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It’s Polar Bear Day!
My kids have been really excited for this day to come! I think it’s because it marks the start of learning about these special animals, which they’re VERY excited for! ๐
You can find all of my printables and activity ideas for today by scrolling below! โ๏ธ
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Keep reading below for more about Polar Bear Day!
Day #3. Polar Bear Day!
Here is some of what we are planning to do on Wednesday! ๐
Activities
IMPORTANT NOTE: These printable activities will be FREE for you to download, but only until Polar Bear Day is over! So, make sure to download them even if you are going to do Polar Bear Day later in the week โ that way you can still snag them for free. If you could leave a review behind afterwards, that would be amazing too! THANK YOU!! ๐ฅฐโค๏ธ
#1. Grow a Polar Bear Science Experiment
I suggest doing this experiment in the morning and checking on it later in the day (or even leaving it overnight!). The longer you leave the gummy bears in the liquid, the more of a change you’ll see when you compare them to regular gummy bears.
For this experiment, you’ll want some gummy bears, this worksheet, 6 containers, salt, sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, baking soda, water, and spoons. When it comes time to take them out and compare, I suggest using a paper plate that has the different liquids labeled to set each gummy bear next to.
STEP ONE. To start this experiment, print out this worksheet. Have your child(ren) draw what they think will happen to each gummy bear in each liquid on page #5.
STEP TWO. You’ll want to put a gummy bear into 6 different liquids and leave them in the liquid for a good amount of time. If you don’t have much time, you can warm up each liquid (make sure they’re all still the same temperature) to speed up the process.
STEP THREE. When you’ve left them in there for as long as you can, use the spoon to take them out and set on the paper plate (next to the correct label). You could also take them out at different times and compare, to see how they change over time.
STEP FOUR. Set a regular gummy bear next to each soaked gummy bear. Compare and observe. Ask your student(s) if one liquid affected the gummy bear more than the others? Was their hypothesis correct? Have them draw their results on the worksheet.
*Different brands will most likely produce different results and take a shorter or longer amount of time for the gummy bears to change.
#2. Label the Polar Bear Worksheet
This Label the Polar Worksheet comes with a word bank at the bottom of the page and an answer key on the next page.
I plan to have my kids fill these out after we watch the educational videos below about polar bears.
#3. Polar Bear Silhouette Artwork/Process Art
Grab some paper for your child(ren) to paint a winter landscape and/or colors on.
Sprinkling some salt on top (while the paint is still wet) to create a pretty process art would be beautiful for this project!
Once it is dry, print out this page and have your child(ren) glue the polar bear of their choice on top of the painting!
#4. Polar Bear Mini Research Book (Writing Activity)
I made this mini book project so that my kids could have something in hand to take notes on while we watch some of the educational videos below.
I’ve found that it’s really helpful to build their listening skills and to help them pay better attention, if they have some specific questions to listen for.
You will want to print these two pages DOUBLE-SIDED and flip it on the short edge. Cut once down the blue line. Fold both pieces of paper and then tuck the bottom piece into the top piece. Make sure the page numbers line up before stapling shut.
Snack
Snack time today is a Polar Bear Bagel!
All youโll need is a bagel, cream cheese, banana slices for the ears, raisins for the eyes, and blueberries for the nose (put some on top of the ears too).
Books
(Note: Some of these books are new to me, so be sure to skim it beforehand if you want to make sure itโs something your family values align with).
Today weโll be reading, “The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale” by Lydia Dabcovich, “If I Knew A Polar Bear” by Karen Sutula, and also “Polar Bear, Polar Bear: What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.
Here are the YouTube Read Aloud links for these books ๐
Educational Videos
Pick and choose (or watch all of) the videos below to learn more about polar bears!โ๏ธ
Do you have older kids? This longer video (45 minutes) really dives more into how polar bears live. Please be aware that I didn’t watch the entire video yet, so I recommend watching with your kids (in case anything is too graphic, like during the polar bear hunting seals, etc).
Do You Have More Time? Here Are Some Extra Ideas!
#1. Do your kids need to get some wiggles out? Set up some pillows/cushions for “icebergs” and pretend to be polar bears as you play “The Floor is ICE” (instead of lava)! Obviously, polar bears can walk on ice, but for the purpose of the game, pretend it’s very thin ice and that the polar bear can’t walk on it ๐
#2. Follow along to draw this polar bear over at Art for Kids Hub.
I hope you guys enjoyed learning more about polar bears! ๐ If you still need the Winter School Calendar, just drop your email below and I’ll send it over to you!
PS: Check back soon for my blog post about Snowy Owl Day! ๐