A unique book that encourages inspiration and imagination in your child.
No wonder We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen is one of the most celebrated books in children’s literature. A story about a venture to find a bear with various natural obstacles in the middle, the book helps children to overcome one’s fears by going through them.
With rhythmic and clear language, the book combines several concepts and skills in a repetitive style and expression. This creates the perfect setting for children to act along and take part in a dramatic play.
With basic directions, descriptive words, and sequencing, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt holds different concepts that encourage imagination and inspiration.
What is great is that it also offers several activities for children to engage in. If you want to boost the learning of children while entertaining them, here is a selection of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activities for children.
1. Help them to play out the scenes from the book
Source: the imagination tree
Why consider this activity: Sensory Storytelling Spoons or sticks are the perfect way to take the narrative aspect of the book into dramatic play. Children get excited by waving spoons while acting and repeating the choruses like “Swishy Swashy” from the book. It helps develop prior understanding in children as they start retelling the story themselves with new words, too.
What you’ll need:
● Wooden spoons or sticks
● Acrylic Paints
● Cotton balls
● Twigs
● Aluminum foil
● Various kinds of material (scraps of felt, ribbons, organza)
● Markers
● Glue
● Scissors
How you do it: Start by cutting different stripes of green ribbons to create green flowy grass. Let your child glue them onto the spoon. You can use real twigs and branches from your backyard with green felt to fashion the dark forest on the spoon. Create the whirling snowstorm by gluing irregular cotton balls with white glitter for extra spark. Use cotton balls for the oozy mud by painting them brown. Layer the foil to form a gloomy cave effect. For the bear, encourage your child to use her imagination and paint it the way she likes. When the spoons are ready, move them around as the story goes and create sound effects for each one.
2. Help them create their bear hunt binoculars
Source: Buggy and Buddy
Source: Hands On As We Grow
Why consider this activity: This activity will spark natural curiosity in children. It’s a great way to explore and look for new hidden things in the surroundings through a handmade apparatus. It also engrosses children in the creative process of crafting an optical instrument in a simple but innovative way.
What you’ll need:
● 2 toilet paper tubes
● Hot glue
● Tape
● Hole puncher
● String or yarn
● Paints
● Optional Stickers or decorations
How you do it: Glue together two toilet papers side by side that will create the basic binocular shape. You can also use tape to secure it. Punch two holes in the top right and left corner and use the string or yarn to tie around it for the strap. Let your child decorate it with paint, stickers, or glitters. Once the binoculars are complete, it’s now time to head out and look for the bear.
3. Help them learn how to make homemade mud
Source: U-GRO
Why consider this activity: Mud is a messy medium, but sensory play in mud allows children to use all their senses by building their motor and investigation skills. Encouraging your child to create mud also helps them understand different processes from an early age. Let your child use his hands to explore the textures. Walk them straight through the squelchy muddy trail tray like the characters from We’re Going on a Bear Huntand describe how it feels.
What you’ll need:
● Baking soda
● Water
● Brown paint or food coloring
How you do it: Making experiments is one of the best methods of teaching. Making mud is no different. Take baking soda to a bowl and add water until you get to the required mud-like consistency. Keep mixing while adding water and create a thick oozy mud by adding some dark paint. Your child can walk across the mud or make its little toys go through the “Squelchy Squerchy” mud.
4. Help them develop decision-making skills with an outdoor obstacle course
Source: Learn With Play at Home
Why consider this activity: An outdoor obstacle mission triggers decision-making capabilities in your child as they understand what to do in a certain situation. Imitating the movements from We’re Going on a Bear Hunt increases the perception and makes them learn quicker.
What you’ll need:
● Select different spaces and name them according to the obstacles mentioned in the book.
How you do it: Like the characters in the book as they make their way through stumbling in the forest or tip-toeing in the cave, encourage your child to imitate their movements as you narrate the story. Walk or jog around the grassy space pretending it has long flowy grass. Take slow long steps in the muddy area copying the feeling of getting stuck. For the snowstorm, cover your children in a self-hug.
5. Help children design their imaginative bear mask
Source: iheartCraftyThings
Why consider this activity: The bear in We’re Going on a Bear Hunt has these big googly eyes and furry ears. Let your child use the descriptive words and create their scary creature. It allows children to think from the ground and boosts their creativity.
What you’ll need:
● Paper plate
● Some furry fabric
● Cups
● Paints
● String or elastic
● Pom poms
● Scissors
● Glue
How you do it: Take inspiration from We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and let your child craft the scariest or cutest looking bear. Use the paper plates for the face. To make the prominent shiny nose, use the cup. Cut two holes for the eyes and connect the string or elastic from both corners of the plate. Once the mask is complete, put them on and act out as big scary bears.
6. Help them solve clues with a bear scavenger hunt
Source: B-Inspired-Mama
Why consider this activity: You can customize scavenger hunts according to your child's interests and abilities. It allows your child to act-out problem-solving methods in a physical way. Children get to learn to use different means to find or solve the riddles.
What you’ll need:
● A map (of your backyard or garden or the house)
● Teddy bears
● Clues
● Cutout paw
How you do it: Create an interesting map of your backyard or garden with places where you can hide the bears easily. Next, add the steps to how to go from one place to another with activities inspired by We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Include activities like crawling like a bear to the next spot or making a swishy sound on the grass. Add in some riddles or some items along the way. Print cutouts of bear paws and put them near the hiding bear. Select the winner with the highest number of teddy bears.
7. Help your child in learning basic scientific concepts about water
Source: Wordsforlife
Why consider this activity: Water play encourages various areas of development in children. Water with different temperatures and textures improves sensory and motor skills in children. It also helps with cognitive benefits as your child experiments with new concepts such as floating and sinking.
What you’ll need:
● A bowl
● Water
● Different toys
How you do it: Fill the bowl with water and add blue paint to give it an ocean effect. Add a few toys and let your child move the animals creating splashing sounds as you read the book with characters crossing the river with a ‘splash splosh’. This helps your child create a connection with the characters. Add a few boats or ships that he can use to help the toys for crossing the river safely.
8. Help them make their sensory collages with natural elements
Source: HomeGrown Friends
Why consider this activity: Children visually and physically learn the elements of nature, such as soft pointy grass or bright blue water, and much more. This activity enhances artistic expressions and sensory skills as your child creates a collage while listening to the story.
What you’ll need:
● Cardboard piece
● Grass
● Dirt
● White glitter
● Water
● Paintbrushes
● Glue
How you do it: Start by reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and introduce each element from each scene. Let your child collect real items from the backyard or garden, like dirt or grass. Create a fun collage station with all the components. Reread the book so that your child can start gluing their elements on the cardboard piece. Whether your child makes the collage in a sequence or blends all the natural obstacles, the experience will be unique.