February 20: Preschool Storytime: Polar Bears

(Reminder note: When it is time to read a story, I read the titles of three books and then display them. The children pick which one we read. The three fictional ones listed below are the ones they picked. The other recommended picture books are listed at the bottom.)

Opening song:                                                    
(Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell")

                        

We tap hola like this

We tap hola like this

Hi-ho cherry

We tap hola like this

Continue with other verses:

We drop hola like this...

We circle hola like this...

We spin hola like this...

We toss hola like this...

We roll hola like this...


INTRODUCTION:  I asked what season we are in, and listed all four. I put out a stuffed polar bear, and I asked what it is. After the children guessed, I put my globe next to me on the floor. First, I showed where Texas is on the globe. Then I  showed where penguins live because we just talked about them, and then I showed where polar bears live.

Next, I explained that polar bears have black skin to help them trap the sun's heat to stay warm, and they have white fur to help them blend in.

Today we are doing the letter Bb for bear since we just did the letter Pp for penguin.

Held up B and b
Talked about sound of Bb
Talked about things that start with Bb
Make a lowercase b in the air
Put the alphabet chart on the floor. Let each child take the pointer and point to the letter Bb.



BOOK: "The Polar Bears Are Hungry" by Carol Carrick

I gave each parent a copy of the words to the songs that have to do with the theme. I told the children to find a letter Bb in the words and point to out to their parent. 

ACTION SONG:  (I had five children stand up in the middle of the circle and pretend to be the polar bears. Each held one of the numbers one through five in order.  We sing the song first in all English and then change a few words to Spanish.)

“Five Little Polar Bears”

Five little polar bears/cinco osos polares, playing near the shore.

One tumbled in, and then there were four.

Four little polar bears/cuatro osos polares swimming in the sea.

One chased a seal, and then there were three.

Three little polar bears/tres osos polares, what shall we do?

One went swimming and then there were two.

Two little polar bears/dos osos polares playing in the sun.

One took a nap and then there was one.

One little polar bear/un oso polar soon to be gone.

Ran to his mommy, and then there were none.

BOOK #2: "Pup and Bear" by Kate Banks

MOVEMENT AND SHAKER SONG: (We first sing all the words in English and then change a few words to Spanish.)


“Polar Bear”
(Tune: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”)

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 coats keeps him warm.
Warm, warm, warm, warm,
His heavy coats keeps him warm



“Polar Bear”
(Tune: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”)

The polar bear lives in Alaska,
He never gets frío a storm,
He swims in water that’s frío
His heavy coat keeps him caliente.

Caliente, caliente, caliente, caliente
His heavy coats keeps him caliente.
Caliente, caliente, caliente, caliente
His heavy coats keeps him caliente.



BOOK #3:  "Poles Apart" by Jeanne Willis

Goodbye song:                                                  

(Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell") 

                         

We tap adios like this

We tap adios like this

Hi-ho cherry

We tap adios like this

Continue with other verses:

We drop adios like this...

We circle adios like this...

We spin adios like this...

We toss adios like this...

 We roll adios like this...

Craft Time:  

I modeled the rainbow writing page for letter Bb, the Bb dot page, and the craft before the children starting working on them. Before starting the craft, the children write the given letter using 3 different colors of crayons. I have attached a link to the free rainbow writing letters I used. Completing the dot page is optional.

You can find free rainbow writing letters here. Since they are free, they lack a dot for where to start. print one off, add the dots with a black marker, and then make copies of that one. You can find the dot pages here. 

Click here for a link for letter formation prompts for capital and lowercase letters. Children need to spend more time working on the lowercase letters than on the capital letters.


Craft: Polar Bears on the Ice Picture

Modified an idea from http://tippytoecrafts.blogspot.com/2015/01/polar-animal-crafts.html

                  

   My example

First paint the entire page with shades of blue to represent the sky and the sea.

Materials:

1. White cardstock
2. Watercolor paints
3. Water
4. Cups for water
5. Bear template document
6. Wax paper
7. Scissors 
8. Glue bottle
9. Glue stick

Instructions:
1. First use watercolor paints to cover the paper in shades of blue to represent the sky and the sea.
2. Tear of large pieces of wax paper. Crinkle them up, and then spread glue on one side. Glue them onto the bottom half of the paper to look like hills and slopes of ice.
3. To make the ice look more white and less clear, put more layers of wax paper over the top.
4. Cut out two to three polar bears, and use a glue stick to attach them to the wax paper.

*All photos are with parent permission.

I always let the children pick which three books I read from the ones I bring with me. These are the additional suggested books that the children didn't pick:

1. "Polar Bear's Story" by Harriet blackford and Manja Stojic
2. "Bear Report" by Thyra Jeder
3. "Polar Bear Island" by Lindsay Bonilla
4. "Polar Opposites" by Erik Brooks
5. "Adrift; An Odd Couple of Polar Bears" by Jessica Olien
6. "A Dot in the Snow" by Corrinne Averiss
7. "The Three Snow Bears" by Jan Brett
8. "Mama, Why?" by Karma Wilson
9. "The Snow Bear" by Liliana Stafford