I thought I had posted this storytime, but I just saw it in my Drafts folder!  So, while Fat Bear Week has already passed, I hope you enjoy this Bear themed storytime post anyway.

******

It’s almost FAT BEAR WEEK!! This is my favorite bracket competition of the year.

It’s a celebration of the bears in Katmai National Park getting chunky for the winter in preparation for hibernation.  The public can vote on which bear they want to crown the Fat Bear Champion.

I’m probably way too into Fat Bear Week.  But it did inspire this week’s Preschool Storytime

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:

“Clap Your Hands” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT:
My Thumbs are Starting to Wiggle
(to the tune of: “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”)
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
and now so are my hands.

Other verses:
Hands → arms
Arms → toes
Toes → feet
Body is starting to wiggle…. around and around and around.

Take from: jbrary: https://youtu.be/AAmsnpMQlpw

FLANNELBOARD:

Bears

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
Big and brown, big and brown.
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
And live in the woods.

Polar bears are soft and white,
Soft and white, soft and white.
Polar bears are soft and white,
And live in the cold.

Teddy bears are just my size,
Just my size, just my size.
Teddy bears are just my size,
To cuddle with at night.

BOOK:

Horrible Bear! by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

MOVEMENT:

Little Brown Bear
A little brown bear (pat lap)
Went in search of honey (put hand like visor above eyes)
Isn’t a funny?  A bear looking for honey? (shrug)
He sniffed at the breeze (sniff)
And he listened for bees (cup hand behind ear)
And, would you believe it, (waggle finger)
He even climbed trees! (pretend to climb tree)

MOVEMENT:

“Shake My Sillies Out” from More Singable Songs by Raffi

FLANNELBOARD:
5 in the Bed

There were five in the bed,
and the little one said,
“It’s crowded!
Roll Over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out.

How many were in the bed now?
That’s right!   4!
There were four in the bed…

**Continue counting down until…

There was one in the bed
and the little one said

“I’m Lonely!”
So all the others climbed back into bed.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
And everyone drifted off to sleep.
Goodnight!

I got this flannelboard set from Artfelt.

MOVEMENT:

Two Little Black Bears
(like Two Little Blackbirds.  But different)
Two little black bears sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Run away Jack, run away Jill
Come back Jack, run away Jill
Two little black bears sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill.

Other Verses:
…digging in the snow.
One named Fast and the other named Slow.

..feeling very proud.
One named Quiet the other named Loud.

 

MOVEMENT:

“Shake My Sillies Out” from More Singable Songs by Raffi

BOOK:

Glad, Glad Bear by Kimberly Gee

MOVEMENT:
Bears are Sleeping
(to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Bears are sleeping, bears are sleeping
In their lairs, in their lairs
Soon it will be springtime, soon it will be springtime
Wake up, Bears!  Wake up, Bears!

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
Book: Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff (or others in this series)
Book: Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
Book: Don’t Worry Bear by Greg Foley

ATTENDANCE: 3 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Thursday, September 23, 2021 @ Lamanda

*To see the words to these movements and activities I use frequently, please visit my
A-capella Movements Section on my Storytime Movements and Music Page