This week's Mac-Kid Mini-Lesson is based on one of my all-time favorite children's books - Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. The charming, sing-songy rhyming verses, combined with the fantastic illustrations by Jane Chapman and the sweet story line, have made this one a favorite among all four of my children. In the story, bear is sleeping through a snow storm (awesome opportunity to talk about hibernation!) when one by one a group of animals arrives and begins to have a party in the cave alongside the snoring bear. When a pepper fleck awakens him with a sneeze, he finds his cave full of uninvited guests having a party without him! I love any children's books that encourage audience participation, and the repetition of "the bear snores on" always gets children engaged. Just an overall fun book to read!
Hibernating Bear Craft
Our first activity was a craft representing a hibernating bear. This activity requires the following materials.
Materials:
- Popsicle sticks (3 per child)
- Brown craft paint
- White glue
- Cotton balls
- Two colors of card stock or construction paper (brown and a neutral color)
- Hot glue gun
- Black marker
- Sponge paintbrush
This craft required minor prep work. I hot glued the popsicle sticks in a triangle shape and cut out two card stock tracers - a triangle and the outline of the bear's head. The first step was to paint the popsicle sticks brown to resemble a cave, so I gave each child a paper plate with a small amount of brown paint and a sponge paintbrush. Each child painted his/her popsicle sticks brown, and then we set them aside to dry. Mom Tip: I recommend starting the first step of the bear mini-donut snack during this time.
Once the paint was fairly dry, I gave each child 3-4 cotton balls and white glue. The children glued the cotton balls to the top and base of the cave. I encouraged them to pull apart the cotton balls a bit to make them appear more like snow.
Then each child traced and cut out a white triangle for the background and a brown bear head. They had the option to draw a face on their bear. Then the bear heads were glued to the center of the triangle. The triangle was then glued to the back of the popsicle stick triangle, and it was set aside to dry. While we worked, we discussed why animals hibernate and which animals hibernate. The end result was really cute!
Bear Mini-Donuts
I was really impressed by how adorable these bear mini-donuts turned out! And they were very easy to make! Here's what you will need.
Materials:
- Chocolate-covered mini-donuts
- Hershey kisses
- M&Ms
- Edible eyes
The first step, which I did while the paint dried in the craft activity, is to place the mini-donuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The oven was preheated to 200 degrees. The children placed a hershey kiss in the center of each donut, and we put the donuts in the oven for 60-90 seconds. Once removed, the Hershey kiss should be just soft enough to place a brown M&M in the center. Then place the edible eyes in the slightly melted chocolate on the donut. Finally, insert two more M&Ms as ears. We allowed the bear mini-donuts to cool and harden while we finished the rest of the hibernating bear craft. They were delicious and so cute!
