Children at Bearsprings learn much about bears through songs and stories; such as traditional tales including ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, ‘Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around’ and ‘My Teddy Bear Has’. Two of our favourite and often used texts are ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,’ which we act out on the grass in the garden and ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?’ These texts get children thinking about ways to describe what they see as well as helping them to build their imaginations. Both texts use repetative refrains, that the children join in with, and are able to use to help them follow the sequence of events in the story.

Bears are also very useful for explaining different climates and seasons to children, as some live in very cold places all year round, such as polar bears. Did you know that grizzly bears hibernate once temperatures begin to drop?

Many children have a favourite cuddly bear or plush toy. These are useful for teaching a child empathy and for reinforcing good personal care habbits through roleplay.