Where do Bears go in Winter?

Lesson Summary:

The lesson describes the way in which many bears prepare for winter.  The reading is designed to be read by the children themselves, either individually or in pairs. Activity A tests their understanding of the reading while Activity B ends the lesson with a creative activity which helps to reinforce some of the facts they have learnt.

Objectives:

  • The children will understand and be able to describe the ways in which bears prepare themselves for winter.

Subject Area:

Science

Lesson Excerpt:

Where do bears go in winter? Let’s follow one and find out.  Ursa starts getting ready for winter right from the beginning of summer.  She is an omnivore, which means she eats both plants and animals.  She looks for the sweetest berries and fruit, scratches for nuts and roots and hunts down insects, fish and even mammals such as mice.  If she is going to survive the winter she needs to gain about 30 pound a week!

In Fall Ursa begins to search for her winter accommodation.  She could dig a den in the ground, or find an abandoned cave or burrow or a hollow log. This winter she is going to make her nest in a crevice she has found between two rocks.  The entrance to the den is just big enough for her to be able to squeeze through and the den itself is only about four feet wide and three feet high.  This might sound rather small for a large bear like Ursa, but she doesn’t mind, she finds it easier to stay warm in a small den.

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