Teddy Bear Story

When the children bring their bears help the children trace around them onto
 a large piece of paper. The children then color them to look like their
 teddies and to the side of these drawings write these sentences:

My bears's name is ________.

______ is ________inches long. (together we use a ruler to measure teddy)

________came to live with me when_____________.
(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 with my help or fill in the lines for them. The sentences can
 be changed to any topic that might capture the interest of the children. (Once we changed
 the sentences to describe what teddy and the child liked to eat at our teddy bear picnic.)
The children couldn't wait to show their parents their teddy bear poster!

Bear Day

Sponsor a Bear Day!  Invite each child to bring a favorite stuffed bear, animal, or doll.  Plan
 to have a "Bear Picnic."  Go outside and enjoy the sun or, on a cold day, hold the picnic
 inside.  Help the children make bear shaped invitations to take home to their teddy bears. 
 Plan a "Bear Menu" - honey and peanut butter sandwiches, berries, carrot sticks, Berry
 Kool-Aid, and bear shaped cookies.  Help the children make a "Welcome Bears" sign
 to hang in the classroom as well.  Invite the children to sit on blankets at the picnic.

Teddy Bear Sleepover

Materials:
Approx. four bears (this amount depends on the number of children you have),
scraps of paper, marker, basket, baggie, with four story books that relates to bears or
teddy bears, little notebooks, pencils, letter to parents explaining the activity
(reading storybook to the teddy bear and their child, write down
 the adventure the teddybear had while visiting their home)

Gather the children together in a circle and introduce them to the bears. Explain to them
 that they are sad because they don't have a name and were wondering if we could help
 name them. Ask the children to think of a name or names they like. Once everyone has
 had a chance to choose a name, we will place all the names in a basket and draw them
 four names out and name each bear. Accept all names and write them on the scraps of
 paper. Place all the paper in the basket, mix them up. Choose four children to one at a time,
 take a scrap paper from the basket. As they draw out the names, name each bear
 (write the name on their tags).  Once the bears have been named, explain to the children
 that the bears would like to take turns playing at each child's home and that each day
 a bear will go home with one child. Write the children's names down on scrap paper,
 place them into the basket and have four different children draw one name out at a time.
Allow each child whose name was chosen to put their teddy bear, and baggie which
has a storybook, notebook, pencil and parent letter into their cubbies to take home.
Next day during circle time, invite each child who took a teddy bear home to share
their adventure with the children. Draw names again and repeat until the children tire of
 taking teddy bears home or until all the children have had the opportunity to take a bear home.
 NOTE: This is a fun activity for the children as it teaches them to take turns, share, being
 responsible for the teddy bear, great language skills and a fun activity that
involves their families. The stories that come back are wonderful!!!!

Autumn Bears

Duplicate patterns of a nut, leaf, acorns, berries, apples, fish, and honey.
  Discuss the fact that bears hibernate during winter.  When a bear is ready
 to hibernate, it will look for  a snug place to sleep.  Give children bear food
patterns.  The children can place their patterns in small paper bags.  Have the
 children form a circle on the rug and empty their bear food bags in the center
 of the circle.  Encourage them to observe the variety of foods a bear can eat.
  Have the children gather their patterns up again and take the bear
 food home to remind them of the habits of autumn bears.

A Special Teddy Bear

Here's a warm and fuzzy way to display your helper's name each day.  For each child,
 personalize a construction paper heart cutout and punch a hole in each cutout.
  Every morning, select one child to be the helper of the day.  Then thread the
 corresponding cutout onto a length of yarn.  Tie the yarn around a teddy bear's
 neck and display this fuzzy friend in the classroom on a shelf.
  Your little ones will be anxious to see who the helper is each day.

Bear Facts to Discuss with Children

Bears eat as much as they can in autumn to prepare for winter.
Bears can gain one pound a day in autumn.
Extra layers of fat help the bears stay warm in the winter.

Three Bears Day

You will enjoy emphasizing big, bigger and biggest using the story
 The Three Bear. The story lends itself well to creative drama

Supplies You Will Need:
Brown Pain,Oranges,lemons, and marshmallows for Arrival;
Props for action out the story for Activity 1;
Play dough, bowls and cornmeal for Activity 2;
Materials for bulletin board for Activity 3; and
Puppets, shoebox, bear and lollipops for Closing.

As your children arrive for the day ask them to paint 3 bears using a orange, a lemon,
 and a marshmallow. Cut the oranges and lemons in 1/2. Let the children use the food
 and brown paint to print circles making  bears in 3 sizes, 2 circles, one above the other
 and made with the orange, will be Father Bear. 2 circles, one above the other and made
 with the lemon, will be Mother Bear. And 2 circles, one above the
 other and made with the marshmallow, will be Baby Bear.

Read the story (The Three Bears, by Paul Galdone). While reading, draw the children's
attention to the  details of the bears' dress, such as hats, aprons, pants, etc....

Discuss the sizes of the bears in the story and the sizes of the bears the children
 painted upon arriving today. Use the words Big,Bigger and Biggest throughout the day.
 Ask the children if they think the evens of the story really could have happened?
Should they go into someone's house if no one is at home?

Bear Facts, Photos and More...  Click HERE!