longest but was the most fun. He loved playing with me and I loved taking the time to play with him which I don't often get to do with my middle child!

Day 4: Hike

Skills: Gross motor skills, Sensory play, Exploration (confidence building), Memory, Rythmn

Go on a Hike! This is a fun one to invite friends along for too. Every time you reach something you come across in the story recite that part of the book with the kids. "...Oh no! A forest, a deep dark forest, we can't go over it, we can't go under it..." As them what could make them stumble and trip. When you come across mud feel it squish beneath your feet. When you come across a creek, listen to the sounds of splashing. Ask them what would they do if it snowed? See how fast they can swish the grass. Look into a knoll in a tree or under some rocks and imagine how dark a cave could be. How would they light the way? Just go at a pace slow enough to stop and smell the sage brush and explore with all your senses. When walking to another part of the trail saying part of the story can they march in rythm? Stop for snacks and read the story again.

Optional Day 5: Art

Skills: Fine motor skills, sensory play, expression

Seriously how cute is this craft? You can find instructions over at One mom and a Blog but what I like about it is that it really is sensorial and brings the story to life by continuing to explore textures. Be sure to enjoy the book one more time after you've made the craft and touch each texture as you reach that part of the story.

Let me know what else you've added to or changed with this book unit in the comments!

For more book units check out "Preschool" tab on my blog, search "Beautiful Books" or read This post explaining the series.

Owl Pellet Activity

Owl Pellets for kindergartners? I don't know how this will go but I'm excited. My son is insatiable with his questions and I may just be opening a can of worms for my self but it's worth ago since curiosity is kind of our thing.

I'll start our study with our owl fact card from my nature study card kit. (Available for purchase on my Nature Study Card Purchase Page to at the top of the column to the right) After we look at that we will go on a hike looking for owl homes and signs. There is one tree on Centennial Loop towards the sports center side in Soldotna, AK that I swear I saw an owl in last time we were there so I'm excited to go back with a pair of binoculars.

We have an Usborne beginners book about owls (my boys are obsessed with the beginners series) for the rest of the introduction  before we dive right in to learning about what they eat by dissecting an owl pellet! Using these directions (Also found on the nature study activity card 6 for birds)

1. First there is this really cool video on youtube that explains what an owl pellet is: 

2. Gather your materials: Gloves, Owl pellet (ordered off amazon of all places!), tweezers, magnifying glass, small paint brush, and this free bone identification chart from Carolina Biological Supply Company.

3. Carefully pull apart pellet, being aware of any skulls you may find. Once it is broken up into smaller pieces you can start to exhume the bones with the tweezers. As you find them clear them of fur and debri with your fingers/small paint brush before setting them aside.

4. Once you get the bones separated and cleaned match them to your bone identification chart to discover what type of animal your owl ate.

This is also a great way to to lead into food chains, predator/prey relationships, how different adaptations of the owl help them hunt, or what their prey's defenses are against being caught.

Alaska Nature Study- Venture Outside

I created this nature study for my boys, who love the outdoors. As I was looking for simple kid friendly field guides I noticed that many of them focused on animals from the east coast that we just don't have in Alaska. I wanted to highlight what is is unique and beautiful about living in the Pacific Northwest in a fun, approachable, and engaging way. It was about this time that I started to get the real value in Nature Journaling thanks to my Charlotte Mason and Jon Muir Laws obsessed friends.

First came the fact cards. I created these, so that you could grab a few to bring with you on nature walks, or have one out at a time for a closer look, without being overwhelmed by the amazing quantity of information found in traditional field guides. The space on the cards also limits it to just a few interesting facts to spark further inquiry if something catches their imagination but once again keep the animals and plants approachable with lots of visual presentation.

The activity cards came as I started looking into studying birds and remembered all the fun pins and activities I've tried, or want to try, but never quite get around too. I thought by gathering them up (with the materials I'd normally have to go to the store for) and presenting them in a grab and go way we could make the nature study a little more hands on and creative.




The science cards came as a natural extension of explaining the animals behavior on the fact cards or as a way to bridge into other concepts and take it further than crafting and nature walks. It took great restraint not to full plunge down this rabbit hole of activities and information but they, once again, are perfectly suited to spark curiosity as a jumping point for further learning.



The game cards came from the beautiful 3 part cards I kept seeing advertised on Montessori sites and the fun games that helped phonics click for my sun. Memorization is a whole lot easier when it is a game and you'd be surprised at how fast even your toddler is identifying "Black Capped Chickadee" at the sight of the cards. They also make for a fun camping version of traditional kids card games.


The last thing I added was the poetry, song, or art element since there is so much beauty found in and inspired by nature, I intend sharing them with my kids while eating trail mix and watching them sketch on our hike, memorizing them during our morning reading time or using them for handwriting copy work later this year.

The heart of this study though is the nature journal. You really can use any journal for this but I made one that was easy to fit in a child size backpack and had handwriting lines to make it a little more approachable for those easing into handwriting. This is where their discoveries happen and they take ownership of their new found knowledge by recording it. Paying attention to detail and learning to be still to observe will serve them in all subjects of learning and help cultivate a peaceful heart.

If you'd like to purchase this nature study by subject or monthly subscription you can do so here: Nature Study Cards Purchase Page