B is for Bear Den

Experience Early Learning’s Winter in the Woods Preschool theme includes learning about animals in the woods. We learned about bears and B is for Bear Den.

B is for Bear Den

I love that the Invitations to Create from Experience Early Learning often include using nature items. For this project, we used silk leaves and sticks from the yard.

We also used pinecones for trees. The photos of bears were included for us to use in our bear dens and to play with.

Look at this beautiful picture of a big bear by its den. What a great inspiration photo. It makes us wonder, how did he make the den?

The cards included with our Invitation to Create provide some background knowledge and make for nice commentary next to a display.

B is for Bear Den

We’ve made bear dens before, so I found a piece of cardboard for our base. That makes it easier for kids to have something to glue their materials to.

Some choose to color their dens with a marker. Others just wanted to get down to the business of gluing! I did help glue the den to the cardboard and the pinecones on with a glue gun.

It makes for a more successful experience when we use materials that work. Regular glue would work, too, but it takes longer to dry.

I worked with each child individually and helped them glue on the materials that needed the glue gun. They told me where they wanted a stick or the pinecone, and we glued it on.

Our bear dens engaged the imagination and turned out beautiful as well.

It does look like a bear den in the woods, a place where a bear might want to rest for the long winter.

The kids were proud to take them home.

Writing Letter B

During group time, we worked on the letter B. I drew a bear and a bell to get their attention at circle time and wrote: B is for Bear and B is for bell. First, we circled the letter Bb. Then, everyone took turns writing uppercase and lowercase letters B.

They seem more interested in writing at circle time when they take turns at the dry-erase board. We can spend a lot of time writing, and they patiently wait their turn!

I Spy Letter B

The I Spy Letter B page and letter cards continued our letter B work.

Most in my group want to color the whole page, but we review it together first. The,n they color the page as desired. They are toddlers and preschoolers – they want to color!

I try to work with each child individually to know where they are in letter recognition. Sometimes, we do the page together during group time so that everyone gets the benefit of learning from the more advanced learners.

Letter B Loose Letter Parts

Loose letter parts are like puzzle pieces. Again, my group seemed more interested in working on these during group time when they had to wait their turn. Then they say, “I’m next!” and look forward to making their letters.

That’s all for B is for Bear Dens. We learned a lot and had fun, too. That’s why we love Experience Early Learning preschool curriculum!

More Winter in the Woods Activities

• Winter in the Woods: What’s in the Box?
• Pokey Like a Hedgehog
• Winter in the Woods Small World Play
• Mittens
• Winter in the Woods Dioramas