In the northern hemisphere, it is late autumn moving into early winter. Winter is a time of rest, of quiet, for some animals, of hibernation.
Would our children know that? They live, for the most part, in cities, protected from the extremes of weather. We have power to keep us warm when it is cold, to keep it light when it is dark. Families race to skiing holidays or beach holidays at all times of the year. Children watch television and play electronic games at all hours. Yet our bodies follow still the rhythms of nature. We are more tired and grumpy when we have to move about in the cold and the dark; we become ill more easily when we are tired and cold. In many ways, we are living at odds with our physical world. Helping children to understand seasonal changes and how they affect us may help them to relax and accept certain changes in themselves, as well as those around them.
The Bear's Life
The bear is the star example of a creature whose life follows closely the seasonal changes. By following the bear's life through the year, children can learn about the seasons as well as nature.
Craft Aspect - Back to the Felt Board
Using this fine silhouette from Karen's Whimsy, with thanks, cut out a large felt bear:
Consider if you want it to be brown or black, as relates to what once roamed where you now live. Then, cut out from grey or brown, a large cave into which the bear can fit. You may wish to do another bear, curled in sleep.
Teaching - Repetition
When I was a schoolgirl of about eight or nine years, I had a teacher named Mrs. Doctorman who, every single morning, made us stand beside our desks and sing brightly:
Good morning to you!
Good morning to you!
We're all in our places
With sunshiny faces
And this is the way
To start a new day.
Because we were young, we accepted it. In later years, I thought it was tacky beyond belief. In truth, it worked. She smiled, we smiled, and everyone got down to their tasks. The Bear's Life can be just such a morning repetition, focusing on what the weather is and what the bear would be doing. Encourage the children to pretend to eat lots and lots and LOTS of berries when the bear would be storing energy for the winter sleep, to stretch and pat their places when the bear would be settling down in the cave, to put their heads down and snore when the bear is hibernating. Do not do all of this in a morning, but in phases over many mornings.
Extend the Teaching
If possible, visit a zoo's bear enclosure many times during the year to see how their behaviour changes.
Read bear stories about real bears' lives, not those with bears acting like people. We have put some suggestions in a list in the column to the right: A Few Good Books About Bears.
This activity should go the year round, for only then will children, especially city children, gain a deep understanding of nature's changes.
©2009 Anne Morddel
Seasons South and North
Technorati Profile
Comments