Polar Bears

Still trying to get him OK with stuff on his hands. Anyone have any tips on this?

From crafts to food to books to songs, Calan and I played with polar bears this past week. Calan loves bears. They were the first animal noise he would say. So, doing some lessons on polar bears was not a stretch for us. I did try to get him to recognize that a polar bear is white, but not sure if he exactly got it. I figure everything that I am doing is just planting seeds. He might not get it this lesson or the next, but at least we are trying to do something.

Snack

I toasted half of a Sara Lee Wheat Thin Bun and spread cream cheese to cover. Sliced banana for ears and a red grape for eyes. I drew a nose and mouth with frosting gels (not the prettiest idea, but it is what I had on hand). I got the idea from here.

Craft

I had two crafts planned, but the way the week worked out we only got one done. We made a puffy paint polar bear. To make the puffy paint, you mix equal parts shaving cream and glue. Calan painted the plate and then we let it dry for a day. I cut ears, eyes, and a nose out of construction paper and just asked Calan were they went. I attached them. He held it when we were done and said bear, so hopefully he learned something from it.
The craft I didn't have time for was gluing coconut to a polar bear. I guess we will save that one for a rainy day, which this winter there seems to be plenty of.

Books

There are obviously plenty of books out there to read on polar bears like "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" I fell in love with "Mama Why?" by Karma Wilson. It is a very sweet bedtime story and Calan loved it. By the end of the week, I would pause at the "Mama, Why?" parts and he would say it. I loved it.

Songs
I sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to Calan basically every night before he goes to bed, so this song was great because it goes to that tune and we were able to act out the different parts. (Though it was just basically me doing it and Calan turning around in circles, which is how he dances, or him just looking at me.)

Polar Bear Twinkle

Polar bear, polar bear, turn around,

Polar bear, polar bear, touch the ground,

Polar bear, polar bear, show your shoe,

Polar bear, polar bear, that will do.

Polar bear, polar bear, bend your knee,

Polar bear, polar bear, climb this tree,

Polar bear, polar bear, make a frown,

Polar bear, polar bear, sit right down.

Polar bear, polar bear, stand on your toes,

Polar bear, polar bear, touch your nose,

Polar bear, polar bear, wink your eye,

Polar bear, polar bear, say good-bye.