The Bear Cubs Celebrate Bear Day!

Grin and Bear It!

The Bear Cubs celebrated Bear Day with big smiles and good fun...

We began the morning by introducing our bears to the other members of our class,

went to Gathering to watch the Kindergarten perform a "teenage" version of The Three Bears, followed by an enthusiastic, hand and knee slapping rendition of Going On a Bear Hunt.

The Bear Cubs then went on their own "hunt" throughout the classroom to explore lots of beary fun activities!

We made Bear Ears for listening well, and painted our "bear feet" to make tracks across big sheets of paper on the floor.




We also read bear stories and sang bear songs...
Our favorite book today was a sweet and true story about a bear family in Alaska,
Growing Up Grizzly by Douglas Chadwick and Amy Shapira.


Our Teddy Bear Picnic, naturally, included berries and fish (crackers)...
M-m-m-more please!




In a step by step process which required lots of concentration, we made layered Bear Face Cookies. We were so proud of these that we decided to bring them home to show to our families!

Bear hugs!

As we leave our bear tracks trailing into the summer, we have so many happy memories of this year together!

Judith

We will make our own Summer Fun!

[Guest Blogger here today, giving our wonderful teacher a bit of a break from technology headaches ;)]

What a gloomy May and early June it has been! While we all hope and plead for some semblance of a summer, our wonderful children have been making the best of it and creating a summer all on their own.

The butterflies made their way out of their homes....

....and, after being able to enjoy them a bit in the classroom, the children joyfully set them free!!

The weather, however, would not cooperate for the end of year beach day... so, summer fun continued inside the bear cub's lair.... drawing, crowns, spin art -- oh my! So many activities, so little time!!

We colored beautiful butterflies (and other animals) that Mauricio had left for us and that reminded us of the friends we'd just set free....

Then we made crowns that reflected everyone's individuality! Lots of "bling" for some, very simple for others... we each got to choose our very own style.

The excitement of seeing paint take on a life of its own with spin art... Look at their little faces!!!

With all that AND building habitats for African animals (which we left out so the kids can revisit it on Monday -- there were so many great ideas!!)....

And then, the old fan favorites: rice table, water table and moon sand!

It was an absolutely wonderful, full, great, "summer" day!

Let's hope the sun saw how much fun the kids had and decides to COME OUT AND PLAY!! :)